203: How Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is The Undoing of Climate Progress

The Trump administration's "One Big Beautiful Bill" threatens to reverse years of clean energy progress and environmental protections, raising urgent concerns about climate policy and public health. In this special livestream episode of Climate Change with Matt Mattern, host Matt brings together a powerhouse panel including Dr. Gernot Wagner (Climate Economist, Columbia Business School), Lucero Marquez (Center for American Progress), and Dan Gearino (InsideClimate News) to analyze the implications of this controversial climate policy shift. What You'll Learn: - Why the bill's rollback of renewable energy incentives could jeopardize 2,500 wind and solar projects equivalent to 383 nuclear reactors - How the legislation threatens rural economies, with farmers potentially losing up to $350,000 in wind turbine revenue over 10 years - Why public health costs from increased pollution could reverse decades of clean air progress, including the prevention of 200,000 deaths annually - How the Endangerment Finding rollback threatens EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases - The economic case for energy efficiency and why newer technologies like LED lighting deliver superior results - How public mobilization and grassroots organizing successfully prevented public land sell-offs and could help combat future policy reversals About the Guest(s):

• Dr. Gernot Wagner is a climate economist at Columbia Business School and Faculty Director of the Climate Knowledge Initiative. He has authored six books, including "Climate Shock" and "Geoengineering: The Gamble," focusing on climate risks, technologies, and policies. His research expertise in climate economics and policy provides valuable insights on the economic implications of climate legislation and energy transition.
• Lucero Marquez serves as Associate Director of Federal Climate Policy at the Center for American Progress. With a background in meteorology, she specializes in renewable energy development, building decarbonization, and environmental justice at the national level. Her expertise bridges the technical aspects of climate science with policy implementation and environmental equity concerns.
• Dan Gearino is an award-winning reporter at InsideClimate News covering the business and politics of clean energy. His reporting expertise focuses on connecting policy decisions in Washington to their real-world impacts on renewable energy development, particularly in states like Iowa, where wind energy has become an essential part of the power grid and rural economy.

Episode Resources

• Dr. Gernot Wagner on LinkedIn
• Lucero Marquez on LinkedIn
• Dan Gearino on LinkedIn
• One Big Beautiful Bill Act
• Articles:
  • Republicans who backed Trump’s anti-environment bill have accepted over $105m from big oil
  • Assessing the Energy Impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
  • Chart: Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ blows US emissions goal by 7bn tonnes
• Matt Matern on LinkedIn
• A Climate Change on Apple
• A Climate Change on Spotify
• A Climate Change on YouTube

More About A Climate Change with Matt Matern A Climate Change with Matt Matern is a podcast dedicated to addressing the pressing issue of climate change while inspiring action and fostering a sustainable future. Each episode dives deep into the environmental challenges of our time, rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, and resource degradation, breaking down complex topics into digestible insights. The podcast goes beyond merely raising awareness. It serves as a trusted resource for practical, actionable solutions that empower listeners to reduce their carbon footprint and drive change in their communities. W