David Roberts

David Roberts

Editor-at-Large .

David Roberts is editor-at-large at Canary Media. He podcasts and writes about clean energy via his Substack, Volts. Previously, he covered the same subjects for five years at Vox, and before that for 10 years at Grist. He lives in Seattle.

The Latest from David Roberts

Electric vehicles

I finally bought an electric vehicle

David Roberts explains why — after years of contemplating his options — he chose a Chevy Bolt.

By David Roberts . 19 April 2022
Electric vehicles

Ford’s electric Mustang Mach-E is very fun to drive. Is that a good thing?

It won over confirmed car-hater David Roberts — but he has reservations.

By David Roberts . 18 April 2022
Clean energy

Here are the minerals we need for batteries, solar and other clean energy tech

From aluminum to zinc, these are the building blocks of our clean energy future.

By David Roberts . 7 February 2022
Clean energy

What you need to know about minerals and the clean energy transition

Minerals are key to making cleantech like batteries, but they’re often mined in problematic ways. This is a challenge, but not a deal-breaker.

By David Roberts . 4 February 2022
Policy & regulation

Do dividends make carbon taxes more popular? Not so far, study finds

A common theory holds that rebating money to taxpayers would build support, but real-world evidence suggests otherwise.

By David Roberts . 24 January 2022
Politics

Here’s where things stand with climate legislation in Congress

The Build Back Better Act — and its $555B in climate spending — is not dead yet.

By David Roberts . 7 January 2022
Politics

Rounding up the year in climate politics

What happened with climate and energy in Congress in 2021, what's ahead in 2022, and when will they pass the Build Back Better Act?

By David Roberts . 17 December 2021
Fun stuff

Don't Look Up: A movie about climate change that is actually good

The new star-studded film captures a feeling every climate advocate knows: banging your head against a wall and getting nowhere. And it's funny to boot.

By David Roberts . 10 December 2021
Clean energy

What 24/7 carbon-free energy can achieve over the long term

New modeling from Princeton projects the expected impact from companies and cities procuring carbon-free electricity for every hour of every day.

By David Roberts . 24 November 2021
Corporate procurement

Is 24/7 carbon-free energy the best goal?

A few ambitious companies and cities aim to get 100% clean electricity every hour of every day. But would it be better to focus on displacing the dirtiest power plants?

By David Roberts . 19 November 2021