Best Climate One at The Commonwealth Club Podcasts (2024)

1
REWIND – Wardrobe Malfunction: The Climate Impact of Clothing 1:04:04

11m ago1:04:04

1:04:04

What we wear defines us in so many ways. But in recent decades we’ve moved away from long-lasting, quality pieces in favor of disposable fast fashion, with major consequences for our climate and environment. From mechanized farming and pesticides to grow fiber crops, to energy for manufacturing and transportation, fossil fuels are embedded in the c…

1
Turning Election Anxiety Into Action 1:01:22

1h ago1:01:22

1:01:22

The U.S. is gearing up for a presidential election between a climate advocate and a climate denier. Scientists have given humanity a deadline to drastically reduce the use of fossil fuels if we want a habitable Earth. While there has been some progress, it’s not anywhere nearly enough, and the consequences of our failure to address our fossil fuel …

1
Cheaper, Faster, Better: Tom Steyer on Winning the Climate War 1:01:35

13d ago1:01:35

1:01:35

Tom Steyer rose to public prominence as the billionaire investor and climate organizer who ran for president in the 2020 election on a climate-first platform. While he didn’t secure the Democratic nomination, his dedication to supporting and advancing climate solutions has remained steadfast. In his new book, “Cheaper, Better, Faster: How We’ll Win…

1
Military Power: Balancing Security and Climate Threats 1:02:04

14d ago1:02:04

1:02:04

The U.S. military is one of the world’s largest consumers of fossil fuels. And its carbon pollution is equally huge. At the same time, climate disruption is already amplifying crises and conflicts around the world — making climate change, in the words of one military expert, “a threat multiplier.” The Department of Defense has been making moves to …

51
What’s a Climate-Conscious Republican to Do? 59:27

21d ago59:27

59:27

The leaders at the top of the Republican Party want the U.S. to double down on carbon-intensive oil and gas — and avoid reckoning with the damage they cause. As temperatures continue to rise, a majority of young Republican voters say clinging to that stance could spell trouble for the sustainability of the GOP. And yet, conservatives aren’t a monol…

1
What the FERC Is Going on With the Electric Grid 1:00:01

1M ago1:00:01

1:00:01

The nation’s electric grid needs to be expanded and made more reliable for our future energy demands and climate forecasts. The way we’ve built transmission in the past — regionally siloed with short term planning — is now suffering from reliability and capacity issues and won’t work for the next century. The Department of Energy is drafting plans …

1
Unions You Wouldn't Expect Bargaining for Climate Action 1:00:23

1M ago1:00:23

1:00:23

Last year was the hottest in recorded history, and this summer, much of the United States has already experienced record-shattering heat waves. That leaves millions of workers risking their health and possibly even their lives while on the job. And the danger is not limited to those who work outdoors. Warehouses, restaurants, and other indoor space…

1
Thirst Trap: When Big Cities Run Dry 1:01:12

2M ago1:01:12

1:01:12

This week we take a trip to Mexico, a petrostate that just elected climate scientist Claudia Sheinbaum as its next president. She’s also the former mayor of Mexico City, the largest city in North America, which has been going through a major water crisis due to climate change. It’s at risk of running out of water — and it has been for a long time. …

1
Going for Green at the Paris Games 1:01:46

2M ago1:01:46

1:01:46

The Summer Olympic Games are here! That means more than 300 events, ten thousand athletes and millions of spectators coming to watch. And the athletes are not the only ones with an Olympian task; the organizers of the Paris Games pledged to make their event emit only half of the carbon pollution of the 2012 London Games. In order to make that happe…

1
What’s at Stake in November 1:05:44

2M ago1:05:44

1:05:44

This November, voters may have the rare opportunity to choose based on the records of two administrations that have each already had one turn at the helm. Regardless of who ends up at the top of the Democratic ticket, when it comes to climate in particular, a lot is at stake. As Biden’s presidency winds down, the administration has been enacting nu…

1
Local Climate Heroes with Project Drawdown 1:01:02

2M ago1:01:02

1:01:02

There are climate heroes everywhere among us, but few get the public attention they deserve. Matt Scott, director of storytelling and engagement at Project Drawdown, has been shining a light on the work of such people in cities across the country in his documentary short series “Drawdown’s Neighborhood.” In Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, the San…

1
REWIND: Six People Who’ve Changed Jobs for Climate 58:43

3M ago58:43

58:43

One of the most common questions people ask about climate is: what can I do? Since time is one of our most valuable resources — and we spend so much of our time at work — changing jobs may be the most effective individual climate action a person can take. Those changes could be big or small: Leaving the oil and gas industry for geothermal, or helpi…

