Podcast
A Matter of Degrees
Hosted by Dr. Leah Stokes, Dr. Katharine Wilkinson · EN
Give up your climate guilt. Sharpen your curiosity. Join Dr. Leah Stokes and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson as they tell stories about the powerful forces behind climate change — and the tools we have to fix it. This show makes sense of big climate questions and critical topics. Our episodes are filled with stories of bold climate leadership, groundbreaking campaigns, and people doing their best to be part of the solution.
A Matter of Degrees is produced in partnership with The 2035 Initiative at UC Santa Barbara and The All We Can Save Project.
17episodes
Episodes
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Climate Wayfinding
Apr 1600:34:04Tap to summarizeKatharine wrote a book! It's called Climate Wayfinding: Healing Ourselves and the Planet We Call Home, and it's out on May 5th. Through journaling prompts, practical exercises, wisdom from climate leaders, and even art and song, the book takes readers from climate ache to action and from doubt to possibility. This week on A Matter of Degrees, Leah interviews Katharine on how our grief and fear can become fuel rather than paralysis, how to uncover the superpowers you already have to help heal the planet, and why joy is an essential strategy for staying in this work. And they reckon with a climate movement under duress. Because that's precisely the time to cultivate community, tend the small spaces, and plant seeds for the change ahead. Resources mentioned in this episode: Pre-order Climate Wayfinding and find additional resources at climatewayfinding.earth — and use code CLIMATE15 at bookshop.org for 15% off plus a limited-edition art print Find book tour stops (San Francisco, Twin Cities, Boston, Atlanta, New York, and more) at climatewayfinding.earth/events
Transcribe →The Long Arc of Climate Action with Gina McCarthy
Mar 2600:34:28Tap to summarizeGina McCarthy has been at the center of nearly every federal climate fight of the last two decades. She led the EPA during the Obama years. Then, under President Biden, she became the first ever White House National Climate Advisor. In this episode of A Matter of Degrees, we sit down with Gina for a sweeping conversation about the victories, the setbacks, and why the climate story is much longer than any single administration. We cover the collapse of the Waxman-Markey Bill, the strange victory of a Clean Power Plan that was stayed before it started, the rollercoaster of getting the Inflation Reduction Act over the finish line, and what it all means now, as we move to defend all of Gina's hard-won progress.
Transcribe →Melting ICE: The Climate Movement Defends Democracy
Feb 2600:52:23Tap to summarizeBack in December, the Trump administration sent thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into Minnesota. They terrorized communities, took people from their homes, and murdered two American citizens. Climate groups helped lead the resistance. In this episode of A Matter of Degrees, a city stands up to state violence. We bring on Aru Shiney-Ajay, the executive director of the Sunrise Movement, to tell us about leading on the frontlines in Minneapolis. Then we talk to Ben Passer, the McKnight Foundation's Midwest Climate Director, about how preserving democracy is key to climate action. Finally, we chat with Emily Atkin, founder and Editor-in-Chief of HEATED, on the connection between ICE violence and fossil fuels. Resources mentioned in the episode: Read I don't know how to do this and Actually, I do know how to do this by Emily Atkin, and her newsletter, HEATED Read Ben Passer's essay in Atmos, Lessons from Minnesota: To Preserve Our Planet, We Must Also Preserve Our Democracy Learn more about Minnesota's 100% clean electricity standard in our previous episode, Minnesota's Climate Breakthrough
Transcribe →The Only Good Planet
Oct 900:40:33Tap to summarizeDr. Kate Marvel builds climate models — digital worlds that simulate our possible futures. They can tell us how hot it will get, how high the seas will rise, and which forests will burn. But they can't tell us what humans will do next — or how we'll feel as the planet transforms. In this episode of A Matter of Degrees, we talk with Kate about her new book, Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet. This conversation has it all: science, feelings, geoengineering, fossil fuel industry mischief, and even witches.
Transcribe →The Sun Is Having Its Day
Sep 900:48:23Tap to summarize"In the midst of a lot of big, bad things happening, there's one big good thing happening on planet Earth right now." Today on A Matter of Degrees, we're bringing back the podcast's very first guest — legendary activist and author Bill McKibben. Bill's latest book, Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization, shows how clean energy can create a healthier, safer, more prosperous world. Bill is also organizing "Sun Day" – a national day of action on September 21st to celebrate the power of clean energy. You can get involved in an event in your area by visiting SunDay.earth In this episode, Bill takes us through the history of solar – how it became the cheapest energy on earth, its potential to transform our lives, and how we can harness it to heal our planet.
