Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.

Today, we’re taking on a BIG question. It’s inspired by our friends over at the Trending Globally podcast. They asked policy experts to name one climate change issue that’s not getting enough attention.

Here to tell us what they learned are Sarah Baldwin and Dan Richards. Welcome, Dan and Sarah!

Dan Richards: Hi!

Sarah Baldwin: Hey, Megan!

Megan Hall: Last week we talked about the role international trade could play in bringing down our greenhouse gas emissions. What’s another climate change topic that’s not getting enough attention?

Sarah Baldwin: We posed that question to Mark Blyth. He’s the Director of the Rhodes Center for International Economics and Finance at Brown University’s Watson Institute.

Dan Richards: Here’s what he said:

Mark Blyth: We’re actually not doing anything. And that’s the thing that strangely we’re not talking about.

Megan Hall: We’re not doing anything? What about solar farms? And electric cars? And Biden’s green infrastructure plan?

Sarah Baldwin: Ok, so maybe “nothing” is a bit of an overstatement. 

Dan Richards: What he means is, there’s one big thing we’re not doing and we’re not even talking about doing it.  

Sarah Baldwin: Mark says the US and Europe have been pumping greenhouse gas emissions into the air for decades. 

Dan Richards: That’s because those wealthier countries got modern infrastructure way before places like India and China. But now…

Mark Blyth: those countries want to have the stuff that we have, things like electricity, air conditioning as the planet heats up.

Dan Richards: The problem is, those countries are huge. If they start creating greenhouse gas emissions the way the US has been, we’re all screwed.

Mark Blyth: Basically the entire future of the planet depends on what happens in an arc from the Indian sub-continent all the way up through North Korea. That’s basically it. 

Megan Hall: But can’t places like India power their air conditioning with renewable energy?

Sarah Baldwin: Mark says, we’re not there yet. 

Mark Blyth: Now, yes the price of renewables have been falling. Yes, India is making huge strides in installing solar, but renewables, just so far, cannot basically pick up all the slack that we need. 

Megan Hall: But you can’t stop India from getting electricity. I mean, it’s only fair that they have what we have. What are we supposed to do?

Dan Richards: Mark says wealthier countries- the polluters of the past century – have to help these potential polluters of the future transition to renewable energy. 

Mark Blyth: Either we transfer massive amounts of resources to them to enable them to make that transition much faster than they otherwise would, or it’s not gonna happen. 

Sarah Baldwin: Mark doesn’t think it’s likely the US will make that kind of investment. 

Mark: we’re not going to do that. So I repeat, we’re not doing anything and we’re not talking about it.

Megan Hall: So, that’s it? We’re doomed?

Dan Richards: It does sound pretty grim. But, Mark says there might be room for some tempered optimism.

Mark Blyth: You want an upside story, I’ll give you an upside story.

Sarah Baldwin: He says if the US and Europe successfully transition to renewable energy… then maybe….

Mark: As we learn how to do this, as we installed more renewables as we get better at technology we really need, then we share those technologies. You just give them away, you make it happen because otherwise, it’s pointless.

Megan Hall: Let’s hope he’s right! Thanks, Dan and Sarah!

Dan Richards and Sarah Baldwin-Beneich are the hosts of Trending Globally, a podcast produced by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. 

You can hear Trending Globally’s entire Earth Day episode and others just like it — by subscribing to “Trending Globally” wherever you listen to podcasts.

That’s it for today. To listen to more episodes, to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, the Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.

The post What’s another important climate change issue that nobody’s talking about? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

The post What’s another important climate change issue that nobody’s talking about? appeared first on Possibly.

Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.

Here at Possibly, we usually talk about the little things you can do to chip away at climate change. But of course, we need to do big things too. 

To talk about that, we’re turning to our friends at the Trending Globally podcast- Sarah Baldwin and Dan Richards.

Welcome, Sarah and Dan!

Sarah Baldwin: Hi Megan

Dan Richards: Hello!

Megan Hall: Trending Globally did an episode where you asked policy experts a pretty big question….

Sarah Baldwin: Yes, we wanted to know- what is a burning climate change issue that nobody’s talking about.

Megan Hall: And what did you find out?

Sarah Baldwin: one interesting conversation we had was with Jeff Cogan, he’s the director of the climate solutions lab at Brown University’s Watson Institute.

Dan Richards: Here was his answer:

Jeff Cogan: One thing that I think not enough people are focused on is what a climate focus for US foreign policy means for the rest of US foreign policy. 

Megan Hall: What does Jeff mean by that? 

Dan Richards: Well, think about it this way- when the US is working with other countries, there’s lots of negotiation and cutting of deals, right? We do something for you, you do something for us…

Sarah Baldwin: But our country only has so many of those carrots and sticks to get other countries to work with us. 

Dan Richards: And if we use them up on deals NOT related to climate change, then we risk not having leverage when it comes to making deal ABOUT climate change. 

Megan Hall: I see. Did he give any examples?

Sarah Baldwin: Yes, here’s a big one: trade. Jeff says if we’re serious about climate change, we should band together with other countries that have pro-climate policies. 

Jeff Cogan: And then to support those countries, we need to have trade tariffs on anybody who is not doing that same level of pro-climate environmental policy to protect the producers inside that climate club from unfair competition.

Dan Richards: Which would make it economically attractive for countries to join, especially China.  

Jeff Cogan: Because they are the number one emitter in the whole world, or 25% of global emissions right now.

Dan Richards: But here’s the rub — and here’s what Jeff is talking about.

Sarah Baldwin: Right now, the US is already thinking about a massive overhaul of the way it trades with China. You’ve maybe heard about this in the news as ‘trade-decoupling’. As Jeff puts it: 

Jeff Cogan: If you are serious about climate change, you can’t do decoupling for other reasons, because then you lose your leverage on climate policy.

Megan Hall: So, what is the US supposed to do?

Sarah Baldwin: Basically, hold on to its bargaining chips. And when it’s time to negotiate with China on climate change: 

Jeff Cogan: what we want to do is to put to China as nicely as possible to a choice of saying, Listen, you can be in the club with us. Or you can not do that, your sovereign choice. But then you’re outside of the club, and your access to trade and finance from US and Europe is now much reduced, if not eliminated.

Dan Richards: And Jeff thinks that if we really hold onto those chips for our climate negotiations, we could make a big reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Jeff Cogan: That’s a bold claim to have, because unfortunately, there is a lot of hostility, obviously, between the US and China right now. But I think that this is the kind of thing that all three of the major economies in the world are interested in making happen.

Megan Hall: Wow. Fingers crossed. Can we talk about another issue next week? 

Sarah Baldwin: Sure!

Dan Richards: Why not?

Megan Hall: Great! 

Dan Richards and Sarah Baldwin are the hosts of Trending Globally, a podcast produced by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. 

You can hear more by subscribing to “Trending Globally” wherever you listen to podcasts.

That’s it for today. To listen to more episodes, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. 

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio. 

The post What’s an important climate change issue that nobody’s talking about? appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

The post What’s an important climate change issue that nobody’s talking about? appeared first on Possibly.