1
Crude Awakening: Why Ecuador Voted to Stop Drilling in the Amazon 1:00:18

3M ago1:00:18

1:00:18

As countries around the world become more serious about reducing carbon emissions to meet international targets, many are still approving new oil and gas projects, committing us to increased global warming. Yet an increasing number of countries are taking a stand to leave those future emissions in the ground, even at the expense of their own profit…

1
Climate Policy Wonk Turned Indie Pop Star: AJR’s Adam Met 53:16

3M ago53:16

53:16

Adam Met is a behind-the-scenes climate policy powerhouse. He also happens to be the bass player in the award winning indie pop group AJR. During Met’s time away from touring the world and rocking the bass in front of thousands of fans, he and the team at Planet Reimagined, the thought and action tank Met founded, set out on a cross country listeni…

1
Adulting in Turbulent Times 56:43

3M ago56:43

56:43

Acting like a responsible adult can be challenging at the best of times. Add dealing with climate chaos to the mix, and keeping it all together can feel like an outright miracle. Let’s start by acknowledging that all does not feel fine in the world at the present moment. But living through extreme intensity isn’t a completely unique experience. Gen…

1
BONUS: Wade Crowfoot on Building Wildfire Resilience 15:40

4M ago15:40

15:40

More than 7% of California has burned in the last five years. Clearly, past methods of wildfire prevention haven’t worked. Now, California is embracing a variety of new approaches to land management in an effort to beat back the flames. California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot oversees the state's public lands, parks, wildlife and its f…

1
Rekindling Our Relationship With Wildfire 58:11

4M ago58:11

58:11

Summer means peak wildfire season. And recently, we’ve seen some of the most destructive wildfires in recorded history. For years the message around fire has been: no fire is good. But increasingly, we’re starting to fight fire with fire. Prescribed burns may help prevent large, catastrophic wildfires. While using fire as a tool to manage the fores…

1
You Gonna Finish That? Saving Good Food from Going Bad 54:40

4M ago54:40

54:40

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 exac…

1
Staycation: All I Ever Wanted 54:05

4M ago54:05

54:05

Summer is coming soon, and for many that means vacation. While traveling far and wide can be an amazing experience, the carbon cost of traveling is significant. But what if we could rekindle a sense of awe in our own neighborhoods? After years of extreme expeditions all over the world, adventurer Alastair Humphreys spent a year exploring the detail…

1
Fighting Fossil Fuels in the Courts and on the Ballot 54:36

4M ago54:36

54:36

At age 9, Nalleli Cobo, suffering headaches, heart palpitations, nosebleeds, and body spasms, became an activist, driven to fighting to close the local oil well responsible for her ailments. In 2022, at age 20, she won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her work shutting down toxic wells throughout the Los Angeles region. The same year…

1
Special: Remembering Pete McCloskey 7:10

4M ago7:10

7:10

An environmental giant passed last week with the death of Pete McCloskey, a former Republican Congressman who co-authored the Endangered Species Act. He died at the age of 94. A Marine who served in the Korean War, McCloskey was perhaps best known for the politically fraught move of challenging a sitting president in his own party - Richard Nixon -…

1
Big Plastic: The New Big Oil 54:20

5M ago54:20

54:20

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 gr…

1
When California Dreams Hit Political Reality 59:35

5M ago59:35

59:35

The Golden State has staked much of its reputation on its green credentials, with state leaders touting its role on the leading edge of global and national climate progress. But California is falling behind in meeting its ambitious emission targets, and has been criticized for over-relying on emerging clean energy technologies that may not bear out…

1
SF Climate Week 2024: Are Businesses and Governments Measuring What Matters? 24:29

5M ago24:29

24:29

Many businesses and governments have a goal of reaching net zero emissions. Sounds good. But what does “net zero” even mean? And how do we get there? Alicia Seiger is a lecturer at Stanford Law School and leads sustainability and energy finance initiatives at Stanford Law, Graduate School of Business, and the Doerr School for Sustainability. She ar…

1
Leading San Francisco in a Hot and Volatile World: SF Climate Week 2024 18:27

5M ago18:27

18:27

In 2021, Mayor London Breed released the San Francisco Action Plan, which aims to achieve net zero emissions for the city by 2040. The plan not only charts the course for eliminating emissions over the next two decades but also includes commitments to ensure that the benefits of climate action are extended equitably to all communities. That was thr…

