David Roberts on 'Radical' Climate Action and Political Tribalism

Is radical reform needed to remake the U.S. electricity grid? What’s the role of nuclear power in the U.S. energy mix? Which Democratic presidential candidate has the best climate plan? What’s the most effective approach to climate advocacy? And how should journalists be covering highly politicized issues in today’s highly polarized information landscape? On this week's episode on Political Climate, we put these and other questions to David Roberts, acclaimed energy and politics reporter for Vox.   As a leading voice in the space, he has helped tens of thousands of readers better understand wonky topics like performance-based utility regulation and how batteries can benefit the power grid. He has also waded into covering broader political issues, like how the impeachment of President Trump is feeding into a bifurcated information ecosystem and may be fueling an epistemic crisis for the country. We thought it would be enlightening to end the 2019 season of Political Climate by asking Roberts a wide range of questions on American politics and how to save the planet. We hope you enjoy the interview, and we will be back with new episodes in the New Year! Recommended reading: Vox: The radical reform necessary to prepare California’s power system for the 21st century Vox: John Kerry and the climate kids: a tale of 2 new strategies to fight climate change Vox: Donald Trump and the rise of tribal epistemology Vox: With impeachment, America’s epistemic crisis has arrived 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.