Podcast: The Need for Pragmatic Climate Policy with Slow Boring’s Matthew Yglesias

By Kevin Broom, Vice President, Marketing & Communications

In the 30th episode of the Let's Clear the Air podcast, Matthew Yglesias joins hosts Bryan Nix, Stuart Saulters, and Kevin Broom to discuss the need for climate advocates to shift strategies from long-term organization around ambitious targets and timelines to a pragmatic approach that may not meet these goals but still lead to significant progress in addressing global warming.

Yglesias emphasizes the importance of realistic expectations and the potential pitfalls of overly ambitious objectives. He also delved into the need to pursue climate objectives within the context of the need for affordable and reliable energy.

Yglesias expanded on his Oct. 30 article, "Climate policy should reduce greenhouse gas emissions" in which he argued that those opposed to energy infrastructure projects should try to quantify their objections rather than couch them as vague "climate concerns." He suggested that infrastructure projects should be evaluated in comparison to what's happening in the real world rather than working backwards from a hypothetical, idealized future that may never happen.

About Matt Yglesias

Matt Yglesias is a self-described "normie liberal" who writes extensively about economics and public policy. He founded the Slow Boring newsletter on Substack, which is a must read for those interested in clear thinking about how policy should function in the real world.

Previously, he co-founded Vox alongside Ezra Klein and Melissa Bell, where he covered politics and economic policy, and co-hosted The Weeds Podcast with Ezra Klein.

Yglesias is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and author of several books, including The Rent Is Too Damn High, Heads In The Sand, and national bestseller One Billion Americans.

Takeaways

• The climate movement has been organized around targets and timelines for 15-20 years, which have been unrealistic and unhelpful.
• Pursuing pragmatic courses won't hit ambitious targets but will make progress by reducing emissions while providing the energy the world needs.
• Progress on climate issues is being made over time.
• Ambitious goals can lead to bad judgment about specifics.
• Realistic expectations are crucial for effective action.
• Endless escalation of global warming is not inevitable.
• Steady progress is a positive outcome in complex problems.
• Specifics matter in the climate conversation.

Chapters

• 00:00 - Introduction to Matt Yglesias
• 02:02 - Popular and Wrong: Misconceptions about Energy Policy
• 05:56 - Complexities of Energy Subsidies
• 10:08 - Climate Policy and Emissions Reduction Strategies
• 14:20 - The Midstream Industry and Political Relationships
• 18:09 - Resiliency and Adaptation in Climate Policy
• 20:08 - Tradeoffs in Energy: Affordability, Reliability, and Sustainability
• 26:12 - The Need for Forward-Looking Cost-Benefit Analysis
• 30:30 - Navigating Environmental Concerns and Economic Growth
• 34:41 - Messaging the Value of LNG Exports
• 37:49 - Looking Ahead: Optimism in Energy Policy
• 40:14 - Connecting Energy Policy to Broader Themes of Growth