1
REWIND: Building a Better Battery Supply Chain with JB Straubel and Aimee Boulanger 1:09:14

5M ago1:09:14

1:09:14

Batteries are a critical part of the transition away from fossil fuels. From electric vehicles to grid scale storage for wind and solar, demand for batteries is expected to grow 500% by 2030. In order to meet that demand, we’re going to need a lot more batteries. And while companies like JB Straubel’s Redwood Materials are building capacity for rec…

1
SF Climate Week 2024: Is California on Track for an Affordable and Just Energy Transition? 20:34

5M ago20:34

20:34

The Golden State has staked much of its reputation on its green credentials, with state leaders often touting its role on the leading edge of global and national climate progress. But California is falling behind in meeting its ambitious emission targets, and has been criticized for over relying on emerging clean energy technologies that may not be…

1
SF Climate Week 2024: California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Suing Big Oil 19:40

5M ago19:40

19:40

On behalf of the People of the State of California, Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against five of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, along with the lobbying organization American Petroleum Institute, for willfully misleading the public about climate change. How big a deal could this lawsuit be? Guest: Rob Bonta, California …

1
Artificial Intelligence, Real Climate Impacts 57:11

5M ago57:11

57:11

Artificial intelligence can do some pretty amazing things, including for the climate. AI can help optimize the electric grid, make heating and cooling buildings more efficient, and pinpoint exactly where greenhouse gas emissions are coming from all around the world. On the other hand, the energy use of AI is massive and growing. A recent study esti…

1
Nearly 2 Years In… Is the Inflation Reduction Act Delivering Yet? 1:00:29

5M ago1:00:29

1:00:29

In August 2022, Congress passed the biggest piece of climate legislation in our nation’s history: The Inflation Reduction Act, which put $400 billion into boosting the transition to a clean energy economy over the next ten years. The IRA has spurred companies to announce nearly $110 billion of investment in new factories to build EVs, batteries and…

1
Elizabeth Kolbert on Hope, Despair, and Everything In Between 56:02

6M ago56:02

56:02

Even before Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” brought climate change to the mainstream, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert was on the beat. Her reporting in the early 2000s culminated in her book “Field Notes from a Catastrophe,” which sounded the alarm on the causes and effects of global warming. Nearly 20 years later, Kolbert is …

1
Rising Temperatures, Rising Prices: How Climate Drives Inflation 56:54

6M ago56:54

56:54

Climate change means extreme weather, shifting landscapes, and generally more instability. More and more, you can feel the impacts of climate disruption in your wallets. Drought is pushing up the cost of candy and leading to shipping delays in the Panama Canal. Globally, researchers say climate could add one percent to inflation every year until 20…

1
Climate Migration: Should I Stay or Should I Go? 58:03

6M ago58:03

58:03

The places that most people call home are coming under increasing threat from climate change. From rising seas and more frequent floods to stronger hurricanes and cyclones, to more devastating droughts and wildfires, the most habitable parts of our world are becoming far less so. Over time, our cities will be forced to transform — and hundreds of m…

1
Talk Isn’t Cheap: The Power of Conversation 1:03:17

6M ago1:03:17

1:03:17

As heat waves, storms, droughts and wildfires continue to worsen, talking can seem like a seriously insufficient climate solution. It’s fair to ask: Are we just engaged in blah, blah, blah? Too often, talking is one sided – more of a lecture aimed at conveying information or solely stating one's own point of view. And yet, when done right, real con…

1
How Activism Can Win Bigger and Faster with Kumi Naidoo 59:24

7M ago59:24

59:24

Kumi Naidoo is a world renowned activist and climate leader. Before going on to lead Greenpeace International then Amnesty International, Naidoo was a 15 year old anti-apartheid activist in South Africa. The boycotts he organized led to him being a target of the Security Police. He fled South Africa and lived in exile in the UK. As a climate activi…

1
What More Can I Do? 55:57

7M ago55:57

55:57

If you’re a climate-conscious person, you likely already know some of the main ways you can reduce your contribution to greenhouse gasses: buy less, eat less meat, ride your bike. But there are other, less obvious methods we don’t always think of: voting, having climate conversations, engaging with your local government, changing where your money i…

1
Geothermal: So Hot Right Now 55:55

7M ago55:55

55:55

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 conc…

1
Let’s Talk Dirty to Clean Energy 1:03:39

7M ago1:03:39

1:03:39

As fossil fuels are phased out, shuttered coal plants, contaminated landfills, and abandoned mine lands across the U.S. are finding new life as renewable energy projects. More than 23 states have 100% clean energy goals, and in order to reach those goals, some states are starting to convert what was once considered “dirty” into “clean” energy gener…

