Can Cities Save Us?

Are cites the world’s best hope for combating climate change? Many cities have committed to meeting the Paris Agreement goals. But are those targets translating to action on the ground? In this episode of Political Climate, we look at San Diego’s quest to achieve 100 percent carbon free electricity by 2035 and what other cities can learn from this experience.  We recorded this episode at the UCSD School of Global Policy and Strategy, where we were joined by Cody Hooven, the first chief sustainability officer for the City of San Diego. We covered everything from how the city’s Republican mayor pushed through a bold climate action plan, to the community choice aggregation program San Diego is pursuing, to how cities are coping with the intersection of climate and equity issues.  Before delving into the role that cities play in the fight against climate change, we touched on a few federal climate related news items. Here’s that conversation, we hope you enjoy. Recommended reading: Politico: Trump to nominate Dan Brouillette as Energy secretary The Hill: Senate Dems lose forced vote against EPA power plant rule WSJ: City Pledges for ‘100% Renewable Energy’ Are 99% Misleading San Diego Tribune: San Diego City Council takes the leap into community choice energy GTM: San Diego Moves Ahead With 100% Clean Energy Community Choice Program Political Climate is produced in partnership with the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, and thanks to invaluable support from producer Victoria Simon. Subscribe to the Political Climate podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Overcast or any of these other services.