Misunderstanding the Politics of the Energy Transition

Presenter

David Spence

Date of Event

10-30-2024

Description

Getting to net zero carbon emissions will require Congress to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. If that idea has wide support (and it does), why can’t Congress muster the will to do it? David Spence (University of Texas at Austin) tackles this question in his new book Climate of Contempt: How to Rescue the U.S. Energy Transition from Voter Partisanship (Columbia University Press, 2024).

Spence will discuss why the problem is not that members of Congress are unresponsive to voters—but rather that they are now responsive to the most ideologically extreme and negatively partisan voters, which makes it harder to build congressional majorities for strong climate policy. Meanwhile, the online information environment—rife with misinformation, vitriol and spin—is pushing all Americans to become more partisan over time, breeding misunderstanding of the issues and of each other

Lecture Series

Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law

Subject Headings

environmental law; greenhouse gas emissions; net zero carbon emissions

Location

CWRU School of Law Moot Courtroom (A59)

Document Type

Video

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