A Matter of Degrees
A Matter of Degrees is a podcast hosted by Dr. Leah Stokes and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson that explores the powerful forces behind climate change and the tools we have to address it. The show features stories of bold climate leadership, groundbreaking campaigns, and individuals working towards solutions. It aims to make sense of big climate questions and critical topics, helping listeners move past climate guilt and into action. The podcast is produced in partnership with The 2035 Initiative at UC Santa Barbara and The All We Can Save Project.
Episodes
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 ca
The Long Arc of Climate Action with Gina McCarthy
Gina 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
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, the executive director of the Sunri
The Only Good Planet
Dr. 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
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. 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,
Cash In On Clean Tech Incentives (Before It's Too Late)
Donald 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 expire
The Climate Crisis Is Breaking Insurance
Thousands 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
Presenting: L.A. Wildfires: Rebuilding for a Hotter, Drier Future
This 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 e
Leah Stokes: 2024 Schneider Award Winner
In 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 act
Cleaning Up Industry
The 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
The Questions We Ask Matter with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
In this live episode of A Matter of Degrees, Dr. Katharine Wilkinson joined Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson for a conversation on Ayana's new book, What If We Get It Right, Visions of Climate Futures. The need to build community and the imperative to imagine the futures we want are now more important than ever. These topics are at the heart of this discussion, which took place before the election at
What the Election Means for Climate Policy
The election is over, but climate progress doesn't have to be. How can we continue to push for equitable climate policies and defend current investments in clean energy? What are the state and local avenues for addressing the climate crisis? In this live episode of A Matter of Degrees, Dr. Leah Stokes is joined by Adrian Deveny, the Former Director of Energy and Environmental Policy for Senate M
Minnesota's Climate Breakthrough
On this episode of A Matter of Degrees, we tell the story of how a powerful grassroots movement, ambitious lawmakers, and Governor Tim Walz turned Minnesota into a climate leader. Then, we talk about using the Minnesota blueprint to make change everywhere else. It's election season, but the federal government isn't the only venue for climate action. States also play a huge role in our path to heal
Project 2025
Project 2025 has been all over the news lately. But what exactly is this conservative playbook for the Federal government? And what does it mean for climate policy? This week, A Matter of Degrees dives into the Heritage Foundation's plan for the next conservative presidential administration. Just weeks away from a pivotal election, we lay out what Project 2025 would mean for the climate movement
A Look Back at Vice President Kamala Harris on Climate Leadership, Justice, and Solutions
Welcome back for a special bonus episode of A Matter of Degrees! In this episode, we are taking a look back at our live conversation with Vice President Kamala Harris. Since we are once again at a pivotal moment for the climate, we wanted to kick off our new season by looking back at this incredible climate leader who has played a key role in getting us where we are today. We are excited to share
Live Episode: A Climate Book Talk with Rebecca Solnit
Welcome back for a bonus episode of A Matter of Degrees! We were lucky enough to sit down with Rebecca Solnit — author, historian, and climate activist — to talk about her newest climate anthology, Not Too Late. Leah and Nikayla Jefferson both wrote essays for the book and joined Rebecca onstage for this live episode. Not Too Late gets at the tough, vital work of culture change and features dive
The Tongass: A Way Forward For The Forest
In our season three finale, we're transporting listeners to the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world and a vital carbon sink: the Tongass. Katharine and Leah investigate the impact of decades of industrial logging in Southeast Alaska and political debates pitting ecology against economy. We learn from the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people, who have lived on and with these lands fo
The Journey of Justice40
In his early days in office, President Biden took executive action to deliver environmental justice. Are those policies delivering justice in practice? This episode, we talk to EJ activists and federal policymakers about Biden's Justice40 Initiative, which directs 40% of the overall benefits of climate investments toward disadvantaged communities. We explore the decades of organizing that led to t
The 'Darth Vader' of Electric Utilities
Electric utilities are falling short on climate action. To explain why, we're bringing back our season one finale. This episode features former utilities regulator Kris Mayes, who recently won a nail-biting election to become the second woman and first openly LGBTQ attorney general of Arizona. Go, Kris! Since season one, Leah has been busy investigating utilities' past and present role spreading
The Case of the Killer Heat
In this episode, we explore the growing impact of heat on people and the planet. We talk to scientists and "climate detectives" trying to hold the perpetrators of this unprecedented global temperature increase accountable. Leah and Katharine speak with Neza Xiuhtecutli, executive director of the Farmworker Association of Florida; Kate Marvel, climate science writer and physicist at Columbia Unive
New Year's Reflections, Resolutions, and Inspiration from Sherri Mitchell
At the start of 2023, we're reflecting on past progress and setting climate intentions, both small and large, for the year ahead. And we want to hear from you! Has A Matter of Degrees shifted your perspective or moved you to action? Do you have climate goals for 2023? Share your story with us. To inspire and ground us for the new year, we share a powerful audio essay from the bestselling antholo
Petrochemicals and Plastics: A Fossil Fuel Lifeline?
