Live from COP29: How US states will keep up climate action under a Trump administration
The Energy Gang
Wood Mackenzie
4.6 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 14 November 2024
⏱️ 53 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A special COP29 episode exploring the power of states, regions, and cities to advance the energy transition amid uncertain national policies
In this special episode of The Energy Gang from COP29, Ed Crooks brings together a panel of expert guests in Baku, Azerbaijan, to discuss the global implications of the US election and the growing importance of state-level leadership in climate action. He is joined by Wade Crowfoot, California's Secretary for Natural Resources; Travis Kellerman, Senior Climate Policy Advisor to New Mexico's Governor, and Jessica Trancik, a professor at the Institute for Data, Systems and Society at MIT. Ed and his guests explore the evolving dynamics between US states and federal policy in the face of a second Trump administration’s likely withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.
The panel discuss the role of US states as climate pioneers, especially as federal support wanes. California and New Mexico, along with other climate-active states, are championing clean energy policies, pushing for renewables and other low-carbon infrastructure, and setting emissions standards that other states and countries will follow. Wade and Travis talk about the differences and similarities between the challenges they face, and their individual and collective responses. Some of their ideas, including permitting reform, may be aligned with the priorities of the Trump administration. Others such as stricter vehicle emissions standards, will not.
One area that could offer scope for co-operation between the federal government and climate-forward states is the need to boost electricity supplies for artificial intelligence, which is a priority for national security as well as economic growth. Jessica Trancik explains the potential innovative approaches to power data centers from clean energy sources.
Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, also joins the show to share insights from her work, highlighting how states, cities, and regions around the world are forming coalitions that share knowledge and drive ambitious climate commitments.
The gang also provide their thoughts on COP29 as a platform for international dialogue and collaboration, and discuss the importance of these gatherings for holding governments accountable and inspiring innovation in climate action.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Looking to understand the geopolitical and global forces at play shaping our energy future, |
| 0:06.4 | and check out a new podcast series, Energize the Future of Energy, from G0 Media and Inbridge, |
| 0:12.3 | co-hosted by JJ Ramberg and Greg Ebel. |
| 0:15.3 | They dig into the biggest energy challenges and opportunities like AI, policy and innovation, |
| 0:20.2 | with experts like Pulitzer-Winner |
| 0:21.4 | Daniel Juergen and Canadian Member of Parliament at least a rate. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever |
| 0:26.5 | you get your podcasts, or visit g0media.com the energy gang, a discussion show from Wood McKenzie about the fast-changing world of energy. |
| 0:50.9 | I'm Ed Crooks, and this is the latest in our series of special episodes from the |
| 0:55.0 | COP29 climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan. Although President-elect Donald Trump is not attending |
| 1:00.6 | these talks, and as far as I know, no one from his transition team is coming either, he's still |
| 1:05.4 | casting a long shadow over the negotiations. He has, of course, promised to take the US back out of the Paris Agreement again, |
| 1:12.0 | and in general he rejects the entire global strategy of coordinated international action to tackle |
| 1:16.9 | climate change. So with the federal government pulling back from efforts to drive the transition |
| 1:21.1 | to low carbon energy, that's going to put a spotlight on what the states are doing. Many state |
| 1:25.4 | governments in the US are committed to driving down emissions |
| 1:27.7 | and accelerating the deployment of low carbon energy. And I've been joined by representatives of two of them, |
| 1:32.7 | California and New Mexico, who are attending the talks here in Baku. Wade Crowford, who is the |
| 1:37.7 | Secretary for Natural Resources Agency of California. Hi, Wade. Thank you for joining us. |
| 1:42.7 | Great to be here. We have Travis Kellerman, who's a senior climate policy advisor in the office of Governor |
| 1:48.7 | Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico. Thank you. And also I'm joined by our old friend Jessica |
| 1:53.5 | Transick, who's a professor at the Institute of Data Systems and Society at MIT, the Massachusetts Institute |
| 1:59.7 | of Technology. |
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