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Sea Change Radio

Sea Change Radio

By: Alex Wise
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 Independent journalism focused on environmental and economic sustainability2007-2023 Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Sean Gallagher: Solar Industry Update

    Sean Gallagher: Solar Industry Update
    Jul 30 2025
    Looking at energy policy under the current administration is a depressing exercise - the reconciliation bill of 2025 passed by the Republicans on July 4th, is a windfall for the oil & gas industry and devastating for renewables. Over 4.5 million homes with solar panels already installed, for example, are losing tax credits and other subsidies. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Sean Gallagher, the Senior Vice President of Policy at the Solar Energy Industries Association, also known as SEIA, about the effects this newly signed legislation will have on the solar industry. Keeping in mind that our conversation with Gallagher preceded the bill's passing, we discuss the current state of solar and where it's headed, and learn about the work of SEIA. Then, we dig into the Sea Change Radio archives and hear an excerpt from our interview with Paul Bierman, a geoscientist at the University of Vermont, as he talks about Greenland's melting ice sheet.
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    29 mins
  • Daphne Wysham: Pulling The Methane Emergency Brake

    Daphne Wysham: Pulling The Methane Emergency Brake
    Jul 22 2025
    Sometimes seemingly intractable problems are not as impossible to solve as one might think. A case in point is the hole in the ozone layer which was largely resolved by the fluorocarbon-banning policies that stemmed from the 1987 Montreal Protocol. Over the years, we have spoken with one of the key crafters of this historic treaty, Durwood Zaelke, a couple of times on Sea Change Radio and this week we talk with Daphne Wysham, whose organization, Methane Action, is working with Zaelke and others to figure out a way to reduce methane emissions from the atmosphere. We discuss the existential threat humans face by emitting all of this methane, look at some of the barriers and possible solutions to the problem and learn about the Methane Emergency Brake campaign that Wysham and Zaelke helped create. Narrator | 00:02 - This is Sea Change Radio covering the shift to sustainability. I'm Alex Wise. Daphne Wysham (DW) | 00:23 - There are a variety of different strategies, but there is a real urgency to getting this underway in the next few years because we're out of time and we need to be pulling the methane emergency break as quickly as possible. Narrator | 00:39 - Sometimes seemingly intractable problems are not as impossible to solve as one might think. A case in point is the hole in the ozone layer, which was largely resolved by the fluorocarbon banning policies that stemmed from the 1987 Montreal Protocol. Over the years, we've spoken with one of the key crafters of this historic treaty, Durwood Zaelke a couple of times on Sea Change Radio, and this week we talk with Daphne Wysham, whose organization Methane Action is working with Zeki and others to figure out a way to reduce methane emissions from the atmosphere. We discussed the existential threat humans face by emitting all of this methane. Look at some of the barriers and possible solutions to the problem and learn about the methane emergency brake campaign that Weisman Zeki helped create. I am joined now on Sea Change Radio by Daphne Wysham. She is the CEO of Methane Action. Daphne, welcome to See Change Radio. Daphne Wysham (DW) | 01:55 - Thank you. It's good to be here. Alex Wise (AW) | 01:57 - So why don't you first explain what Methane Action is all about and what the mission of your organization is. DW | 02:06 - Yeah. So Methane Action has been around for about four years, and we, uh, were launched prior to the launch of the Global Methane Pledge, which happened in 2021 and dating back to 2020. We were calling for a binding affair and binding global methane agreement, um, which we believe now more than ever is needed. We've, um, had several years to see the results of the pledges that countries have put forward, um, for 30% cuts below 2020 by 2030 of methane emissions. And unfortunately, there are two things wrong with a pledge. One is it's insufficient to, even if everybody were to meet their, uh, methane pledges, it would be insufficient to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Um, and secondly, people are not meeting those goals. So, um, we join, uh, the European Parliament, the, uh, prime Minister of Barbados and Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, um, and a number of other leaders in calling for a binding global methane agreement, starting probably at the, uh, uh, subnational and then going up to the national level and the international level. AW | 03:32 - So what is the Methane Emergency Brake Campaign? You just were in bond Germany representing that effort. Why don't you spell out a little bit more in the detail of how this campaign should work ideally? DW | 03:50 - Yeah. So the initial sort of co-sponsors of the Methane Emergency Brake Campaign are the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development based out of Washington, DC and Paris. Um, Methane Action, uh, based outta the US but working globally. And, uh, a group called Leave It in the Ground Organization, uh, or lingo for short. Um,
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    29 mins
  • William J. McGee on The Failure of Airline Deregulation

