Copium: You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do

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Go ad-free at wickedproblems earth lt irony gt Well it s been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon 1 nbsp lt irony gt Hope you re enjoying Trumpocalypse Day 8 How are you getting by Had such a great night2 nbsp catching up with nbsp The Heat and the Fury nbsp author nbsp Peter Schwartzstein nbsp early this week that this episode is even more delayed than I thought it d be Before a stop on his UK book tour we buttonholed him for a sidebar earlier this week at the top of the show For our main event I sat down with Pittsfield MA s finest nbsp Dana Drugmand a leading voice on US climate litigation founder of nbsp Climate in the Courts nbsp and author of the nbsp One Earth Now nbsp Substack to explore the potential for litigation to step in as a force for climate accountability and progress especially under the new U S administration This conversation drops just days after the nbsp Dutch courts reversal of a landmark case against Shell a decision that while discouraging for some also highlights the role of judicial action as a means of enforcing corporate climate responsibility Dana brings her unique perspective on what the post-election legal landscape could mean for U S climate policy As we confront a federal judiciary more conservative than ever she warns that the courts could become either a last line of defense or a daunting obstacle for climate advocates One of our central topics was Project 2025 an ambitious agenda helmed by the Heritage Foundation positioning itself to dismantle key climate policies This agenda foresees cuts across agencies that have historically played central roles in regulating environmental impact potentially downsizing the EPA and other scientific agencies like NOAA while replacing civil servants with politically aligned appointees Dana s take is that while the federal stage may seem bleak we shouldn t underestimate the power of state-level litigation States like California and Vermont are already mobilizing to hold major polluters accountable efforts that could set national precedents especially if cases reach the Supreme Court Our discussion also explored the Honolulu case which could open the door to groundbreaking discoveries about oil companies historical actions on climate change This case has the potential to bring to light internal documents that could shape public understanding and policy alike much like the tobacco litigation of the 1990s did for public health For those who see these efforts as idealistic Dana s closing insights were clear while federal barriers may grow there s also increasing resilience at the state and international levels Vermont s recent legislation European legal frameworks and global climate accords offer paths forward if we can hold on to them Hosted on Acast See acast com privacy for more information Click here to visit this podcast episode