The fossil fuel industry is banking its future on petrochemicals — the toxic precursor to plastics. In this episode, Katharine and Leah speak with activists who are fighting back against petrochemicals in "sacrifice zones" across America, from the Ohio River Valley to the Gulf Coast. Learn where petrochemicals come from, how they harm people, places, and the climate, and why the fossil fuel indust
Bold vs. BS in Corporate Climate Pledges
In this episode, we investigate corporate climate commitments and how to make them stronger. We get to the root of zero-emissions pledges and greenwashing — specifically in the oil and gas industry. Dr. Paasha Mahdavi, associate professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, joins us to report this story. Paasha talks with Louise Rouse, a consultant who teams up w
Crypto Has a Climate Problem
This episode delves into the murky world of cryptocurrency and its impact on our planet. Join Katharine and Leah as they discover how digital currencies are breathing new life into previously shuttered coal plants across the United States. This episode features Alex de Vries, data scientist and founder of Digiconimist, an online platform that tracks Bitcoin's energy consumption; Anne Hedges, the
How To Cope with All the Climate Feels
This episode is all about feelings. You've heard the phrase "climate grief," right? But how do we deal with what it does to our hearts, minds, and bodies? And how might it impact the climate action we take? This episode features Dr. Britt Wray, a Stanford-based author and researcher on climate and mental health; somatic coach and climate grief worker, Selin Nurgün; and Zen priest and Environmenta
Live Episode: Vice President Kamala Harris on Climate Leadership, Justice, and Solutions
"We must understand that we are in a very specific moment in time, and this window is going to shut on us. But it doesn't have to shut on us, if we act." — Vice President Kamala Harris on A Matter of Degrees Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, we had the honor of joining Vice President Harris live in San Francisco for a conversation about climate leadership, justice, and solutions. She underline
"What Can I Do?" Part 3 — The Political
The third and final installment of our miniseries considers the question "What can I do?" from a political perspective. Our expert guests share stories of nailbiter elections for local office and the victorious legislative campaign to ban gas in new buildings in New York City. We lay out a four-step guide to getting pro-climate candidates elected, supporting them in office, and keeping them accoun
"What Can I Do?" Part 2 — The Professional
In this episode, we continue to unpack the question "What can I do?" The second installment of our miniseries zeroes in on our professional lives — ways to approach climate action within the workplace. We learn that almost any job can be a climate job. And, if need be, we can pursue "career divestment." This episode features Amanda Suter Gallardo, deputy petroleum administrator for the City of Lo
"What Can I Do?" Part 1 — The Personal
As climate people, we hear this question again and again: "What can I do?" Many of us are trying to figure out how to help address the climate crisis. So, we're taking on that critical question in a three-part miniseries. The first episode is all about The Personal — key ways we can act on climate in our own lives and create meaningful, durable change. Hint: it involves stoves and cash. This epis
Welcome to Season 3 of A Matter of Degrees
Welcome back, climate-curious friends — it's time for Season 3 of A Matter of Degrees. This season we'll tackle some critical topics and big questions, starting with one we're all asking when it comes to the climate crisis: "What can I do?" Season 3 kicks off (September 15!) with a three-part miniseries to answer that question. We'll talk with some brilliant folks and illuminate what we can do pe
This is a Big (Climate) Deal: What's in the Inflation Reduction Act?
