

Climate One
Climate One from The Commonwealth Club
We’re living through a climate emergency; addressing this crisis begins by talking about it. Co-Hosts Greg Dalton, Ariana Brocious and Kousha Navidar bring you empowering conversations that connect all aspects of the challenge — the scary and the exciting, the individual and the systemic. Join us.Subscribe to Climate One on Patreon for access to ad-free episodes.
Episodes
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Oct 7, 2025 • 23min
Remembering Dr. Jane Goodall
Legendary primatologist Jane Goodall died on October 1. In a 2024 conversation on the Climate One stage with Co-Host Greg Dalton, the indefatigable Goodall was focused on three intertwined crises: biodiversity loss, climate change and environmental inequity. Her message from that night still resonates: Vote like your children’s lives depend on it — because they do.
Guests:
Jane Goodall, Ethologist, conservationist
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
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Oct 3, 2025 • 58min
Taylor Brorby and Suzie Hicks Tell The Stories We Don’t Always Hear
Finding one's voice in climate action can come in many forms. Author and activist Taylor Brorby grew up in Center, North Dakota as a fourth-generation member of a fossil-fuel family. He struggled to find his place as a young gay kid who loved art, music, nature and poetry. Over time, he turned that tension into writing that challenges the fossil fuel industry, makes space for others stuck in a broken system, and inspires a more just future.
Suzie Hicks felt the weight of climate concerns but after college, didn’t know what to do with those feelings. After doing an internship at the New England Aquarium, they realized they could merge their love of performing with a career focused on climate. With the help of a sunflower puppet named Sprout, Suzie created a children’s show that teaches kids about climate change through a frame of possibility and hope, not doom and gloom.
Guests:
Taylor Brorby, Activist, Author, “Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land”
Suzie Hicks, Climate Media Maker and Educator
– Intro
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
***
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Sep 26, 2025 • 1h 11min
Scientists Who Won’t Be Silenced
Within the federal government, science — especially climate science — has taken a beating. The Trump administration has moved from climate denial to climate erasure, firing thousands of career scientists across departments, rolling back established landmark protections, and undermining its own authority to regulate pollutants like carbon emissions. Even at the UN General Assembly, Trump referred to green energy as a “scam” and said climate science came from “stupid people.”
But climate scientists aren’t all taking it lying down. From former EPA researchers to independent academics, many are heroically maintaining open-access databases and continuing fundamental research like the National Climate Assessment without the administration’s blessing.
Guests:
Brandon Jones, President, American Geophysical Union
Wes Ingwersen, Lead, Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative
Rachel Cleetus, Senior Policy Director, Climate and Energy, Union of Concerned Scientists
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
Episode Highlights:
00:00 - Introduction
3:23 - Brandon Jones on how the Trump administration has treated science
6:35 - Brandon Jones on what’s next for scientists who were laid off
10:58 - Brandon Jones on continuing to collect climate data
13:18 - Wes Ingwersen on the creation of USEEIO
22:24 - Wes Ingwersen on how EPA changed when Lee Zeldin took over
31:24 - Wes Ingwersen on when EPA employees decided to speak out
37:31 - Wes Ingwersen on taking his work to Stanford
42:28 - Rachel Cleetus on DOE climate report
51:27 - Rachel Cleetus on agency staff cuts
60:40 - Rachel Cleetus on how the scientific community is responding
***
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Sep 19, 2025 • 57min
Policy Whiplash: Checking In With Labor Unions
The past few years have seen a seismic shift in energy and industrial policy in the United States. Under Biden, laws like the Inflation Reduction Act led to money pouring into clean energy manufacturing and deployment. The Trump administration has reversed course, cutting off incentives in instituting massive tariffs.
As a result, entire clean energy projects have been put on hold or even canceled. Workers who were counting on those projects now face an uncertain future. This situation forces tough questions for unions: Where do they go from here?
