The Long Arc of Climate Action with Gina McCarthy

Climate Wayfinding

Katharine 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 [https://www.climatewayfinding.earth/] — and use code CLIMATE15 at bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/p/books/climate-wayfinding-healing-ourselves-and-the-planet-we-call-home-katharine-k-wilkinson/24dd427290b338e9?ean=9781524899899&next=t&next=t&affiliate=112392] 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 [https://www.climatewayfinding.earth/events]

The Long Arc of Climate Action with Gina McCarthy

Gina McCarthy [https://www.ginamccarthy.com/home] 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.

Melting ICE: The Climate Movement Defends Democracy

Back 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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aru-shiney-ajay-2078a0b1], the executive director of the Sunrise Movement, to tell us about leading on the frontlines in Minneapolis. Then we talk to Ben Passer [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benpasser/], the McKnight Foundation's Midwest Climate Director, about how preserving democracy is key to climate action. Finally, we chat with Emily Atkin [https://substack.com/@heated], 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 [https://heated.world/p/i-dont-know-how-to-do-this] and Actually, I do know how to do this [https://heated.world/p/actually-i-do-know-how-to-do-this] by Emily Atkin, and her newsletter, HEATED [https://heated.world/] * Read Ben Passer's essay in Atmos, Lessons from Minnesota: To Preserve Our Planet, We Must Also Preserve Our Democracy [https://atmos.earth/political-landscapes/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 [https://www.degreespod.com/episodes/season-4-episode-2]

The Only Good Planet

Dr. Kate Marvel [https://www.marvelclimate.com/] 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.

The Sun Is Having Its Day

"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 [https://billmckibben.com/]. Bill's latest book, Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization [https://billmckibben.com/books/here-comes-the-sun/], 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 [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.