A few weeks ago, after returning from COP26 in Glasgow, I had the chance to record a podcast on the Columbia Energy Exchange with host Jason Bordoff, an old friend and one of the smartest people I know working at the intersection of research and policy in the energy and climate space.

Jason and I were able to meet in person at the Columbia Center for Global Energy Policy; perhaps that (along with the fact that Jason and I have known each other for 25 years!) is why it comes through so clearly as a real conversation. It went online just before Thanksgiving, but after listening to it on the early train down to D.C., I thought I would share it here as well, in case (like me) you were busy shopping for Thanksgiving dinner and dry-brining the turkey when the podcast was posted.

It’s a characteristically wide-ranging conversation. We talk about the role of business in advocating for climate policy; whether COP26 was a success and where the UN climate conferences should go from here; the state of US-China relations on climate policy; the connection between climate change and debates about trade and industrial policy; what Article 6 of the Paris Agreement means for carbon markets and corporate action on climate; why we are seeing an increase in popular pressure to act on climate; the significance of the Build Back Better legislation in helping the U.S. get on track to meet its ambitious 2030 climate target; and the prospects for a carbon tax in the Congress.

I hope you enjoy the conversation, and as always I would welcome your thoughts and reactions. If you like the podcast, please let me know on Twitter at @natkeohane.