Citizens' Climate Lobby

Hot Mess Part Four: The 1990s: When Climate Change Became a Partisan Issue

By the 1990s, momentum for climate action was growing, but so was opposition. In Episode 4 of Hot Mess: How Climate Consensus Turned Into Political Chaos, host Peterson Toscano examines how fossil fuel interests, economic priorities, and cultural shifts began to unravel bipartisan efforts. Featuring insights from Chelsea Henderson and Katie Zakrzewski, this episode dives into the psychological and cultural barriers that fueled climate skepticism, the emergence of echo chambers, and the rise of polarization. Despite these challenges, the episode highlights leaders like Senator John McCain, whose bipartisan efforts provided hope for climate solutions.

Key Topics:

• The cultural and psychological roots of climate skepticism in the 1990s.
• How values of individualism and economic freedom clashed with environmental regulation.
• The role of cognitive dissonance and echo chambers in shaping public opinion.
• The rise of Senator John McCain as a climate advocate.
• Insights into the McCain-Lieberman Climate Change Bill of 2003.

Featured Guests:

• Chelsea Henderson: Host of Eco Right Speaks and author of Glacial: The Inside Story of Climate Politics.
• Katie Zakrzewski: Co-host of Green Tea Party Radio and climate advocate.

Standout Quotes:

1. Katie Zakrzewski: "This is where the polarization really begins...economic priorities took precedence, creating a divide between regulation and free-market values."
2. Chelsea Henderson: "John McCain made a promise to New Hampshire voters: I will learn about climate change, and he kept his word."

Episode Highlights:

• [00:02:15] How cultural values in the 1990s paved the way for climate skepticism.
• [00:06:30] The role of cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias in resisting climate science.
• [00:15:40] The bipartisan McCain-Lieberman Climate Change Bill and its challenges.
• [00:20:50] Katie Zakrzewski’s perspective on the importance of engaging conservatives in climate action.

Call to Action

Want to learn how you can get involved in bipartisan climate solutions? Visit cclusa.org/action. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with friends or on social media. Every share helps inspire more people to take meaningful action on climate change.

Join the Conversation

Engage with other listeners and share your thoughts on our social media channels. Follow and connect with us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok.

Tune in next month for more inspiring stories, expert insights, and actionable climate solutions. Together, we can make a difference, one story at a time.

We Want to Hear from You

• Email: radio @ citizensclimate.org
• Text/Voicemail: 619-512-9646 (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Credits

• Research: Horace Mo Mo, Lily Rushen, Peterson Toscano
• Editorial Assistance: Flannery Winchester, Elise Silvestri, Brett Cease
• Production: Peterson Toscano, Elise Silvestri

Music: Our theme music is Chasing Stories by Elise Silvestri. Other music byEpidemic Sound.

CCL Fall 2024 Lobby Training: Primary Asks and Legislative Plan

Join CCL's Vice President for Government Affairs Ben Pendergrass and CCL Policy Fellow Danny Richter for a training that will review more details and the context for CCL's Fall 2024 Primary and Supporting Asks, as well as guidance for lobby teams as they plan their online meetings. Attendees will have the chance to start strategizing for the upcoming fall lobby meetings, get more information on the meeting asks, and have time to get questions answered by CCL's government affairs team. This is the recommended training for any CCL volunteer planning on being a part of their group's Fall 2024 Lobby Meeting.

Skip ahead to the following time(s):
(0:00) Intro & Agenda
(1:07) Review Of Congress Currently
(3:34) Primary Ask: The Energy Permitting Reform Act
(15:31 ) Secondary Ask
(18:32) Why IRA Repeal Attempt is Likely
(19:24) How The Repeal Could Happen
(24:27) The Co-Primary Ask for Republicans
(28:11) Why This Ask Now and Conclusion

Q&A Discussion is a separate video here: https://vimeo.com/1032393965 

Presentation Slides: https://cclusa.org/lobby-slides 
CCL Community Training Event: https://community.citizensclimate.org/events/item/24/16942 

CCL Training: 2024 Fall Online Conference & Lobby Days Q&A

Are you curious about what to expect about CCL's Conference and Lobby Days or have a question about any final details? Join Alison Kubicsko, National Events Director and Mindy Ahler CCL Liaison Coordinator Team and North Wind Regional Director for a final walk-through of the who, what, and where for the Summer 2024 Conference and Lobby Day to help you prepare for what to expect with the schedule, logistics, and details.