Guests:
Roxanne Brown, Vice President at Large, United Steelworkers
Lee Anderson, Director of Governmental Affairs, Utility Workers Union of America
Lara Skinner, Executive Director, Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University
Episode Highlights:
00:00 Intro
3:46 Roxanne Brown on the origins of USW’s environmental advocacy
5:50 Roxanne Brown on the effects of climate workers are feeling today
14:25 Roxanne Brown on how energy policy has affected USW members
18:45 Roxanne Brown on climate messaging within USW
24:16 Lee Anderson on the jobs of utility workers
25:41 Lee Anderson on how climate has affected the safety of workers
30:54 Lee Anderson on UWUA’s input on current federal policy
40:15 Lara Skinner on what sparked a worker centered agenda on climate policy
42:36 Lara Skinner on the ups and downs of Climate Jobs New York’s work
48:57 Lara Skinner on creating state based coalitions
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
***
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Sep 12, 2025 • 1h 6min
Gloria Walton and Wawa Gatheru Believe in Grassroots Change, Not Just Charity
Those standing up to climate and environmental injustice face challenges they weren’t seeing a year ago. But Gloria Walton, head of The Solutions Project, sees a bigger picture:
"The reality is that the same systems that created the climate crisis, whether that's colonialism, white supremacy, racism, and the patriarchy, those are the same ones that have harmed communities of color for generations,” she says. Her organization has channeled tens of millions of philanthropic dollars to grassroots efforts that build community resilience.
Black Girl Environmentalist founder Wawa Gatheru is helping more Black girls, women, and gender-expansive people enter and lead in the climate space. She says the climate fight has shifted from education to action, with over 70% of Americans now understanding that climate change is real. So what should this 'action phase' look like?
Guests:
Gloria Walton, President & CEO, The Solutions Project
Wawa Gatheru, Founder & Executive Director, Black Girl Environmentalist
Highlights:
00:00 – Intro
05:30 – Gloria Walton on the impact of the Altadena wildfires
10:30 – Walton’s work as an organizer in South Central LA
13:00 – Living with idea of abundance
19:00 – Finding and keeping your individual power within our democracy
21:00 – Work of West Street Recovery Project in Houston
22:30 – Developing local resilience hubs
24:00 – Reframing frontline communities as victors, not victims
27:00 – Channeling philanthropy to climate resilience and frontline communities
36:00 – Story of Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai
42:00 – Wawa Gatheru’s start in climate and environmental advocacy
44:00 – Not seeing herself in climate spaces
48:00 – Climate storytelling can offer nuance and move people
55:00 – Work and growth of Black Girl Environmentalist organization
59:00 – Climate One More Thing
For show notes and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts
Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.
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Sep 5, 2025 • 58min
How Students and Teachers Are Talking About Climate
Students are heading back to school, and in addition to all of the usual challenges of the school year, some children are carrying an extra weight: climate anxiety. Teachers are also swimming in tricky waters as conversations around the climate crisis — and renewable energy — become more polarized.
Yet there are educators who have worked to create resources for students and teachers, to help bring climate education into the classroom. The question is: How can schools, parents and teachers better help young people navigate the ideas and feelings around a warming planet?
Guests:
Margaret Wang-Aghania, Executive Director and Co-Founder, SubjectToClimate
Robin Cooper, Co-Founder and President, Climate Psychiatry Alliance
Melissa Lau, High School Environmental Science Teacher, Piedmont, Oklahoma
Leah Christenson, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; Vice President, Piedmont High School Green Team
Alyson Dennie, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; President Piedmont High School Green Team
This episode features a field piece by Mary Catherine O'Connor, who originally reported the story for KALW Public Media.
Highlights:
00:00 - Intro
3:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on her aha moment
5:42 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on how lessons get developed
12:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on teacher development
15:00 - Alyson Dennie and Leah Christenson on their climate related feelings
17:10 - Robin Cooper on how the emotions young people face because of climate
24:17 - Robin Cooper on how the moment the guides her thinking
26:52 - Robin Cooper on how to know if a young person is dealing with climate anxiety
33:34 - Mary Catherine O'Connor’s Piece on Electric Buses in Oakland
40:05 - Melissa Lau on the arctic trip that changed her life
44:33 - Melissa Lau on not being shy about teaching climate
48:35 - Melissa Lau on the importance of relationship building
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
***
Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.
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Sep 3, 2025 • 16min
Nathaniel Stinnett: Climate Disruption Is a Homicide, Not a Suicide (Bonus Episode)
According to one recent survey, Americans think about climate change more than abortion, immigration, or gun violence. And yet, while they care deeply about the issue, they don’t see it as a political issue. When asked by the Environmental Voter Project what actions should be taken to rein in climate disruption, those surveyed suggest taking small, personal steps, like recycling, over broader, political action, as they do with other top-of-mind issues.
Where does this disconnect come from? And what will it take to shift the narrative from the personal to the political?
Guest:
Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder and Executive Director, Environmental Voter Project
Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.
