Can China save our climate?

Today, Explained

Vox

Daily News, Politics, News

4.4 • 9.5K Ratings

🗓️ 6 August 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

While the Trump administration rolls back decades of climate regulation, the world’s biggest polluter is taking the lead on clean energy. This episode was produced by Gabrielle Berbey and Devan Schwartz, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Andrea Kristinsdottir, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast. Wind turbines at a wind farm on East Lvhua Island in Zhejiang Province of China. Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The president of the United States went for a walk on the roof of the White House yesterday.
0:06.7	You probably heard about it.
0:08.3	Sir, why are you on the roof?
0:10.3	It was all over everything. Social media.
0:13.2	POTUS is on the roof of the White House.
0:16.1	Asked why he's up there, he shouts back to us through his hands, quote, just taking a little walk.
0:22.3	The New York Times.
0:23.6	Up on the roof, Trump surveys the home.
0:25.9	He's making his own.
0:27.0	Why was the president taking a walk on the roof of the White House, though?
0:30.2	Maybe to distract us from something?
0:32.2	He certainly wasn't up there to reinstall Jimmy Carter's solar panels.
0:36.0	This afternoon, I've arranged for this ceremony to be illuminated by solar power.
0:42.3	Because this president hates green energy.
0:44.3	Wind is a disaster.
0:46.3	This president is doing everything in his power to put the United States in reverse on climate.
0:52.3	And we're going to talk about that instead of his big trip to the rooftop on
0:55.6	today Explained from Vox.
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	...

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