Skip ahead to the following section(s):

• (0:00) Intro & Agenda
• (3:08) CCL Lobby Days
• (13:57) CCL Conference Overview

Presentation slides: http://cclusa.org/lobby-conference-qa 

Training Page: https://community.citizensclimate.org/resources/item/19/272 

Hot Mess Part Three: How Climate Consensus Crumbled: The Rise of Political Chaos

Show Notes for Hot Mess: The Great Climate Divide - How Consensus Became Chaos

Episode Summary: In this third episode of Hot Mess: How Climate Consensus Turned Into Political Chaos, host Peterson Toscano unravels the pivotal shifts that transformed bipartisan climate cooperation into a landscape rife with skepticism and polarization. Joined by guests Chelsea Henderson and Katie Zarkreski, the conversation delves into the rise of disinformation campaigns, strategic political alliances, and economic anxieties that redefined the public perception of climate change.

Key Topics:

• Early Momentum and Opposition: The episode begins by revisiting the climate action momentum of the early 1990s and how fossil fuel interests orchestrated disinformation campaigns to cast doubt on climate science.
• Industry Playbooks and Political Strategy: Chelsea Henderson, director at republicEn, explains the fossil fuel industry’s approach: sowing fear about economic impacts and casting scientific doubt. She reveals how well-funded ad campaigns promoted skepticism and stalled meaningful climate policy.
• From Climate Skepticism to Political Gridlock: Katie Zarkreski, co-host of Green Tea Party Radio, discusses the fossil fuel industry’s long history of suppressing climate science findings. Katie examines how both major political parties, under pressure from industry donors, began shifting away from environmental priorities.
• The Role of Key Players: The episode spotlights influential groups like Koch Industries and the Global Climate Coalition, revealing how they fueled a culture of denial and gridlock, reinforcing economic fears and blocking policies, from carbon taxes to international treaties.
• A Bipartisan Complication: Despite traditionally pro-environment platforms, Democrats also contributed to climate inaction. Katie discusses the nuanced role both parties played in the evolving skepticism and economic focus of the era, setting the stage for today’s divided climate politics.

Featured Guests:

• Chelsea Henderson - Host of Eco Right Speaks and director of Editorial Content at republicEn. Chelsea brings over 25 years of climate policy expertise, offering insights into the mechanics of climate politics in Washington, D.C.
• Katie Zarkreski - Co-host of Green Tea Party Radio and climate advocate with a background in faith-based environmental stewardship, Katie shares her journey from skepticism to activism, highlighting how conservative values align with climate action.

Call to Action

Want to learn how you can get involved in bipartisan climate solutions? Visit cclusa.org/action. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with friends or on social media. Every share helps inspire more people to take meaningful action on climate change.

Join the Conversation

Engage with other listeners and share your thoughts on our social media channels. Follow and connect with us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok.

Tune in next month for more inspiring stories, expert insights, and actionable climate solutions. Together, we can make a difference, one story at a time.

We Want to Hear from You

• Email: radio @ citizensclimate.org
• Text/Voicemail: 619-512-9646 (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Credits

• Research: Horace Mo Mo, Lily Rushen, Peterson Toscano
• Editorial Assistance: Flannery Winchester, Elise Silvestri, Brett Cease
• Production: Peterson Toscano, Elise Silvestri

Music: Our theme music is Chasing Stories by Elise Silvestri. Other music byEpidemic Sound.

Action Hour | November 2024 Monthly Meeting | Citizens Climate Lobby

Led by different CCL staffers, this hour of action will provide real-time opportunities to make a collective difference. Whether we're writing to Congress, spreading the word online, or using a number of other vehicles to make our voice heard, we'll come together and continue to make climate action a priority no matter the election outcome.

Hot Mess Part Two: Strange But True: Marshall Saunders, Paving Parking Lots to Climate Advocacy

Introduction

In this episode of Hot Mess: How Climate Consensus Turned Into Political Chaos, Peterson Toscano introduces us to Marshall Saunders, a man whose unexpected journey from a Texas businessman to a climate advocate sparked a powerful movement. Saunders, the founder of Citizens Climate Lobby, channeled his skills and personal growth into creating a grassroots organization that has inspired climate action across the political spectrum.

Hot Mess is a six-part series hosted by Peterson Toscano that uncovers the untold stories behind the rise and fall of bipartisan efforts to address climate change in the United States.

Key Themes

• The personal transformation of Marshall Saunders.
• The founding of Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL).
• Citizen-driven advocacy and bipartisan climate solutions.
• Using market-based approaches to address climate change.

Featured Guests

Marshall Saunders

Marshall was born in Waco, Texas and was the founder of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. He began his career as a businessman, and then became active in the microfinancing movement. His personal story of transformation from a business man to his focus on climate solutions has inspired hundreds of thousands of CCL volunteers. 

