How 2020 Became a Climate Election

How 2020 Became a Climate Election

Author: Gimlet October 9, 2020 Duration: 54:22
For years, American politicians have failed to take climate change seriously. The 2016 presidential debates didn’t even include a single climate question. Fast-forward four years, and climate change is a major election issue. So how did 2020 become a climate election? This week, how a bunch of outsiders turned the Green New Deal into a national rallying cry — and pushed Joe Biden to adopt the most ambitious climate platform in U.S. history. Want to take action?  Most important: VOTE! Check out Vote.org to make sure you’re registered to vote and find information on polling stations, early voting or absentee voting in your state You can check out the Sunrise Movement and read the THRIVE Agenda  You can read Joe Biden’s climate plan and environmental justice plan (they’re short!) or watch his recent big speech on climate change You can check out the Blue New Deal  Or read the original Green New Deal resolution - again! Check out our Calls to Action archive here for all of the actions we've recommended on the show. And if you take any of the actions we recommend, tell us about it! Send us your voice message, ideas or feedback with our Listener Mail Form. We might use it in an upcoming episode. Sign up for our newsletter here. And follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Special thanks to our guests: Varshini Prakash, Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Maggie Thomas and Saikat Chakrabarti How to Save a Planet is a Spotify original podcast and Gimlet production hosted by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Alex Blumberg. This episode of How to Save a Planet was produced by Rachel Waldholz. The rest of our reporting and producing team includes Kendra Pierre-Louis, Anna Ladd and Felix Poon. Our senior producer is Lauren Silverman. Our editor is Caitlin Kenney. Sound design, mixing and original music by Emma Munger. Additional music by Peter Leonard, Catherine Anderson, and Billy Libby. Full music credits can be found on our website. Our fact checker this episode is Claudia Geib. Special thanks to Rachel Strom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Looking for a way to engage with the climate crisis that goes beyond the headlines of doom? How to Save a Planet is that conversation. Hosted by journalist Alex Blumberg and marine biologist and policy expert Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, this Gimlet podcast digs into the practical, human, and often surprising realities of addressing our planet's greatest challenge. The show moves past abstract fears to explore tangible solutions, asking not just what needs to be done but how we can actually get it done. Each episode is a journey, scouring the earth for ideas and talking to the people on the front lines-from scientists and activists to policymakers and innovators-who are crafting real-world answers. The tone is grounded yet hopeful, blending serious investigation with relatable curiosity and the occasional dumb joke. Listening to this podcast means joining a search for agency and understanding, breaking down a monumental problem into stories about our collective power, systemic change, and the unexpected paths forward. It’s for anyone who feels the weight of the issue and wants to be part of a smarter, more constructive dialogue about our future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

How to Save a Planet
Podcast Episodes
Presenting: A Matter of Degrees [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:24
Presenting: A Matter of Degrees What happens if your electric utility starts doing things you don’t agree with? What if they start attacking solar and proposing to build more and more fossil gas plants? What if they acti…
Kelp Farming, for the Climate (Part II) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:45
So, what do you do with 579 pounds of seaweed? In our last episode, we ventured into the ocean to learn how seaweed farming can help solve climate change. In part II, we ask: What do we do with all that kelp? Plus our te…
Kelp Farming, for the Climate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:32
Seaweed and giant kelp are sometimes called “the sequoias of the sea.” Yet at a time when so many people are talking about climate solutions and reforestation — there aren’t nearly enough people talking about how the oce…
Party Like It's 2035 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:15
President Biden has set a goal of reaching 100% clean electricity in the U.S. by 2035. That means cutting all carbon emissions from the entire electricity sector in just 15 years. So... is that even possible? And if so,…
The Tribe that's Moving Earth (and Water) to Solve the Climate Crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:51
The Yurok tribe is reversing centuries of ecological damage to their land and making it more resilient to climate change by marrying two systems that might seem contradictory: indigenous land management practices and mod…
Presenting: Timber Wars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:10
When loggers with chainsaws headed into the Willamette National Forest on Easter Sunday in 1989, they found a line of protesters blocking their way. Some buried themselves in front of bulldozers. Others spent months sitt…
Recycling! Is it BS? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:46
The recycling bin — many of us have learned to view this humble container as an environmental superhero. It is, after all, the critical first step in turning our trash into… well, not treasure, but at least more stuff. O…
Meet Your New Climate Czar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:50
Gina McCarthy will serve as the first-ever National Climate Advisor, heading up the newly formed White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy. So, who is she? We spent time with her before the nomination and talked abou…
Soil: The Dirty Climate Solution [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:33
On this week's episode, we meet two farmers who, at first glance, seem very different. One is a first-generation farmer in upstate New York raising fruits and vegetables for the local community. The other is a third gene…
Presenting: Resistance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:07
How do you take a global movement local? What happens when you refuse to accept things as they are? This week, we’re excited to bring you an episode of a new Gimlet show called Resistance. Resistance is a show full of st…