Climate One

An information war is raging in our country, in mainstream news and on social media. What is factual and what is an “alternative fact?” Do facts even matter? George Lakoff, Professor of Linguistics, UC Berkeley Robert Rosenthal, Executive Director, The Center for Investigative Reporting This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on February 23, 201...

Geoengineering may sound like science fiction, but there are many who believe we can -- and should -- be taking drastic measures to cool our planet down. Oliver Morton, Briefings Editor, The Economist; Author, The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World (Princeton University Press, 2015) Kim Stanley Robinson, Author, 2312 (Orbit, 2012) Ken Caldeira, Climate Scientist, Carnegie Ins...

Every year, 41 million Americans take more water out of the Colorado than nature puts into it. How can we continue to share an ever-shrinking resource? Kevin E. Kelley, General Manager, Imperial Irrigation District Abrahm Lustgarten, Reporter, ProPublica Fran Spivy-Weber, Vice Chair, CA State Water Resources Control Board This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Cl...

The Trump administration has moved quickly to reverse some of the previous administration’s energy and climate policies. But not all Republicans are on the same page when it comes to climate. Those on the so-called eco-right say action is needed to promote clean energy and prevent climate disruption. On today’s program we hear how Republican renegades find climate solutions in conservative princip...

The clean tech sector is on the rise - what areas are most promising for growth, jobs and “gee-whiz!” innovation? What will the new administration bring? Danny Kennedy, Managing Director, California Clean Energy Fund Holmes Hummel, Founder, Clean Energy Works Andrew Chung, Founder & Managing Partner, 1955 Capital This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of Cal...

Much has been made of the partisan divide on climate change. But there are Republicans out there who believe it’s real – and they have solutions in mind. Jeremy Carl, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University John Hofmeister, Former President, Shell Oil Company Bob Inglis, Former Republican U.S. Representative, South Carolina This program was recorded in front of a live audience at...

What are the issues that link the Latino community to the environmental movement? For many, it comes down to la familia. Latinos, who make up nearly 40 percent of California’s population, still tend to live in the state’s most polluted areas, in close proximity to freeways and ports. That translates to increased rates of asthma among Latino children. Other community issues include lack of green sp...

In 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launched California's attack on climate change by signing a pioneering law to reduce carbon pollution across the state’s economy. That law, known as AB 32, has put California at the forefront of the global move to protect the climate that supports our economy and lifestyles. More recently, California’s energy utility announced plans to close the s...

What’s really preventing us from enacting environmental change? Blame our brains, says Daniel Goleman, author of Ecological Intelligence. As he explains it, “The problem comes down to a design flaw in the human brain.” Evolution fine-tuned our brains to protect us from immediate survival threats – lions, tigers and bears. But long-term dangers, such as those that threaten our planet today, don’t r...

An emerging area of economics aims to put a price on nature as a way of justifying preserving it in societies dominated by the wisdom of markets. A mountain stream, for example, provides many economic benefits beyond people who own property near it or drink water from it. The same is said of bees that pollinate our food, wetlands that cleans water, and trees that drink up carbon dioxide. If nature...

Climate denial has become both a psychological and a political problem. Can better communication help us expand common ground and move on to solutions? Renee Lertzman, Climate Engagement Strategist, Author and Speaker Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Meteorology, Penn State University Cristine Russell, Freelance Science Journalist Tom Toles, Editorial Cartoonist, The Washington Post This p...

Science historian Naomi Oreskes has had her share of hate mail from climate deniers. But, she says, “We can't give up on the challenge of explaining science.” Naomi Oreskes, Professor of History of Science and Director of Graduate Studies, Harvard University, author of “Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming.” (Bloomsbury P...

2016 began in the afterglow of the Paris climate accord, and ended with the triumph of a presidential candidate who has labeled climate change a hoax. So what will 2017 and the Trump administration mean for the future of clean energy? On today’s show we look ahead at how environmentally-conscious lawmakers and businesses might move forward now that Republicans control the White House and both cham...

Radical protesters Tim DeChristopher and Georgia Hirsty put the “active” in “activism.” But is civil disobedience the best way to effect real change? Tim DeChristopher, Founder, Climate Disobedience Center Georgia Hirsty, National Warehouse Program Manager, Greenpeace Brendon Steele, Director of Stakeholder Engagement, Future 500 This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonw...

2016 began in the after-glow of the Paris climate summit and ended with the election of Donald Trump. A look back at the year’s energy triumphs and setbacks. 2. Speaker List David R. Baker, Energy Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Katie Fehrenbacher, Former Senior Writer, Fortune Cassandra Sweet, Reporter, Wall Street Journal This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealt...

As Donald Trump moves into the West Wing and the GOP takes control of congress, what will become of California’s environmental trailblazing? Christine Pelosi, Superdelegate for Democratic Party; Political Strategist Duf Sundheim, 2016 Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate Tony Strickland, Former California State Senator; California Chairman, The Committee for American Sovereignty Tony Thurmond, Cal...

While federal experts warn that it will cost $44 trillion to rid the U.S. economy of carbon, Citibank counters that failing to act on climate disruption could result in over $44 trillion in public and private losses over the next 25 years. The true cost of either keeping or ditching fossil fuels was up for discussion at a recent Climate One event. Nicholas Stern, Chair, Center for Climate Change E...

A recent agreement is designed to curb emissions from international plane flights. But what if the new administration doesn’t clear it for takeoff? Erin Cooke, Sustainability Director, San Francisco International Airport James Macias, President and CEO, Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc. Sean Newsum, Director of Environmental Strategy, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Annie Petsonk, International Counsel, Environ...

Climate change is as much about what we eat as what we drive or where we live. Rising heat is hitting chocolate, wine, beer, bread and other foods we love, while our appetites for meat, fish, and dairy are responsible for a host of unsustainable farming practices. So what’s a climate-conscious eater to do? On today’s program we'll look at how climate change affects us at the kitchen table. We’ll a...

The explorer, climber, surfer and founder of sporting goods company Patagonia, Inc., has spent a lifetime welcoming adventure – and risk - of all kinds. Yvon Chouinard, Founder and Owner, Patagonia This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on October 27, 2016 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America’s National Parks are struggling to find a balance between the needs of a growing population and the desire to preserve our natural heritage. John Hart, Author, An Island in Time: 50 Years of Point Reyes National Seashore (Pickleweed Press, 2012) Jordan Fisher Smith, Author, Engineering Eden: The True Story of a Violent Death, a Trial, and the Fight over Controlling Nature (Crown, 2016) Thi...

Connecting the dots between the foods we love and our environment may be one way to engage people in the climate change fight – one cup of coffee at a time. Jonathan Foley, Executive Director, California Academy of Sciences Simran Sethi, Author, Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love Helene York, Global Director, Responsible Business, Compass Group@Google This program was recorded...

Climate change seems to have taken a backseat in this year’s presidential campaign. What’s ahead for the climate movement in the next administration? Bill McKibben, Founder, 350.org Terry Tamminen, CEO, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on October 21, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

After last winter’s rains, Californians breathed a collective sigh of relief. But short-term weather is not the same as long-term climate. And state water watchers understand that this rainfall did not break the worst drought in over a thousand years. With the effects of climate change being felt around the country – droughts in some areas and flooding in others – the nation is looking to Californ...

California has been proudly fighting the war on climate change for over a decade. But can it can grow its economy and tackle climate change at the same time? Kevin de León, President pro Tempore, California State Senate Melanie Mason, Reporter, Los Angeles Times Antonio Villaraigosa, Former Mayor of Los Angeles This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of Calif...