Chelsea Henderson
Chelsea, host of RepublicEn’s Eco Right Speaks podcast, returns to provide context on the importance of conservative involvement in climate action. She shares what she sees Conservatives bring to the table when it comes to climate change solutions. Chelsea wrote the book, Glacial: he Untold Story of Climate Politics. 

Standout Quotes

“Yes, he literally paved paradise and put in a parking lot. He was that guy.” – Peterson Toscano

“We trust that ordinary people can get the job done… It’s a trusting in ordinary people, not people who are powerful, but ordinary people.” – Marshall Saunders

Episode Highlights

• 00:03:45 – Marshall Saunders' early life as a businessman, paving parking lots and living a life of separateness.
• 00:10:15 – A transformative personal growth workshop that led Saunders to care deeply about the world around him.
• 00:18:30 – Founding Citizens Climate Lobby and the innovative, citizen-driven advocacy model Saunders championed.
• 00:24:50 – The “carbon fee and dividend” plan: a market-based approach to climate action with bipartisan appeal.
• 00:30:40 – The growth of CCL and its influence on climate policy, thanks to thousands of dedicated volunteers.

Call to Action

Want to learn how you can get involved in bipartisan climate solutions? Visit cclusa.org/action. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with friends or on social media. Every share helps inspire more people to take meaningful action on climate change.

Join the Conversation

Engage with other listeners and share your thoughts on our social media channels. Follow and connect with us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok.

Tune in next month for more inspiring stories, expert insights, and actionable climate solutions. Together, we can make a difference, one story at a time.

We Want to Hear from You

• Email: radio @ citizensclimate.org
• Text/Voicemail: 619-512-9646 (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Credits

• Research: Horace Mo Mo, Lily Rushen, Peterson Toscano
• Editorial Assistance: Flannery Winchester, Elise Silvestri, Brett Cease
• Production: Peterson Toscano, Elise Silvestri

Music: Our theme music is Chasing Stories by Elise Silvestri. Other music byEpidemic Sound.

Hot Mess Part One: Yes, Really: The Time Politicians Agreed on Climate Change

Hot Mess: How Climate Consensus Turned Into Political Chaos is a six-part series hosted by Peterson Toscano that uncovers the untold stories behind the rise and fall of bipartisan efforts to address climate change in the United States.

In this first episode, Peterson Toscano takes listeners back to a time when political cooperation on climate issues was possible. The episode explores the beginnings of climate politics in the 1960s, including early warnings about carbon emissions and surprising cross-party collaborations that are difficult to imagine today.

For full show notes and transcript visit www.cclusa.org/radio

Key Themes

• The origins of climate politics in the 1960s.
• Bipartisan collaboration on environmental legislation.
• Early climate activism from figures across the political spectrum..

Featured Guest

Chelsea Henderson
Chelsea hosts RepublicEn’s Eco Right Speaks podcast and has long advocated for conservative-led climate solutions. In this episode, she shares her insights into the early days of bipartisan cooperation and the conservative movement's role in addressing climate change.

Standout Quotes

“We must prevent the overheating of our planet, and that will take decisive action from everyone.” – Audio clip from Margaret Thatcher.

“Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich sitting on the same couch, talking about the climate, alongside Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson—truly, a coalition that seems unimaginable today.” – Peterson Toscano.

Episode Highlights

• 00:05:15 – Lyndon B. Johnson's 1965 climate briefing: The earliest official recognition of climate threats.
• 00:12:45 – Richard Nixon established key environmental protections, marking bipartisan action.
• 00:18:30 – Margaret Thatcher addresses the United Nations about the risks of climate change internationally.
• 00:22:15 – 2008 We Can Solve It bipartisan climate campaign featuring Nancy Pelosi, Newt Gingrich, Rev. All Sharpton, and Rev. Pat Robertson brought together unlikely allies to tackle climate change.

Call to Action

Want to learn how you can get involved in bipartisan climate solutions? Visit cclusa.org/action. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with friends or on social media. Every share helps inspire more people to take meaningful action on climate change.

Join the Conversation

Engage with other listeners and share your thoughts on our social media channels. Follow and connect with us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok.

Tune in next month for more inspiring stories, expert insights, and actionable climate solutions. Together, we can make a difference, one story at a time.

We Want to Hear from You

• Email: radio @ citizensclimate.org
• Text/Voicemail: 619-512-9646 (+1 if calling from outside the USA.)

Credits

• Research: Horace Mo Mo, Lily Rushen, Peterson Toscano
• Editorial Assistance: Flannery Winchester, Elise Silvestri, Brett Cease
• Production: Peterson Toscano, Elise Silvestri

Music: Our theme music is Chasing Stories by Elise Silvestri. Other music byEpidemic Sound.

