How the climate movement can build political power 🌎💪🏽 with Nathaniel Stinnett

First, a question: Are you helping ensure that pro-Earth candidates win these midterm elections? If not, scroll down to the “Calls to Action” section for some ideas and links. Denizens of Earth, let’s win this thing! _____ This episode’s guest is icon Naomi Klein, one of the most important authors and activists of our time. She helps us all better connect the dots between democracy, fascism, environment, and justice. Her new book, End Times Fascism and the Fight for the Living World, co-authored with Astra Taylor, needs to be bumped to the very top of your to-read list, the top of your nightstand stack. Our conversation covered everything from data center resistance and “climate supremacy”, to our right to an uncluttered night sky, and disaster capitalism. We also talked about what we can learn from activist movements, like Standing Rock and Memphis’s fights against pipelines and for clean water. And we really got into it on AI and data centers. _____ There is so much pontificating on AI and data centers. To supplement this episode, a few resources I’ve found quite helpful: * Kate Gage's new newsletter decoding the jargon: Political AI Field Guide: Factions and Beliefs, and AI Political Field Guide: Terminology Decoder (September 2026 Edition) * A year in, the data center/AI battle starts to clarify, by Bill McKibben * AI’s climate problem is worse than we thought, by Emily Atkin * A warning about ‘model welfare’ by Mustafa Suleyman (who is also interviewed in my book, What If We Get It Right? ) * AI and the Enshittification Era with Cory Doctorow, on The Weekly Show with John Stewart podcast _____ CALLS TO ACTION: Get out the vote! ✅ 1 week until Election Day. What can you do this week so that you don’t have any regrets on November 4th? Some options: * VOTE! 🗳️ (Obviously.) Early voting is underway. See voting dates for your state here. Get a preview of your ballot at ballotpedia.org. * Check out candidate endorsements from Lead Locally, League of Conservation Voters and Working Families Party. Make sure to vote all the way down your ballot. * Pick a candidate you like, go to their website and click the volunteer button. They will put you to work! Knocking doors and talking to voters about close races is super important. * Encourage your friends and family to make a plan to vote. Here’s a great tool from Patagonia to help. * Volunteer with Third Act, the amazing organization Bill founded and leads. * Join me and so many amazing volunteers to phone bank with Environmental Voter Project and help make sure all Earth lovers show up to vote. * Note: In some states it’s not too late to register to vote — and some places let you register to vote on Election Day. _____ Mentioned in this episode: * More than 1,600 institutions have divested more than $41 trillion from fossil fuel stocks. * Memphis Community Against Pollution, led by KeShaun Pearson * Polling on Americans’ attitudes about climate from Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and George Mason University. * Bill’s piece on Nepal’s flooding disaster: The growing rumble * Naomi’s publications: * Newsletter: Patterns by Naomi Klein * Book: End Times Fascism - And the Fight for the Living World * Book: The Shock Doctrine * Naomi’s suggested resources on a working-class climate agenda: * Center for Climate Justice at UBC * Climate and Community Institute _____ Credits: This episode was produced by Remoy Philip and me (Ayana), with support from Jenisha Shrestha. Special thanks to Sharon Nadeem, Naomi’s producer for the making our first(/only?) Substack Live happen. Original music by Emma Munger. Graphic design by Holly Griffin of Design Hungry, and social media support from Feeling Seen Studio. Enjoying the show? Share it, spread the word! And review 🌟 and follow What If We Get It Right? — that helps more people find us and these timely conversations. We’ve got two more episodes left for this season! Thank you for listening. 💛