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Aug 29, 2025 • 1h 1min
Small Dollar, Big Impact
The climate doesn’t care where emissions cuts come from; what matters is that the world transitions to renewable energy quickly and cheaply. If it’s significantly cheaper to install solar panels in India than on a rooftop in California, then isn’t that where they should be built? Similarly, transferring money directly to local people with the greatest stake in preserving their land can have outsized impact in conservation. Where does a climate dollar go furthest?
Guests:
Kinari Webb, Founder, Health in Harmony
Premal Shah, Founder, kiva.org, renewables.org
Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder and Executive Director, Environmental Voter Project
Highlights:
00:00 – Intro
04:30 – Origins of Kinari Webb’s nonprofit Health in Harmony
09:00 – Rainforests as lungs and heart of the planet
12:00 – Radical listening to communities about what they need
15:00 – Positive outcomes from responding to community needs directly
18:00 – Webb’s near-death experience from a jellyfish sting
22:00 – Rainforest conservation as a giant climate lever
29:00 – Premal Shah describes how he came to create Kiva.org
32:00 – How Kiva.org works
35:30 – Thought experiment from moral philosopher Peter Singer
38:40 – Kiva tries to reframe stories of poverty as stories of entrepreneurship
41:00 – Applying crowdfunded microfinance model to renewable energy
46:00 – Idea of “effective altruism”
49:30 – Nathaniel Stinnett: we’ve been taught to blame ourselves for the climate crisis
53:00 – How to shift public actions to make climate more political
For show notes and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts
***
Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.
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Aug 22, 2025 • 56min
Batteries Now Included
The Trump administration has taken aim at green energy, but one technology has largely been left untouched: batteries to store wind and solar electricity. California alone surpassed 13GW of battery storage last year, and Texas has become the fastest growing market for the technology. But producing batteries isn’t without its downsides, especially when it comes to mining the necessary raw materials. The upside is that those materials can be recycled and reused. If the recycling technology can reach scale and price targets, the environmental impact would drop significantly. And spent EV batteries could become a grid scale storage site even without breaking down the battery packs. How soon before renewables plus batteries can power our grid 24/7?
This episode features a reported piece by Camila Domonoske that was originally broadcast on NPR’s All Things Considered on July 10, 2024
Guests:
Julian Spector, Senior Reporter, Canary Media
David Klanecky, President, Cirba Solutions
Sheila Davis, EV Battery Waste Strategist, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives
4:08 - Julian Spector on what grid scale battery instillations look like
7:43 - Julian Spector on the success of battery deployment in 2024
14:14 - Julian Spector on the impacts of Trump’s new budget law
20:06 - Julian Spector on the outlook for battery storage in the next decade
24:09 - Reported piece on Ascend by Camila Domonoske
28:43 - David Klanecky on the battery recycling process
36:21 - David Klanecky on competing with China
41:45 - Sheila Davis on the biggest concerns about battery production
44:56 - Sheila Davis on some of the risks posed by battery storage facilities
47:13 - Sheila Davis on the risk a battery recycling facility posed in New YorkFor show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.
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Aug 15, 2025 • 56min
Cause of Death: Air Pollution
In 2013, 9-year-old Ella Roberta died from a severe asthma attack. She became the first person in the United Kingdom (and possibly the world) to have “air pollution” listed as the cause of death on her death certificate. Her mother, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, founded the Ella Roberta Foundation and has become a global voice for clean air.
Globally, the World Health Organization says that air pollution is associated with 6 to 7 million premature deaths every year. Addressing the cause of these deaths would also go a long way to addressing climate disruption. And since talking about climate has become so politically fraught, should we reframe the conversation to focus on taking care of our air?
Guests:
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, Founder, Ella Roberta Foundation
Sheila Watson, Deputy Director, FIA Foundation
Susan Joy Hassol, Director, Climate Communication
Highlights:
(00:00) Intro
(03:00) Rosamund shares details of Ella’s young life and her early asthma attacks
(08:00) Ella becomes first person to have “air pollution” listed as cause of death
(13:00) Rosamund’s work sharing Ella’s story and raising awareness about air pollution
(20:30) How poisonous transportation emissions are and policy tools to reduce them
(26:00) Economic development does not need to sit contrary to healthy air
(27:00) Dieselgate and the work of the True Real Urban Emissions initiative
(31:00) Extreme heat can make air pollution more deadly
(37:00) Why we shouldn’t use the term "climate change”
(43:00) Finding ways to connect with people on climate based on their priorities
(49:00) How to convey the seriousness of climate threats while also empowering people to feel that they can make a difference
(52:30) Climate One More Thing
For show notes and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts
Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.
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