Welcome back to A Matter of Degrees! While we've been hard at work producing season three of the show, the climate movement has been going through a lot of twists and turns. Most recently, after announcing he would not support climate investments in a budget reconciliation deal, Senator Joe Manchin abruptly made a historic climate deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: the Inflation Reduc
How Gender Equality Can Save The Planet
This episode is a collaboration between A Matter Of Degrees and the Gimlet podcast How To Save A Planet. Take a look at many of the spaces where climate-related decisions are being made — from government to business to media — and you'll notice a numbers problem. Despite being roughly half the people on the planet, women rarely have equal representation in critical climate decision-making spaces.
Paid in Blood
In the jungles of the Brazilian Amazon, groups of farmers and their families get by on what they can grow with the land beneath their feet. They're known in Brazil as "landless workers," a social movement with the goal of increasing land access and ownership for the country's rural poor. These landless workers -- sometimes called land guardians or protectors -- are a symbol for the power imbalanc
The 'Win-Win-Win' Strategy To Retire Coal
This episode is a collaboration between A Matter Of Degrees and the Gimlet podcast How To Save A Planet. Coal-fired power plants are closing at record rates. But many are still scheduled to remain operational for the foreseeable future -- despite losing lots of money every year. How do we shut these uneconomic coal plants down faster? One answer: coal debt securitization. Coal debt securitization
The 'Bond Vigilante' Exposing Fossil Fuel Risk
Since the Paris Climate Agreement was signed in 2015, banks and large investors have dumped $3.8 trillion into fossil fuels. It's a staggering number. This is why writer and activist Bill McKibben calls money the "oxygen" that fuels the fire of global warming. While the wildfires burning around the world are getting worse each year, it's like the world's bankers are blowing on those fires, makin
The Devious Plan to Keep Us Hooked on Gas
Advocates are turning their attention to a new front in the climate war: the fossil-gas hookups in our homes that fuel burners, boilers, and other household appliances. If we want to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, we need to electrify the hundreds of millions of machines inside our homes and buildings as fast as possible. But the gas industry won't go down without a fight. Gas industry fron
A Farming Solution for a Hotter, Less Stable World
When Hurricanes Maria and Irma hit Puerto Rico in 2017, they destroyed the island's fragile food system. Farms of all sizes were battered, with around 80 percent of the island's crop value wiped out. But a group of Puerto Rican farmers practicing an old way of farming, called agroecology, saw their operations bounce back much faster than conventional farms. What does their experience tell us about
Green Jobs...For All?
President Biden's American Jobs Plan promises big investments in the clean-energy economy, including clean energy workforce and education programs. Economic progress and clean climate action are inextricably linked. But how can we make sure that those dollars go to communities of color who have already been most impacted by climate change and consistently shut out of past federal programs promisi
Healing the Soil, Healing Ourselves
Abuse of soil, the atmosphere, and communities of color have gone hand in hand. Through reclaiming ancestral connection to the soil, Black farmers are healing the entangled harms of colonization, capitalism, and White supremacy and moving agricultural climate solutions forward in the process. In this episode, we feature an audio essay that wrestles with these themes. The essay is titled "Black Go
'Let's Go Get Us A Clean Electricity Standard'
Baked into the American Jobs Plan is an ambitious proposal to set a federally-mandated Clean Electricity Standard of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035. It would put the US on track to get emissions under control and avoid the worst impacts of climate change. That is, if it gets through Congress. In this episode, Co-host Leah Stokes speaks with a variety of guests who are part of the broad coal
The 'Prestige Problem' Making Fossil Fuels Powerful
Fossil fuel companies are tapping into America's "best and brightest" at top banks, public relations and advertising firms, law firms, and strategy consulting firms. These organizations supply critical services to keep the fossil fuel industry humming: creative work, strategy, legal representation, financing. They're services that oil and gas companies need to remain powerful. In this episode (our
Biden's Climate Plan Could Reshape America (Live w/ Julian NoiseCat)
We're back with another live edition of the show! So much is happening in the Biden era. We didn't want to wait until our second season to unpack all the activity. This week, we feature a conversation with Julian Brave NoiseCat that we recorded at the Crosscut Festival. Julian is a writer, activist, and policy expert with a deep understanding of Washington climate politics. Julian was actually a
