Episode 11: Washington vs. Managua

In the second part of our Paris Accord episode Luciano explains why Nicaragua was not among the countries that signed the agreement and why the USA leaving is not a comparable action. Juhem discusses Latinx public opinion on climate change and theorizes about how transnational ties influence Latinx perspectives on this issue.  

Related links:

Juhem's piece: "Latino/as are Key to the Future of Climate Change Policies"

Juhem & Dan Cox piece: "Are Transnational Ties Leading Latinos to Express Greater Concern about Climate Change?"

North Korea blasts Trump as 'silly,' 'ignorant' over Paris Accord withdrawal

US joins only Syria and Nicaragua on climate accord 'no' list

Cover image source: NASA

Episode 10: Pittsburgh > Paris

President Trump got the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord(s) earlier this month. This week, in the first of two episodes dedicated to analyze this event, Luciano explains what is the Paris Climate Accord, why it is important, and the limits of this international agreement. Juhem discusses the public opinion on climate change and introduces the concept of "Trumpslating": the art of translating the President's statements into something that makes sense.

Related links:

PRRI/AAR Religion, Values and Climate Change Survey

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

President Trump's speech on Paris Climate Agreement (annotated by NPR)

Cover image source: NASA

Episode 9: Counting Atheists

 This week Juhem and Luciano discuss two articles exploring the same piece of research: Are atheists undercounted in the United States? Juhem focuses on the different ways surveys measure non-belief while Luciano questions whether people who do not use the word atheist should be identified as such. The discussion, naturally, later revolves about politics and whether an openly atheist politician can have a long and successful career.

Links:

Is one American in Four an Atheist? (Tom Jacobs, Pacific Standard)

Way More Americans May Be Atheists Than We Thought (Daniel Cox, Fivethirtyeight.com)

 Other links:

'American Nones' ISSSC Report (2009)

'Nones on the Rise' Pew Report (2012)

'Exodus' PRRI Report (2016)

Secular Nation podcast on the Freethought Equality PAC

Image source: Religion News Service

Episode 8: The War on Public Schools in North Carolina

Recently, the Republican-controlled legislature in North Carolina removed
funding for schools in districts represented by Democratic Party legislators.
Luciano discusses the politics behind this move and the consequences of
these actions while Juhem places these events in the larger national contexts of partisan polarization and the role of public education in society.

Links

Luciano on "North Carolina’s Highly Problematic General Assembly Republicans."

News Observer article

Image source: North Carolina GOP