Before diving into today’s episode, a tiny celebration 🎉: The What If We Get It Right? podcast reached 500,000+ downloads! THANK YOU for listening. More great interviews coming your way. To support the show (1) follow and review 🌟, (2) tell your people to tune in, and, if you can, (3) become a paid subscriber. _____ Our guest for today’s episode is Deb Haaland, one of the most remarkable figures in American politics, currently running to be the Governor of New Mexico. She is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th generation New Mexican. Most recently, Haaland was the Secretary of the Interior for the Biden administration, running of one of the largest departments in the federal government. There, among many other things, she made sure big new tracts of land like Bears Ears and Escalante and Utah were added to the public land system. She has also served as a Congresswoman, and chaired the New Mexico Democratic party. Often, she has been the first Native American or first the Native woman in the positions she has held. In this conversation, we talk about her vision for New Mexico’s clean energy transition, a state where half the state's budget comes from oil and gas. We cover everything from water conservation to invasive species management, and the inherent value of nature and majestic landscapes. We also talk about the importance of being a good steward of Earth for future generations — and why we need to hire more lawyers. This conversation got into the nitty gritty (as we do), but above all had lots of heart. _____ CALLS TO ACTION: Get out the vote! ✅ Local and state leadership matter so much for implementation of climate solutions. So make sure to vote all the way down your ballot! And it’s definitely not too late pick a candidate, roll up your sleeves and help them win. Some resources for channeling your election/climate anxiety into productive actions: * VOTE! 🗳️ Early voting has started in many states. Bill and I have already voted. Have you? Have your friends & family? (Get a preview of your ballot at ballotpedia.org) * Check out candidate endorsements from Lead Locally, League of Conservation Voters and Working Families Party. * Volunteer with Third Act, the amazing organization Bill founded and leads. * Pick a candidate you like, go to their website and click the volunteer button. They will put you to work! Knocking doors and talking to people in your community is super important. * Encourage your friends and family to make a plan to vote. Here’s a great tool from Patagonia to help. * Note: In some states it’s not too late to register to vote — and some places let you register to vote on Election Day. _____ As you know by now, I’m a BIG fan of Environmental Voter Project. Join me and so many amazing volunteers to phone bank and help make sure all Earth lovers show up to vote. In my election freakout, I’ve signed up to host 2 more shifts. If these times don’t work for you, sign up for EVPs many other shifts. RSVP here. _____ Mentioned in this episode * New Mexico produces half its electricity from the sun and the wind, and has the second-biggest crude oil production, and the fourth-largest natural gas output in the country. * New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act passed in 2019 to reach net zero by 2050 * Native American Business Incubators Program Act passed in Congress in 2020 * 400 co-stewardship agreements signed by the Biden-Harris administration with Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations and consortiums * New Mexico has the highest-rated system for distributed energy resources (DER) interconnection in the country. _____ Credits: This episode was produced by Remoy Philip and me (Ayana), with support from Jenisha Shrestha. Original music by Emma Munger. Graphic design by Holly Griffin of Design Hungry, and social media support from Feeling Seen Studio. Enjoying the show? Share it, spread the word! And review 🌟 and follow What If We Get It Right? on your platform of choice — that helps more people find us and the

Interviewing politicians can be dull. Just heaps of trite talking points and evasive answers. But when you get the chance to sit down with someone who has not only a strong moral compass but a backbone to match, and who has been not only determined but also creative in using their positions to help advance climate solutions, it’s a delight. Our guest this episode, Brad Lander, is, as we say in his home borough of Brooklyn, a real one. Brad is running for Congress (soon to be repping part of NYC on Capitol Hill), and he ran for mayor in this last cycle against/with Zohran Mamdani. But it was his work as Comptroller of NYC that solidified his reputation as a climate champion. This conversation covers everything from divesting pension funds to making polluters pay for climate solutions, to affordability and accountability, and from investment banks to financed emissions. Plus, a glimpse into what Brad Lander aims to do on climate once he’s in Congress. Can not wait. _____ Phone banking ☎️ w/ Environmental Voter Project Wednesdays at 12p ET we call environmentalists and nudge them to the polls. Only 2 of these left until Election Day! If 12p on Wednesdays doesn’t work for you, I will miss you, but sign up for EVPs many other shifts.👇🏽 _____ Mentioned in this episode * Divesting New York City pension funds, led by NYC Comptroller’s Office * In the last decade, 60 banks have provided $7.9 trillion in financing to fossil fuel companies, with the top four banks alone — JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America — providing more than $1.64 trillion. * NY Climate Change Superfund Act - A bill to make polluters pay $75 billion over 25 years for climate change adaptation. * Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Credits: This episode was produced by Remoy Philip and me (Ayana), with support from Jenisha Shrestha. Original music by Emma Munger. Graphic design by Holly Griffin of Design Hungry, and social media support from Feeling Seen Studio. _____ Enjoying the show? Share it, spread the word! And review 🌟 and follow What If We Get It Right? — that helps more people find us and these timely conversations. Thank you for listening. 💛

