This month is definitely in like a lion… wild winds, crazy rain, warm one day, cold the next… we spring foward this weekend so more daylight is coming. Change is in the air.
This week’s must read: As energy demand soars, Texas lawmakers face big decisions (Texas Tribune)
I probably spend more time than the average person thinking about the increased demand for energy (thanks, AI) outpacing the share of renewables utilities are tapping into. Apparently, I’m not the only one!
“Texas faces a massive surge in demand for electricity due to an increase of large users like crypto mining facilities, in addition to population growth and more extreme weather. And policymakers are recognizing that in order to meet that demand, the state will need all the generation it can get — from every source,” the article, written by Kayla Guo, reads. “Texas increased its energy supply by 35% over the last four years… A whopping 92% of that new supply, according to energy consultant Doug Lewin, came from solar, wind and battery storage.”
Texas is the top wind-producing state in the U.S. and a top 2 solar-producing state, generating 169,442 GWh from the two sources in 2024.
A new EcoRight Speaks episode… featuring Professor Leaf Van Boven
Welcome back for another episode of the EcoRight Speaks. This week, we were in conversation with Professor Leaf Van Boven, whose research is quite illuminating and underscores what we have known for some time: when Republicans support climate and environmental policy, not only does that policy have a better chance of passage, it’s more durable.
Van Boven is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado and is an expert on the intersection of social psychology, environmental psychology, and political psychology. He examines the social, emotional, and cognitive processes that shape judgments and decisions in environmental and political contexts.
I found this op-ed, co-authored with David Sherman, in The Hill—Republicans hold the key to depolarizing the climate issue—and knew I wanted him on the show!
Enjoy!
In the guest seat…
I was recently interviewed for the Electric Ladies Podcast, hosted by Joan Michelson. Joan read Glacial and asked me to talk about how we get beyond partisanship when it comes to climate policy. If you’re not tired of my voice, listen below!
ICYMI: Our recent webinar series
I promised that I’d share the link for part two of our Trust or Bust series featuring John Cook, and here it is. This is the episode that I hosted but I do not run as tight of a ship as Angela Larck, who usually captains our webinars. so I doubt I will be invited back. 
And this concludes another edition of Climate Week En Review. Thanks for all the kind notes people have been sending my way! They mean the world.