Me, on an Australian pod
In this episode, Australian comedian Dan Ilic hosts me on The Greatest Moral Podcast Of Our Generation.
(PDF transcript)
(Active transcript)
Text transcript:
David Roberts
While I was down under in Australia, I appeared on a show called A Rational Fear, a pod about climate change which is, I’m told, the winner of Australia’s Best Comedy Podcast.
More specifically, I appeared on a spinoff show they’re doing called [ahem] The Greatest Moral Podcast Of Our Generation, a series of interviews with climate types hosted by comedian and journalist Dan Ilic.
It was short, and fun, so I figured, why not share it with the Volts audience? Enjoy, and do check out A Rational Fear some time — it’s quite delightful.
Dan Ilic
I'm recording this on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and I encourage you all to think about whose land you're on and the wealth of the life that you enjoy on that land and why you enjoy it. As we head into this referendum month, I think it's all upon us all to kind of think about listening more. And if you don't know what the Voice Referendum is all about, go and find out. Let's try listening.
David Roberts
Despite global warming, A Rational Fear is adding a little more hot air with long form discussions with climate leaders, good and bad.
Intro
This is coal, don't be afraid. The — heat waves and drought — Greatest — mass extinction — Moral — we're facing a manmade disaster — Podcast — they're the climate criminals — of Our Generation. All of this with the global warming and that a lot of it's a hoax. The Greatest Moral Podcast of Our Generation. GMPOOG for short.
Dan Ilic
Every now and then, the A Rational Fear podcast turns green. We talk to someone who is super interested and who lives and breathes climate on a podcast I like to call The Greatest Moral Podcast of Our Generation, or GMPOOG for short. And I'm excited for you all to meet our next GMPOOG guest. Since about 2015, I have been following his writing on Vox.com and the Grist, but in more recent years, I've been listening to his podcast and reading along with his newsletter. It is Volts, or rather the presenter and the writer of Volts podcast, David Roberts. Welcome to A Rational Fear.
David Roberts
So glad to be here.
Dan Ilic
Or welcome to The Greatest Moral Podcast of Our Generation.
David Roberts
Yeah, I'm not sure I can keep that acronym in my head.
Dan Ilic
Well, the first guest on The Greatest Moral Podcast of Our Generation was former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who coined the phrase that climate change was the greatest moral problem of our generation. So that's why we called GMPOOG, GMPOOG. You are one of the foremost experts when it comes to climate and energy. I love Volts. I devour it, I listen as often as I can. And for such a complex and often combative topic, quite frankly, your voice is so calming and reassuring.
David Roberts
Thank you.
Dan Ilic
I mean, you could sell anything, which is why you're here today. To sell us on small modular nuclear reactors.
David Roberts
Exactly. And carbon capture and sequestration. That's my thing.
Dan Ilic
Well, it's such a sprawling conversation I'd love to have with you. Let's start there. We do hear a lot from a very small subsection of our politics all about small modular nuclear reactors. In fact, Barnaby Joyce, who at one time was a leader of a party in this country, said, "People aren't talking about the cost of living down at the supermarket. They're talking about small modular nuclear reactors."
David Roberts
Are they?
Dan Ilic
So I want to ask you, David Roberts, is anybody talking about small modular nuclear reactors?
David Roberts
I mean, yes, people are talking and talking and talking about them. The more relevant question is anyone building small modular nuclear reactors? And th