Governors are especially critical given the catastrophic presidential scenario. So today we’re re-sharing a conversation recorded in spring with Maine’s democratic gubernatorial candidate Hannah Pingree. (“Gubernatorial” is too good a word not to use!) Hannah is is a longtime public servant and climate leader from a small island off the midcoast of Maine. She served in the Maine House of Representatives from 2002 until she was termed out in 2010. (Shoutout to term limits!) After that, she served on her local school board and managed a sustainable housing nonprofit. And most recently, from 2019 to 2025, she was founding director of Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. There, she co-chaired the Maine Climate Council and oversaw development of Maine’s ambitious climate plan, called “Maine Won’t Wait.” Hannah said to me, “I want to be one of the best climate governors in the country.” Honestly, in this era of “climate hushing” it’s refreshing to hear a politician say that. In this interview, we cover everything from AI data centers, to clean energy, affordability, bi-partisan climate progress, aquaculture, PFAS (aka forever chemicals), working waterfronts, and the critical role of governors in this era of excruciating federal rollbacks. This conversation had an odd effect on me. I found it... relaxing? To hear a politician speaking competently, calmly, clearly, practically and with nuance about climate policy was so soothing, reassuring. More of this please! Next week we have for two more conversations for ya with climate candidates running for key leadership positions. Stay tuned. _____ CALLS TO ACTION: Get out the vote! ✅ Local and state leadership matter so much, including for implementation of climate solutions. So make sure to vote all the way down your ballot! Wherever you live, it’s definitely not too late pick a candidate, roll up your sleeves and help them win. I’ll be knocking doors for pro-Earth candidates in Maine this weekend. You can just reach out to a campaign via their website and sign up to volunteer. Some resources: * VOTE! Early voting has started in many states. Bill and I have already voted. Have you? * Get a preview of your ballot at ballotpedia.org * Check out candidate endorsements from Lead Locally, League of Conservation Voters and Working Families Party. * Encourage your friends and family to make a plan to vote. Here’s a great tool from Patagonia to help. * Note: In some states it’s not to late to register to vote — some places let you register to vote on Election Day. Also, you know by now, I’m a BIG fan of Environmental Voter Project. Join me on Wednesdays at 12p ET to help make sure all Earth lovers show up to vote. If 12p on Wednesdays doesn’t work for you, I will miss you, but sign up for EVPs many other shifts.👇🏽 Friends don’t let friends not vote. Home stretch, y’all. _____ Credits: This episode was produced by Remoy Philip and me (Ayana), with support from Jenisha Shrestha. Original music by Emma Munger. Graphic design by Holly Griffin of Design Hungry, and social media support from Feeling Seen Studio. Enjoying the show? Share it around, spread the word! And review 🌟 and follow What If We Get It Right? — that helps more people find us and these timely conversations. Thank you for listening. 💛 To support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber: ayanaelizabeth.substack.com.

This week and next we’ve got two episodes for you, all four are conversations with climate candidates — running for local office, for governor, and for congress. In other words, a sampling of people we’d love to be calling the shots in the halls of power, and a glimpse of the good changes they would lead us toward. Home stretch to Election Day, Earthlings. 🌎 Get involved — no regrets on Nov 4th! Our guest this episode is Clara Pratte, candidate for Arizona Corporation Commission (aka Public Utility Commission (PUC), aka undersung local government entity that’s actually extremely important to the clean energy transition... as this episode explains). Clara is an Arizona-born member of the Navajo Nation, and champion of energy independence and jobs in tribal and rural communities. She is co-founder of Navajo Power (a utility-scale and residential electricity provider) and owner of several small businesses. Clara has also served under three U.S. presidents and four Navajo Nation presidents. This episode covers everything from the critical roles of PUCs like the Arizona Corporation Commission (including electricity rates and power plant permits, and in some cases drinking water and railroad safety), to ensuring a just clean energy transition in the Navajo Nation, how the sunniest state can embrace solar power, and why it’s critical to vote all the way down the ballot! [You can preview what your ballot will look like at Ballotpedia.] Bonus: Listen to the end for Bill’s reactions to more of the clean energy mascot ideas you all submitted for our earlier “Don’t mess with solar” episode with Tom Mattzie. _____ Enjoying our podcast? Share it, spread the word! Review 🌟 and follow What If We Get It Right? on your platform of choice — that helps get the algorithm on our side so more people find these timely conversations. We’ve released 8 episodes so far, with a bunch more coming through Election Day. Thank you for listening — and sharing. 💛 _____ Mentioned in this episode * Arizona Corporation Commission * Project Blue: proposal for data centers in Tuscon * Lead Locally: helping elect local climate champions * The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer Credits: This episode was produced by Remoy Philip and me (Ayana), with support from Jenisha Shrestha. Original music by Emma Munger. Graphic design by Holly Griffin of Design Hungry, and social media support from Feeling Seen Studio. And special thanks to Whit Jones from Lead Locally for recommending and connecting us with Clara. _____ Phone banking ☎️ w/ Environmental Voter Project If you don’t know what to do with your election/democracy anxiety, join us for phone banking! Every Wednesday at 12p ET until Election Day (or many other shifts times available). Sign up: environmentalvoter.org/AEJ