#1817 Worse on Purpose: Trump is Killing Our Response to the Climate Emergency

#1817 Worse on Purpose: Trump is Killing Our Response to the Climate Emergency

Author: Best of the Left: Perspectives on Politics, Culture, and Economics August 23, 2026 Duration: 3:31:44

Air Date: 8/22/2026

Today we look at how the Republican Party made climate denial its policy more than twenty years ago and is now removing the government's ability to see the problem at all. The Environmental Protection Agency under Bush refused to regulate carbon in 2003, and now the Trump administration is dismantling the science that would help us both avoid worsening the climate emergency and mitigate the inevitable destruction to lives and property now baked into the system.

Full Show Notes

Transcript

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: When It Comes to Climate Change, Is There a Point When Adaptation Isn't Enough - Consider This - Air Date 7-31-26

KP 2: Fire Climate Hot, Dry, Windy Days Are Becoming Common, Making Wildfires Harder to Control - Democracy Now! - Air Date 8-6-24

KP 3: Five Lies Republicans Tell About the Climate Crisis - The Hartmann Report - Air Date 8-9-26

KP 4: Is This How We Invade Greenland - The Rachel Maddow Show - Air Date 8-11-26

KP 5: Europes Summer of Fire The New Normal Part 1 - Outrage + Optimism The Climate Podcast - Air Date 7-30-26

KP 6: Climate Wayfinding A Compass for the Climate Crisis Part 1 - Sea Change - Air Date 5-22-26


(00:52:11) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

An Update on the Show

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DEEPER DIVES

(01:00:01) SECTION A: ON THE GROUND

A1: Executive Disorder Spokane Wildfires, Abdul Wins Michigan Primary, Munition Shortage Part 1 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 8-7-26

A2: Wildfires Rage Across the Okanagan Part 1 - The Current - Air Date 8-10-26

A3: Farmers Struggle with Crops as Climate Change Makes Weather Less Predictable - PBS Newshour - Air Date 6-23-26

A4: Wildfires Rage Across the Okanagan Part 2 - The Current - Air Date 8-10-26


(01:29:50) SECTION B: EUROPE ON FIRE

B1: Wildfires Are Burning Through Europe Part 1 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-4-26

B2: Europes Summer of Fire The New Normal Part 2 - Outrage + Optimism The Climate Podcast - Air Date 7-30-26

B3: Wildfires Are Burning Through Europe Part 2 - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 8-4-26


(01:58:01) SECTION C: THE DELAY MACHINE

C1: What Happens When the Bedrock of US Climate Policy Is Wiped Away Part 1 - Climate Court Voices - Air Date 5-15-26

C2: Slow Moving Disasters Climate Change, Artificial Intelligence and The Democratic Party. - UNFTR - Air Date 8-4-26

C3: What Happens When the Bedrock of US Climate Policy Is Wiped Away Part 2 - Climate Court Voices - Air Date 5-15-26

C4: Trump Administration Ends Funding for Arctic Climate Report - PBS Newshour - Air Date 8-13-26

C5: Ex Oil-Engineer Turned Climate Whistleblower_ We Face Collapse. with Kevin Anderson Part 1 - Downstream - Air Date 8-10-26

C6: Executive Disorder Spokane Wildfires, Abdul Wins Michigan Primary, Munition Shortage Part 2 - It Could Happen Here - Air Date 8-7-26

C7: Ex Oil-Engineer Turned Climate Whistleblower: We Face Collapse. with Kevin Anderson Part 2 - Downstream - Air Date 8-10-26


(02:59:45) SECTION D: WHAT COMES NEXT

D1: A Biden Climate Retrospective Part 1 - Left Anchor - Air Date 8-14-26

D2: Climate Wayfinding A Compass for the Climate Crisis Part 2 - Sea Change - Air Date 5-22-26

D3: A Biden Climate Retrospective Part 2 - Left Anchor - Air Date 8-14-26


 

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For over fifteen years, Best of the Left-Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy has served as a vital, human-curated digest of voices from across the progressive spectrum. Instead of presenting a single opinion, each episode is built around a specific theme-from economic inequality to climate policy to cultural shifts-and weaves together insightful commentary from a diverse array of journalists, activists, and thinkers. This approach allows you to efficiently grasp the nuances of complex issues by hearing multiple expert angles in one sitting, all while discovering new commentators and sources you might not have encountered otherwise. The result is a richly layered analysis that algorithms simply cannot replicate, offering depth and context often missing from the daily news cycle. Since 2006, this award-winning podcast has cut through the noise, drawing from hundreds of independent and established sources to provide a coherent, thoughtful examination of the forces shaping our society and governments. Tuning in means joining a long-running conversation dedicated to understanding and advancing democratic principles, social justice, and a more equitable economy, all through the focused lens of leftist thought.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
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