Policy for the Planet

The cost to jobs and public health from the EPA rollbacks (Episode 30)

The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced a major deregulation of greenhouse gas emissions, effectively repealing 25-year-old emission standards for all light,

How the war on Iran exposes global economic interconnectedness (Episode 29)

The war against Iran by the United States and Israel has spread turmoil through oil and natural gas markets, spiking prices and threatening the world economy. How will th

How New England fights climate change with help from local organizations (Episode 28)

As the cause of climate change mitigation loses favor in the White House, reducing risks from global warming has fallen to local communities. In New England, organization

Are data centers driving up utility costs? (Episode 27)

As Americans face rising utility costs, much of the blame is being directed at the construction of new energy-intensive data centers. But are data centers actually the ma

Can local policies relieve climate activism fatigue? Germany's case (Episode 26)

Climate advocates face many barriers to progress: activism fatigue, misinformation, and a growing skepticism about global cooperation. Can countries get the public more e

The geopolitics behind critical minerals (Episode 25)

The US drive for critical minerals is now fueled by national security concerns instead of climate mitigation. Policymakers speak of shoring up global supply chains for th

Europe's fight against mosquito-borne viruses (Episode 24)

Europe faces a new challenge: Mosquito-borne viruses, such as chikungunya, zika, and dengue, are now prevalent throughout the region, driven by warmer temperatures. Europ

Can Brazil's fiscal policy address environmental concerns? (Episode 23)

Brazil has made many attempts to reform its fiscal problems, while never adequately addressing its increasingly burdensome government debt. At the same time, the country

How China expanded its electrical grid with low carbon energy (Episode 22)

China's population, a little over four times as large as the United States, and its economic ambitions are driving a gargantuan need for electricity. But China has been a

The imperiled future of the Panama Canal (Episode 21)

The Panama Canal suffered severe droughts in 2023 and 2024. Lower water levels disrupted vital US commercial trade routes for liquefied natural gas and other products. Th

Can climate efforts create jobs? (Episode 20)

Is it possible to pursue climate efforts, create jobs, and achieve social justice at the same time? That was the challenge that the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was de

How Ukraine's critical minerals could help rebuild its economy (Episode 19)

Ukraine has been defending itself from Russia's attack for more than three years, forcing it to struggle with a wartime economy. Negotiations to end the fighting have gon

How to combat disinformation on climate science (Episode 18)

In the age of the Internet, artificial intelligence, social media, and instant access to knowledge, disinformation has become a challenge in public discourse on climate c

The looming water security crisis (Episode 17)

Access to water, a vital necessity for every walk of life, is increasingly jeopardized by the malign effects of climate change, from pollution to melting glaciers, errati

India must pursue its own climate change course (Episode 16)

India's poverty and tropical heat pose extraordinary challenges as its population faces rising temperatures, less rainfall, and torrid weather. But India is also uniquely

Climate storytelling faces a crisis (Episode 15)

Telling stories about the challenges of climate change has never been harder. The world is beset by other problems as the newscycle churns from crisis to crisis. Communic

Higher temperatures are fueling the rise in bird flu (Episode 14)

An outbreak of bird flu in the United States and Canada is ravaging chicken flocks and driving up egg prices. What's causing the spread? Dr. Shayan Sharif (University of

How frozen seeds in an Arctic mountain could avert a food crisis (Episode 13)

Climate change is jeopardizing the future survival of millions of different kinds of seeds needed by growers to meet global food demands. Cary Fowler (Svalbard Global S

Is the US renewable energy push dead? (Episode 12)

The current political establishment's opposition to climate change incentives makes it easy to assume businesses are going along. But that's far from the case. Kristina C

Tariffs won't stop the EU's climate agenda (Episode 11)

We spoke last year on this podcast about the European Union's ambitious climate agenda. The world has changed since then! A new US president determined to impose tariffs