Climate hushing, EVs 🔌 and creating “The Carbon Wave,” with Leah Stokes

Welcome to Season 5 of What If We Get It Right? 💫 While it may seem counterintuitive given the electoral subject matter, Bill McKibben and I are having a blast gabbing with all these wonderful folks who work on climate and politics. Our first guest is Dr. Leah Stokes, professor of environmental politics, energy policy wonk, activist, and writer. During the Biden administration, she also became a DC insider and was integral to the development and passage of the Inflation Reduction Act – THE biggest climate law in history. With Leah, we reflect/debrief on the IRA, bemoan the empirical absurdity of politicians going quiet on climate, and hear her pitch for abandoning the term “carbon footprint” (that evil/brilliant phrase from the fossil fuel industry) and instead embracing a “carbon wave.” The Carbon Wave is also the title of her new book, well worth reading. Leah’s Hot Climate Take 🥵🌎 — It is cheaper and cleaner to drive an electric vehicle than a gas-powered car and it’s gonna work in every single corner of this country— don't believe the fossil fuel industry lies! If you own a car, it should be an electric car. For more from Leah: * her Substack newsletter Notes from the Electric Era * her podcast A Matter of Degrees, co-hosted with Katharine K. Wilkinson. * her books: The Carbon Wave & Short Circuiting Policy * catch her on book tour Mentioned in this episode: * Inside Climate News: Elected Democrats Have Embraced ‘Climate Hushing.’ Are They Making a Mistake as the Midterms Loom? * Leah’s Substack pieces: Yes, Democrats Should Talk About Climate & No, the Democrats’ Big Climate Law is Not Dead. * Australian’s government has made electricity free during the middle of the day — because solar energy is abundant. * Energy Innovation: “99 percent of existing U.S. coal plants are more expensive to run than replacement by local wind, solar, and energy storage resources.” * The Carbon Wave Calculator _______ PHONE BANK ☎️🌎 with Environmental Voter Project Join me every Wednesday until Election Day from 12 - 1:30p ET. We’re gonna phone bank with the magnificent Environmental Voter Project to help make sure Earth lovers show up to vote. This week we’re calling Maine! Sign up! ______ Credits:This episode was produced by Remoy Philip and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, with support from Jenisha Shrestha. Graphic design by Holly Griffin of Design Hungry, and social media support from Feeling Seen Studio. Get full access to WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? at ayanaelizabeth.substack.com/subscribe