Transcribe →Cash In On Clean Tech Incentives (Before It's Too Late)
Aug 2600:37:09Tap to summarizeDonald Trump's so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" took a sledgehammer to U.S. climate policy, including tax credits for clean cars and appliances. These incentives were helping people cut pollution, lower their energy bills, and make their homes more comfortable. Trump's bill eliminates the credits by the end of this year. Wait, don't change the channel—because these incentives haven't expired yet! So for the next few months, there is a federally-funded BLOWOUT SALE on clean tech. Shop until your energy bills drop! In this episode of A Matter of Degrees, we break down which credits are expiring, what they can do for you, and how to take advantage of them before they're gone. We also dive into how the incentives were cutting pollution, improving people's lives, and transforming our economy. Finally, we talk about what's next for household electrification and how we can continue to make progress under the current administration. To help tell these stories, we bring on Ingrid Malmgren, the Senior Policy Director at Plug In America. Visit pluginamerica.org to learn more about electric vehicles and how to get one before federal incentives expire at the end of September. We're also joined by Sarah Gracia, a Senior Go Solar Help Desk Associate at Solar United Neighbors. Visit solarunitedneighbors.org/help-desk to find resources to help you get solar panels on your home and save on your energy bills. Lastly, we hear from Saul Griffith, engineer, inventor, and clean energy entrepreneur. Saul Griffith's new book "Plug In! The Electrification Handbook" walks you through how to electrify your home, save money, and cut climate pollution.
Transcribe →The Climate Crisis Is Breaking Insurance
Apr 4, 202500:35:51Tap to summarizeThousands of people lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires. Now, they're looking to their insurance companies to help them rebuild. But as the world warms, disasters like these are becoming more frequent and more severe, exposing an insurance system that isn't equipped to cover the rising damages. In Los Angeles, people who lost everything were left to fend for themselves. This is just the latest example of how insurance is failing to keep up with climate change. In this episode of A Matter of Degrees, we're joined by Dave Jones, California's Insurance Commissioner from 2011 to 2018 and the current Director for the Climate Risk Initiative at UC Berkeley's Center for Law, Energy & the Environment. We dive into how the climate crisis is breaking our home insurance system, what we can do to fix it, and how to make fossil fuel companies pay their fair share.
Transcribe →Presenting: L.A. Wildfires: Rebuilding for a Hotter, Drier Future
Jan 23, 202500:38:53Tap to summarizeThis week we are sharing a special bonus episode from Boiling Point, a new podcast produced by the LA Times and hosted by climate columnist Sammy Roth. This new audio series explores how climate change is impacting California and the American West. The first episode focuses on the recent wildfires in Los Angeles and what they mean for the future of the city. Sammy talks with Kelly Sanders, an engineering professor at USC and former White House advisor on energy policy, about how Los Angeles can look at resilience as it builds back. Boiling Point is an LA Times Studios podcast and releases new episodes every Thursday.
Transcribe →Leah Stokes: 2024 Schneider Award Winner
Jan 10, 202500:52:20Tap to summarizeIn this episode of A Matter of Degrees, we partner with Climate One to share an inspiring conversation between Dr. Leah Stokes and Greg Dalton, the founder and co-host of Climate One, when Leah received the 2024 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication in December. And as a double feature, this episode also includes a conversation between writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit and Climate One co-host Ariana Brocious from 2023. This episode was also released on the Climate One podcast.
Transcribe →Cleaning Up Industry
Dec 19, 202400:35:55Tap to summarizeThe industrial sector makes all of our physical stuff – the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the buildings we live in, and much more. It's also one of the biggest sources of U.S. climate pollution. In this episode of A Matter of Degrees, we bring on guest host Dr. Eric Masanet, world-leading industrial decarbonization expert, to break down how we can clean up this sector. We are also joined by Rebecca Dell, the Senior Director of the Industry Program at the ClimateWorks Foundation, Nick Santero, the Sustainability Science Team Lead at Rivian, and Yinka Bode-George, the Founder, President, and CEO of Sustain Our Future.
Transcribe →