1
Busted: The Newest Emission Cheaters 52:13

8M ago52:13

52:13

A settlement for the largest civil penalty resulting from the Clean Air Act has just been reached. The EPA, DOJ and the State of California have agreed to a $1.7 billion fine for engine maker Cummins Inc. The fine is the result of Cummins being caught using “defeat devices” to fool emissions testers into thinking the engines pollute less than they …

1
REWIND: Jane Fonda: A Lifetime of Activism 56:25

8M ago56:25

56:25

Jane Fonda has spent the last several decades fighting for Indigenous peoples' rights, economic justice, LGBTQ rights, peace, gender equality and more. Now, she is devoting herself to the climate emergency, beginning with Fire Drill Fridays, the national movement to protest government inaction on climate change she started in October 2019. Through …

1
Indigenous Perspectives: What Makes a Just Transition? 53:34

8M ago53:34

53:34

We often talk about a “just transition” from dirty to clean energy as if the term means the same thing to everyone. Indigenous people have seen their resources extracted and exploited to further the wealth of others for centuries. Now renewable energy is looking to expand to Indigenous land. How can renewable energy help Tribes leapfrog the twentie…

1
Wardrobe Malfunction: The Climate Impact of Clothing 1:01:22

8M ago1:01:22

1:01:22

What we wear defines us in so many ways. But in recent decades we’ve moved away from long-lasting, quality pieces in favor of disposable fast fashion, with major consequences for our climate and environment. From mechanized farming and pesticides to grow fiber crops, to energy for manufacturing and transportation, fossil fuels are embedded in the c…

1
Pairing Scientists with Community Advocates 54:31

9M ago54:31

54:31

The climate crisis can feel distant — like it’s someone else’s problem — until your town is flooded, your home is damaged by storms, or you're struggling to pay electricity bills as the summers get hotter. Figuring out the specifics of how a region is vulnerable to climate impacts can be the difference between adaptation or disaster, especially for…

1
REWIND: Youth Activists 15 Years Later 1:05:25

9M ago1:05:25

1:05:25

From the climate movement’s earliest days, young people have been at the forefront of activism. But the first major international climate conferences took place 30 years ago. The first cohort of youth activists are now adults, some with children of their own. The emotional cost of seeing so little payoff for years spent fighting can be agonizing at…

1
REWIND: Just a Walk or Bike Ride Away: The 15-Minute City 1:04:56

9M ago1:04:56

1:04:56

Can you imagine if everything you needed in your everyday life was just a walk or bike ride away? That’s the goal of the 15-minute city, a new name for an old idea. Reducing the need for cars cuts emissions and gets autos off of the roads, which is a boon for safety, air quality and the climate. But, as is often the case, good ideas become a lot mo…

1
Ben Santer: 2023 Schneider Award Winner 1:00:52

9M ago1:00:52

1:00:52

Ben Santer has spent decades researching and identifying the human fingerprints on the climate system changes we’re now all seeing. He was lead author on the historic 1995 conclusion of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which proclaimed that “the balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate.” That was th…

1
This Year in Climate: 2023 53:38

9M ago53:38

53:38

It’s been a year of weather extremes — again. But there’s also been cause for renewed hope about our climate future. On the heels of this year’s international climate conference held in the oil-rich Middle East, Climate One hosts Greg Dalton and Ariana Brocious review major climate stories of the year, both lows and highs. This special episode feat…

1
Reporting from COP28: The People at the Heart of It All 1:01:08

10M ago1:01:08

1:01:08

This week, we’re reporting from Dubai, where the 28th UN climate change conference (COP28) is now underway. Ever since the Paris Agreement was signed at COP21, the central issue has remained the same: How do the nations of the world keep global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels? This year marks the first “global stocktake,”…

1
On the Ground at COP28: What’s at Stake with the Global Stocktake? 1:01:05

10M ago1:01:05

1:01:05

The 28th annual Conference of the Parties, COP28, opens this week in Dubai. For the 28th time, the nations of the world have gathered to see what progress they can make on addressing the increasingly global climate crisis. It’s fair to wonder why, after three decades, we still haven’t taken the collective action necessary. And it’s equally fair to …

1
REFRESH: Another Look at Bridging the Great American Divide 55:42

10M ago55:42

55:42

Most Americans support climate action, but you wouldn’t know it from Congress or the courts – or from most of the media. People on both the left and the right experience the same devastating floods, the same life-threatening heatwaves and the same catastrophic wildfires. Yet individuals tend to socialize within insulated political tribes, operate i…

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