The Climate Pod

Why were there so many serial killers in the US in the 1970s and 80s? Why were so many in the Pacific Northwest? This week, we explore the Lead Crime Hypothesis with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Caroline Fraser. In her new book, Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, she explores the potential link between mid-20th century pollution from leaded gasoline and industrial smelters and the spike in violent crime. We also examine how the reduction of lead in the environment could explain the subsequent drop in crime rates since the 1990s, but how we still face a threat today. We discuss how lead pollution became such a problem, its known impacts on human behavior, and why our understanding of pollution can challenge some conventional crime reduction strategies and beliefs. Caroline grew up outside of Seattle in the 1970s, while Ted Bundy and other murderers were in the area. We talk about her personal history with the area and how it's driven her work on the topic. Caroline Fraser is the author of Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, which won the Pulitzer Prize as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Heartland Prize, and the Plutarch Award for Best Biography of the Year. She is also the author of God's Perfect Child: Living and Dying in the Christian Science Church, and her writing has appeared in the New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, and the London Review of Books, among other publications. Check out Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter/podcast, The Climate Weekly, to help support this show. Your contributions will make the continuation of this show possible. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

We're living through a time of extraordinary change to the US energy landscape. As Robbie Orvis, Senior Director of Modeling and Analysis at Energy Innovation argues, the combination of surging demand for electricity with new policies designed to slow the build out of cheaper, cleaner, faster energy sources like wind, solar, and batteries will result in higher utility bills, fewer jobs, and slower economic growth. And that will impact everyone, likely in more ways than you'd expect. Orvis joins The Climate Pod this week for an in-depth examination of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. How much less clean energy will actually be built in the coming years? How much could it increase energy costs? What will be the economic losses suffered as a result? Will international momentum towards clean energy continue in absence of the United States' leadership? Orvis answers all these questions and more as we get into the weeds of the new energy environment. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter/podcast, The Climate Weekly, to help support this show. Your contributions will make the continuation of this show possible. Check out more of Robbie's work at Energy Innovation here. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

David Roberts, a renowned journalist and author of the 'Volts' newsletter, shares his insights on recent setbacks in climate policy, particularly regarding the Inflation Reduction Act. He discusses the intertwining of politics and climate action, reflecting on pivotal legislative moments. The conversation dives into the complex U.S.-China dynamic in the global energy transition and the crucial role of public perception in shaping policy outcomes. Roberts advocates for innovative communication strategies to engage wider audiences in climate solutions.

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Sandeep Vaheesan, legal director at the Open Markets Institute and author on electrification history. He walks through how New Deal public power programs remade rural life and spurred mass appliance adoption. He explains dam-building, TVA impacts, and how public and cooperative utilities shaped wartime mobilization. He also addresses the era’s racial injustices and why public leadership matters for decarbonization.

Evlondo Cooper, a senior writer with Media Matters, returns to discuss the year’s climate change coverage. He emphasizes the necessity of linking extreme weather to climate narratives, highlighting ongoing media gaps. Cooper critiques the commercialization of Earth Day and the lack of coverage around COP29. He calls for year-round focus on extreme weather and accountability in climate reporting. The conversation underscores the growing role of independent media in shaping public understanding and the need for a more investigative approach to climate journalism.

David Spratt, a climate and policy analyst and Research Director at Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration, reveals chilling insights from his book, Collision Course. He discusses the catastrophic implications of reaching 3 degrees Celsius of warming, including the risk of tipping points and threats to food security and social stability. Spratt highlights the urgency for honest discourse on climate risks, the limitations of current responses, and the need for swift, collective action to combat escalating crises and global challenges.

The discussion dives into the vital role of critical metals in the renewable energy transition. Vince Beiser highlights the dangers of mining practices and the human rights issues entwined with metal extraction. China's dominance in the supply chain presents geopolitical challenges. The conversation also covers the urgent need for sustainable mining and recycling solutions, alongside the potential of deep sea mining. Additionally, the growing right to repair movement is identified as crucial for reducing waste and improving ethical practices.

What do human beings owe planet Earth? How are we responsible to future generations? Those are some pretty weighty questions. But in reality, if you're confronting the climate crisis, it should bring about some pretty weighty philosophical issues, shouldn't it? So to help, we called in popular philospher Todd May to guide us through tackling some of those biggest of big picture questions we could ponder. A renowned philosopher and advisor to NBC's The Good Place with 18(!) books published on philosophy, Todd has a wide area of expertise that includes thinking critically about humanity's role in the climate crisis and our moral responsibility to act. Now, he's out with a new book, Should We Go Extinct? A Philosophical Dilemma for Our Unbearable Times, that explores these issues from a philosopher's perspective. In this conversation, we explore the moral implications of human existence in the context of the climate crisis, how we should think about future generations, and why it's critical to pay attention to the interconnectedness of environmental issues. We also examine the importance of recognizing our role within the natural world and our moral responsibility in the face of ongoing deforestation, factory farming, and ecosystem damage. Todd's philosophical inquiries help show us how we can navigate the complexities of existence and focus our attention on critical actions, even when simple answers to big picture questionsa are unavailable. Todd May is a philosopher and the author of eighteen books of philosophy, was a philosophical advisor to the television sit-com The Good Place and currently teaches at Warren Wilson College. Read Should We Go Extinct? A Philosophical Dilemma for Our Unbearable Times. As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel and our Substack, The Climate Weekly.

If you're a regular listener of this show or often engage with the facts of the climate crisis, it's likely you experience a fair deal of climate anxiety. I know I do. So I wanted to dive into those feelings and how to think about processing it all. For over a decade, Kate Schapira has been having these conversations as a part of her Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth. Now, she has a new book out, Lessons from the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth - How to Live with Care and Purpose in an Endangered World, to document that work and more. She joins the show this week to share her journey into understanding climate change's emotional impact, the importance of listening, and why creating intentional spaces for dialogue is critical. We also explore the complexities of communicating trauma, navigating uncertainty, and the competing feelings of despair and hope we can all feel in the face of unfolding climate crises. This is a really great conversation, especially if you've felt particularly anxious about all the extreme weather and climate impacts we've seen unfold this year. Kate Schapira is a professor of nonfiction writing at Brown University and work on local efforts toward environmental justice, climate justice and peer mental health support in her home in Providence. She's the author of six books of poetry. As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group.