Sustainability, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, Politics, Activism, Biodiversity, Carbon Footprint, Wildlife, Regenerative Agriculture, Circular Economy, Extinction, Net-Zero · One Planet Podcast · Mia Funk

Building a Vital Earth for Everyone with President of Environmental Defense Fund’s EDF Action DAVID KIEVE

·47 min·3 clips

David Kieve says 93% of new power-sector generating capacity last year came from renewables or batteries.

David Kiva starts from the economic harms he sees in the administration's energy choices. He argues that limiting access to affordable clean energy, and affordable energy overall, ends up hurting ordinary people. The conversation then moves into the legal front. He says EDF is fighting the Trump administration in court every day and expects more wins than losses because the facts and the law still matter. He describes the government's posture as brazen. He also says the first Trump term was sloppy in court, and this version feels even more so. The interview widens from litigation to politics. Kiva draws on experience from the campaign trail and the White House to explain how climate arguments are actually won. That background gives the discussion a practical, unsentimental edge. The biggest challenge, he suggests, is not only policy but persuasion. It is easier to dismantle something than to build lasting coalitions and shared purpose. Democrats, in his telling, have had to reckon with a Republican Party that is often effective at messaging and at triggering emotion. Renewable energy becomes the clearest example of the counterargument. He notes that it has become cheaper in many states. In the long run, he says, investment is the ultimate cheap because it keeps paying back. Even so, he does not pretend that change happens by itself. It still takes strategy, organization, and a willingness to explain the transition plainly. The episode gives special attention to rural communities and community-based clean energy programs like Solar for All. Those places are already dealing with crumbling infrastructure and some of the first impacts of climate change, so sustainability cannot be treated as a suburban or urban luxury. The conversation closes by returning to a steadier hope, one that keeps the beauty and wonder of the natural world in view while asking listeners to keep going.

As heard by us

Climate policy as a fight over costs, coalitions, and courts.

David Kieve argues that climate policy is also about household bills, rural infrastructure, and the question of who gets helped first. He moves from EDF Action's courtroom fights with the Trump administration to the practical case for clean energy, especially in places that do…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want climate politics that hits your utility bill and ends up in court.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Sustainability, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, Politics, Activism, Biodiversity, Carbon Footprint, Wildlife, Regenerative Agriculture, Circular Economy, Extinction, Net-Zero · One Planet Podcast