Climate hushing, EVs 🔌 and creating “The Carbon Wave,” with Leah Stokes
About this episode
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson interviews Leah Stokes about climate politics and the benefits of electric vehicles.
Welcome to Season 5 of What If We Get It Right? 💫 While it may seem counterintuitive given the electoral subject matter, Bill McKibben and I are having a blast gabbing with all these wonderful folks who work on climate and politics. Our first guest is Dr. Leah Stokes, professor of environmental politics, energy policy wonk, activist, and writer. During the Biden administration, she also became a DC insider and was integral to the development and passage of the Inflation Reduction Act – THE biggest climate law in history. With Leah, we reflect/debrief on the IRA, bemoan the empirical absurdity of politicians going quiet on climate, and hear her pitch for abandoning the term “carbon footprint” (that evil/brilliant phrase from the fossil fuel industry) and instead embracing a “carbon wave.” The Carbon Wave is also the title of her new book, well worth reading. Leah’s Hot Climate Take 🥵🌎 — It is cheaper and cleaner to drive an electric vehicle than a gas-powered car and it’s gonna work in every single corner of this country— don't believe the fossil fuel industry lies! If you own a car, it should be an electric car. For more from Leah: * her Substack newsletter Notes from the…
People in this episode
Host: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Guest: Leah Stokes
Topics covered
- climate change
- electric vehicles
- energy policy
- politics
- environmental activism
Keywords
- climate hushing
- electric vehicle
- Inflation Reduction Act
- carbon wave
- environmental politics
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Biden administration, Inflation Reduction Act, Inside Climate News
Books & works: The Carbon Wave, Notes from the Electric Era, A Matter of Degrees, Short Circuiting Policy
More episodes of WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT?
- How the climate movement can build political power 🌎💪🏽 with Nathaniel Stinnett
- Trailer: Ayana and Bill McKibben are teaming up as podcast co-hosts! ✨
- On reciprocity, photosynthesis, and berries 🍓 with Robin Wall Kimmerer
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