    William J. McGee on The Failure of Airline Deregulation
    Jul 15 2025
    Proponents of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 often point to the relatively low prices in the industry today as proof that deregulation was a success. But this week‘s guest on Sea Change Radio, Bill McGee believes that the connection is specious at best, and that advocates are making the mistake of confusing cause and effect. McGee, a consumer advocate in the aviation sector and a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project, shares his perspective about the long-term problems created by airline deregulation, explains why it often gets credited for saving the industry when it shouldn’t, and looks at how sustainability is not a big enough factor in the way that airline prices are determined. Narrator| 00:02 - This is Sea Change Radio covering the shift to sustainability. I'm Alex Wise. Bill McGee | 00:18 - So if you just look at a chart and say, oh, since 1978 airline safety has improved. Well, statistically, it absolutely has. But it was improving long before that. And the, and in fact, the improvements before 1978 were much greater. Narrator | 00:34 - Proponents of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, often point to the relatively low prices in the industry today as proof that deregulation was a success. But this week's guest on Sea Change Radio, bill McGee believes that the connection is specious at best, and that advocates are making the mistake of confusing cause and effect. McGee, a consumer advocate in the aviation sector and a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project, shares his perspective about the long-term problems created by airline deregulation explains why it often gets credited for saving the industry when it shouldn't, and looks at how sustainability is not a big enough factor in the way that airline prices are determined. I am joined now on Sea Change Radio by Bill McGee. He is a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project. Bill, welcome to Sea Change Radio. Bill McGee | 01:44 - Thanks very much, Alex. It's a pleasure to be here. Alex Wise (AW) | 01:47 - So the American Economic Liberties Project, AELP, what is its mission? Why don't you give us a brief snapshot of the organization, if you can? Bill McGee | 01:55 - Sure. AELP is about five years old. It's a Washington based nonprofit think tank. And, uh, the mission is really simple. We fight monopoly power where wherever it occurs. So I have colleagues that are fighting monopoly power in financial services, healthcare, uh, Ticketmaster, when you're getting your Taylor Swift tickets and, uh, you know, the market is too consolidated to get a better price. And of course, I handle, um, airlines and travel and airlines, which consumes overwhelmingly most of my time is an industry that is, as you know, uh, overly consolidated. It's basically an oligopoly at this point with four major carriers controlling 80% of the market. So we fight that power, and we're always trying to find ways to increase competition and make life better for consumers. AW | 02:43 - So I was surprised as I dug into the history of deregulation. I always thought it was a Reagan era initiative, but it preceded Ronald Reagan. It was a Carter administration policy from 1978. Why was I confused about that? That's not an uncommon mistake to make, is it? Bill McGee | 03:03 - Not at all. Alex, I can't tell you how many times I've written about deregulation. And in the comments below, people will write, thanks, Reagan. The fact is Reagan wasn't even in office, as you pointed out in 1978, Jimmy Carter was president, a Democratic president, and both the House and the Senate were controlled by Democrats. That's where deregulation came from. It actually was spurred by the left, not the right people. Like Ralph Nader testified in favor of it. Senator Ted Kennedy introduced the bill in the Senate. To just step back a moment, the industry was regulated from 1938 to 1978. And I think there's a lot of confusion over that too.
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    29 mins
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