The State of Global Climate Talks (Live w/ Mary Robinson)
As we work on season 2, we're sharing a live episode of the show that we just recorded at the Bloomberg Green Summit. The conversation is all about where things stand in the lead-up to global climate talks in the fall. We were fortunate to get Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland, to talk about this topic with us. Mary served as the President of Ireland from 1990-1997 and UN High Commis
The 'Darth Vader' of Electric Utilities
In 2013, a series of attack ads blitzed television sets across Arizona. They warned of a dire threat to senior citizens. Who was the villain? Solar energy. These ads came from front groups funded by Arizona Public Service, the state's largest utility. It was part of a years-long fight against rooftop solar that turned ugly. "I mean, for Star Wars fans, APS became the Darth Vader of electric utilit
Presenting: How to Save a Planet
We're pleased to introduce an episode of "How to Save a Planet," produced by our friends at Gimlet and Spotify. The show is co-hosted by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Alex Blumberg. "How to Save a Planet" has a lot of similarities to our own, so we think our listeners will like the stories they tell. In this week's episode: a story about the Black Lives Matter Movement and how the fight for black l
The Stages of Black Climate Grief
This week, we have a special episode featuring activist and researcher Nikayla Jefferson. Most of us are in the first stage of climate grief: denial. But what does it feel like to enter the stage of grief? And how is that grief different for black people? Even if you've seen the impacts of climate change up close, even if you've felt the tropical winds whip your cheeks, stood in floodwater knee de
Changing Woman: One Navajo's Fight for a Just Transition
This week, we have a special episode about the long and winding energy transition in an often overlooked place: the Navajo Nation—the largest Indian reservation in the United States. Journalist and climate policy expert Julian Brave NoiseCat is our guide. Ten percent of Navajos lack access to electricity. Some spend up to $700 per month on fuels to travel to places with electricity, or charge elec
Cleaning Up the Carbon Mess
We've made a carbon mess. How do we clean it up? Imagine the atmosphere as an overflowing bathtub. The water keeps gushing from the tap. Clearly, we need to turn it off. We have to bring emissions of heat-trapping gases down to zero, stat. But even after we do that, we still have a mess on our hands. So, we need to open the drain, let some water out. In this episode, we'll explore the different
After Trump: The Silver Linings Playbook
It's official. Joe Biden will be the next president. And he ran on a platform that put climate at the top of the agenda. There's still a lot of tension. What will happen to the balance of power in Congress? Can we make progress on climate, even with Democrats losing down-ballot races? Even with so much uncertainty, there's actually a lot of good news. In this episode, Leah and Katharine dig into w
The Big Fossil Fuel Bailout
In July, the FBI charged Larry Householder, Ohio's Republican Speaker of the House, with a conspiracy to pass a $1.5 billion bailout in return for $61 million in dark money. The racketeering was allegedly orchestrated by Householder and the utility FirstEnergy to kill Ohio's renewable energy law and prop up aging coal and nuclear power plants. What's happening in Ohio is part of a broader story pl
An Electric Number: 2035
When talking about climate change, we often get deep into the weeds quickly and throw a lot of numbers around. And these numbers can feel really disconnected from our lives: Two degrees, 415 parts per million, 36 billion tons of carbon dioxide. In this episode, we've got one number we really want to focus on: 2035. It's a date that carries a lot of hope and opportunity. If we can make progress by
A Breakthrough Moment?
Climate change is no longer a far-off scenario. It's happening now. It's getting more intense every year. And young people are seeing a scary future play out right in front of them. In recent years, the youth climate movement has gained unprecedented strength. Borrowing from the civil rights movement and early environmental activists, young leaders are forcing politicians to grapple with climate c
Give Up Your Climate Guilt
The biggest climate stories blame "all of us," or cast solutions as "impossible." These narratives leave people feeling hopeless and confused about what we actually can do. In our first episode: individual actions versus structural change. What's the right way to think about the role they each have in addressing the climate crisis? We'll explore the nuances and misperceptions. Leah and Katharine
Introducing 'A Matter of Degrees'
People don't often hear the real story about climate change: it's happening now; fossil fuel companies with money on the line have lied about it; and it doesn't have to be this way. This show is for the people who know climate change is a problem, but are still trying to figure out how we tackle it.
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