Living on Earth interviews environmental politics professor Leah Stokes about her 2026 book The Carbon Wave. The book tells the inside story of how the Inflation Reduction Act survived a near-death moment in the Senate, including the secret negotiations and public pressure that brought Joe Manchin back to the table. It also explains why Stokes argues the carbon footprint concept is less useful than a shared responsibility to change the energy system. The segment covers how the IRA became the largest climate package in US history and why its climate investments remain largely intact. Stokes connects the legislative fight to broader questions about democracy, parenthood, and whether people can push for systemic change through collective action. The book also discusses electrification steps like heat pumps, EVs, and induction stoves as part of building a carbon wave. For readers tracking climate policy, this interview is a useful look at how reconciliation politics, public anger, and organizing shaped the most consequential US climate law to date.
