A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Once a year, NPR and the NPR network come together to highlight climate solutions – ways to reduce emissions that heat the planet and ways to be more resilient. Joining us now is NPR’s climate solutions correspondent, Julia Simon. Julia, this year, we’re focusing on local climate solutions. So why this theme?
JULIA SIMON, BYLINE: Well, for the past 16 months, the Trump administration has been putting up roadblocks for climate action – rolling back tax credits for electric vehicles, solar panels. Instead, the administration is focused on drilling for more fossil fuels. But while the federal government has been blocking climate action, some U.S. cities and states and even neighborhoods have been going in the opposite direction. They’ve been reducing emissions, A, and they’re taking steps to adapt to a warming world. So that’s why we’re focusing on local climate solutions.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. So what are some of the stories we can expect this week?
SIMON: So burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal – that’s the single-biggest driver of climate change. This week, you’re going to hear several stories about renewable energy – creative ways to find money to build it. Member station KUER has a story about communities across Utah joining up to build renewable energy together. Cincinnati Public Radio will bring us a story about how Cincinnati’s transforming this old landfill into a solar project. Colorado Public Radio – they have a story about new ways to heat and cool buildings.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. Lots to look forward there. So can these…
MARTÍNEZ: Totally.
SIMON: …Projects, though, move the needle on reducing emissions?
SIMON: When you add them up, yes. Obviously, scientists are calling for coordinated climate actions from federal governments. But a lot of policies for energy, transportation, building codes – they’re implemented on the local level. So that’s why what states and cities do really matters. Here’s Nate Hultman. He directs the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland.
NATE HULTMAN: Even though – as we have this kind of national story that seems very monolithic with the president doing a lot of things around climate and energy, there’s all this kind of driving force for action that’s happening at this sub-national level. And it’s not small in terms of scale.
SIMON: A, Hultman says his team’s research shows these local actions do, in fact, drive down emissions in the U.S. when you add them up.
MARTÍNEZ: Julia, so you mentioned Utah. And I understand later today, on All Things Considered, we’ll have a story from Montana Public Radio. These are stories about renewable energy from more conservative, Republican states. So what’s going on there?
SIMON: Well, one, there are people in conservative areas that care about climate change, too. But, A, there’s something else that’s going on here, and that’s affordability. Large-scale solar and wind combined with batteries are more cost-competitive than energy from coal and gas plants. Kate Johnson is with C40, a coalition of climate-minded cities. And she says for many local governments in blue and red states, climate solutions just make financial sense.
KATE JOHNSON: At the local level, some of the partisan divides that you see at the national level tend to fall away. And I think that’s because at the end of the day, mayors are committed to delivering good public services to their cities. And that’s not really a partisan issue.
SIMON: So lowering electric bills, saving money on gas. You’ll hear a lot of affordability arguments this week.
MARTÍNEZ: That’s NPR’s Julia Simon. Julia, thanks.
SIMON: Thank you, A.
MARTÍNEZ: You can find more of our local climate solutions coverage at npr.org/climateweek.
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