CCL Training: Weather Attribution Science

Join CCL's Research Team for a training that outlines the background behind attribution science -- the process of quantifying the contribution of global warming to extreme weather and other events --and a discussion around how we can employ attribution science to Hurricane Helene, the process for how connecting climate change with extreme weather events is done, what it has found, as well as how we as CCL volunteers can employ effective communication in using its research and findings.

Skip ahead to the following section(s):
(0:00) Intro & Agenda
(3:37) What is Attribution Science and How Is It Done?
(10:59) How Can CCLers Use This Knowledge?
(15:43) More On Hurricane Helene and other 2024 Extreme Weather Events
(35:55) What Can We Do About It?

Presentation Slides: https://cclusa.org/weather-attribution-slides 
CCL Training Event Page: https://community.citizensclimate.org/events/item/24/17109 

CCL Training: Opportunities for a Carbon Price in the Next Congress

The confluence of three external forces may present an opportunity in the next Congress for a carbon price. However, those external forces also constrain the opportunity such that if something passes, it will look different from the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. This webinar will explore how those three forces constrain the debate, what that means for CCL’s priorities, and most importantly, for the climate. To further enhance our discussion, we'll also be hearing from one of the Hamilton Project's authors of the Climate tax policy reform options in 2025.

Skip ahead to the following section(s):
(0:00) Intro & Agenda
(3:59) The Opportunity
(9:00) The World Has Shifted
(23:56) The Constraints to Policy Design
(28:28) Closing the Emissions Gap
(1:01:26) Conclusions
(1:02:52) Q&A Discussion

Presentation Slides: https://cclusa.org/carbon-pricing-opportunities 
CCL Training Page: https://community.citizensclimate.org/events/item/24/17016 
Climate tax policy reform options in 2025: www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240227_THP_ClimateTaxPaper.pdf 

Climate Adaptation and Jobs of the Future with Doug Parsons

Our 100th episode of Citizens Climate Radio focuses on climate adaptation and how it’s shaping new career paths. Doug Parsons, host of the America Adapts podcast, joins us and shares his insights on the urgent need for adaptation and the exciting opportunities in this evolving field. We also hear from an engineering student who reveals how he discovered a new climate-related career path. Plus, we share a special report from the future about unexpected climate solution celebrities.

Doug Parsons on Climate Adaptation

Doug Parsons explains that while mitigating climate change by reducing emissions is critical, adaptation—preparing for its impacts—is equally important. From wildfires to sea-level rise, communities must adapt to the changes already happening. Doug discusses “managed retreat” and the hard choices ahead for places like Miami, but he also highlights how climate adaptation offers a fast-growing sector full of opportunities for new careers.

"Adaptation is such an evolving field. If anyone says they know exactly what they're doing, they're lying to you. But that’s what makes it so exciting—you can influence it." —Doug Parsons.

Listen to more episodes of America Adapts

Why Climate? Featuring Justin Baumann

We feature Justin Baumann, an engineering management student at Stevens Institute of Technology. Justin shares his journey into climate work, combining his passion for technology and community care. He discusses how climate change initially seemed distant but soon became a central focus in his studies and career aspirations. Attending the Waterfront Alliance’s annual conference opened doors and gave Justin a new understanding of his role in our rapidly changing world.

What about you? Why are you passionate about climate change work? Let us know by email radio @ clitizensclimate.org

Jobs of the Future

In this episode, we leap into the future. What will the job market look like in a world profoundly shaped by climate change? This radio play originally aired on the Climate Stew podcast and offers a humorous yet thought-provoking look at how engineers may be future celebrities.

Hot Mess: How Climate Consensus Turned Into Political Chaos

Mark your calendars! We are excited to announce our upcoming six-part series, Hot Mess: How Climate Consensus Turned Into Political Chaos. Premiering on Friday, November 1, 2024, this series explores how the united global concern over climate change unraveled, stalling progress. We’ll take you behind the scenes, revealing overlooked moments and heroes of the climate movement and the forces that drove political chaos.

Production Team:
Written and produced by Peterson Toscano, Tamara Staton, Dana Nuccitelli, and Elise Silvestri.
Technical support by Ricky Bradley and Brett Cease.
Social media assistance by Flannery Winchester.
Music by Epidemic Sound.

Join the Conversation:
Follow and engage with us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok. Share your thoughts and join the discussion using #CitizensClimateRadio.
Call or text our listener voicemail line: (619) 512-9646 (+1 if calling from outside the USA).
Email us at radio @ citizensclimate.org.