Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change The State of the Climate 2026 | Ep242: Zeke Hausfather
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Jan 28, 2026 Zeke Hausfather, climate scientist and IPCC lead author who also leads Stripe’s carbon removal research, joins to discuss recent record warmth and what drives accelerated heating. He covers aerosols masking warming, disappearing low clouds, the limits and governance of geoengineering, and the prospects and challenges for scalable carbon removal technologies.
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U.S. Government Pullback From IPCC
- The U.S. withdrawal from IPCC has materially reduced government scientist participation this cycle.
- About 60 U.S. scientists still participate via academia and philanthropy funding for travel and meeting costs.
Poverty Amplifies Climate Damage
- The worst climate damages occur when high warming coincides with poverty and low adaptive capacity.
- Socioeconomic pathways matter as much as physical warming for human impacts.
Treat Geoengineering As A Strictly Bounded Band‑Aid
- Solar‑radiation modification (SRM) is a band-aid: it cools but doesn't remove CO2 and risks long-term dependence.
- Limit SRM to replacing current aerosol masking to avoid unaffordable termination costs and addiction.