Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

If we include personal cars, along with appliances like water heaters, stoves and furnaces, more than 40 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from individuals at the home level. The good news: no matter where you live, there are steps you can take to make your home cleaner, healthier and more comfortable.  And thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, there’s now a raft of federal incentives...

How do we live with fire? Join us for a talk about stewardship, resilience and hope. Fire is an essential part of California's ecology. Humans have been using it to shape the California landscape for thousands of years. But today many Californians' relationship to fire is one of fear. Obi Kaufmann, author of the best-selling California Field Atlas, now asks: How do we live with fire? What makes fi...

How interdependent were the Northern industrial economy and Southern slave labor in pre-Civil War America? Historian and Brown University history professor Seth Rockman says the traditional way of thinking about the United States in the early 19th century—that of a nation with an industrializing North and agricultural South—overlooks the economic ties that held together the nation before the Civil...

Lessons learned from former community-oriented department heads, a civil rights attorney and a former controller who has ideas about making the city more flexible and responsive. About the Speakers Margaret Brodkin is one of the nation’s leading children’s advocates. She was the executive director of Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth for 26 years, leading systems change work in juvenile jus...

Every year we highlight the work of a scientist who excels in communicating their work to the world. Climate One is delighted to present the 2024 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication to political scientist and energy expert Leah Stokes. Her rare ability to communicate complex information to both academic audiences and the general public has established her as on...

When most people hear the phrase renewable energy, they imagine fields full of solar panels or giant spinning wind turbines. But another source may be heating up: geothermal.  Twenty years ago, it was thought that geothermal could provide at most 10% of any given area’s electricity, and only in very limited regions. There were also environmental concerns about depleting groundwater. But new techno...

Plastics are everywhere. And while we’ve known for a long time that plastics and our environment aren’t a good mix, it's becoming apparent that they’re massive climate polluters too. The production of plastics alone produces about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. After what is often a single use, the resulting waste continues releasing the greenhouse gasses ethylene and methane as it breaks...

The internet stands accused of dividing us, spying on us, making us stupid, and addicting our children. In response, the press and panicked politicians seek greater regulation and control, which some fear could ruin the web before we are finished building it. Jeff Jarvis is convinced we can have a saner conversation about the internet. Examining the web’s past, present and future, he says that man...

Join us for our celebratory year-end Michelle Meow Show special. We'll start with a conversation with local photographer/artist Harry Williams, who photographs the people of San Francisco. We'll explore human connections and how community engagement can preserve our dignity and compassion for each other.  We'll end our program with a special performance by SNOWW. Then stick around for a fun recept...

Join us in-person or online for the holiday special edition of our Week to Week political roundtable. We'll do a year-end wrap-up of political news, just one month after one of the most epochal elections in recent history. It's an understatement to note that we have many things to discuss—a new mayor in San Francisco, a new administration and Congress in Washington, a new political environment all...

2024 set new records for extreme heat around the world in what is already the warmest decade on record. According to the World Meteorological Organization, sea-level rise and ocean heating are accelerating along with the loss of ice from glaciers. We continue to see extreme weather of all kinds wreak havoc on communities across the world. In spite of the growing disruption, countries continue to m...

In his final book, the late Henry Kissinger joined forces with two leading technologists to mount “a profound exploration” (says Walter Isaacson) of the epochal challenges and opportunities presented by the revolution in artificial intelligence—a breakthrough that they believe dramatically empowers people in all walks of life while also raising urgent questions about the future of humanity. Kissin...

In recent headline news, actor Simu Liu called out a boba tea company for cultural appropriation saying “There’s an issue of taking something that’s very distinctly Asian in its identity and quote-unquote ‘making it better.’” The comment generated a lot of feedback from consumers who then chimed in to add their thoughts on what cultural appropriation, especially in food, actually means. Join us fo...

For over a century, coal fueled much of the country and served as the economic backbone for many rural communities. But with the rise of more affordable wind and solar energy, coal is in decline, leaving these towns increasingly vulnerable. As jobs disappear, coal-dependent communities are faced with the threat of economic collapse and depopulation.  To adapt, many are working to diversify their e...

Humanities West and the Italian Cultural Institute celebrate the life and art of Giacomo Puccini (December 22, 1858 to November 29, 1924) on the 100th anniversary of his death. His operas La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot are among the most beloved and most often-recorded operas of all time. His arias are famous for both their emotional resonance and their melodic beauty—even among m...

Nathan Law was a leader of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution when he was still only 21 years old. By the age of 23, he was the youngest lawmaker ever elected in the history of Hong Kong. By the age of 26, he was “Most Wanted” under the government’s National Security Law. Join us for a screening of Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? followed by a Q&A with Nathan Law (participating remotely) and director Joe...

Meet this amazing group of people who help bring food to your and your neighbor’s tables. This interactive program will include delicious samples from Sway and Curtis Aikens plus a panel discussion. It will be a fun, informative event that might change how you view our Bay Area food system.  Andy Naja-Riese, CEO of the Agricultural Institute of Marin County, will discuss how we can strengthen our...

The 14th annual Lundberg Institute Lecture features Robert Wachter of UCSF and his predictions about what advances artificial intelligence will make, and will not make, in health care. Why has health care not undergone the kind of digital transformation that has completely remade industries ranging from retail to entertainment to travel? Wachter will discuss health care’s bumpy road to digital nir...

“American values over autocracy. Benevolence over bigotry.”—So begins the rousing finale of the first floor speech delivered by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries upon his historic elevation as House Democratic Leader, affirming the values of our great country one letter of the alphabet at a time. His words provide a reminder of what will keep the United States the greatest democracy in the history of th...

On the surface, climate policy couldn’t face a worse future than under a second Trump administration. As a candidate, Trump said on his first day back in office: “I want to drill, drill, drill.” So, what are environmental organizations, including those aligned with the Republican party, doing to keep making progress on addressing climate change? And what do Trump’s cabinet picks say about the inco...

Explore the intersection of art, artificial intelligence, and new technology. Through the diverse perspectives of three incredible artists, we will delve into unique opportunities that new technology presents for creative expression, activism, and the artists' evolving role in the 21st century.  This event will offer exciting opportunities to interact with the artists and a realistic portrait-draw...

Regardless of who won the presidential election on November 5, one thing remains on the calendar: Former President Donald Trump heads back to court on November 26 for sentencing. Bestselling author and presidential historian Jonathan Alter had a front-row seat to Trump’s felony trial, one of just a handful of journalists allowed in the courtroom. For 23 days, he sat just feet away from Trump, watc...

Each generation of classical music lovers may wonder if their generation will be the last to truly enjoy the fusion of beautiful sound and emotional depth expressed by the master composers and performers of this centuries-old artistic tradition. Changing economic and social pressures in the early 21st century dented the interest in classical music in the West, a trend exacerbated by the COVID pand...

It is possible that the only news we hear about more than politics is the climate crisis, and sometimes it is politics about the climate crisis? But what are we hearing and saying about climate change, and is it what we think we’re hearing and saying?  Genevieve Guenther, founder of the nonprofit organization End Climate Silence, has engaged journalists in efforts to improve coverage of environmen...

Globally, one-third of food produced every year is wasted. That’s enough to feed about 2 billion people — twice the number of people who are undernourished. The global food system also accounts for a whopping one-third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. These two problems — waste and emissions — are intricately linked: Climate disruption exacerbates food insecurity. And industrial food produ...