Climate One

Over a century ago, the industrial revolution brought wealth and opportunity to a generation of American innovators. It also brought us dirty coal power and a sky clogged with carbon emissions. The good news? There’s a new generation of entrepreneurs eager to make their fortune by fighting global warming. Creative start-ups are coming up with fresh, climate-friendly ideas for getting around town, powering your cell phones, and even eating breakfast. And there is a growing number of forward-thinking venture capitalist firms eager to seek out and nurture those innovative thinkers. A discussion about clean tech startups and how they could help save the world. Guests: Lidiya Dervisheva, Associate, G2VP Davida Herzl, CEO and Co-Founder, Aclima Gabriel Kra, Managing Director, Prelude Ventures This program was recorded live at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on May 14, 2018. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In June 2017, President Trump announced his plan to withdraw the country from the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, claiming it disadvantaged the United States. The symbolism of the American government’s retreat overshadowed the reality that the U.S. business community has embraced a low-carbon future. “We committed under Paris to do nothing we weren’t gonna do anyway and that we aren’t doing anyway,” says former Sierra Club chairman Carl Pope. Many countries have also reaffirmed their commitments to the Paris agreement. But how much progress has really been made, both at home and abroad? Guests: Gil Duran, Former Spokesman for Gov. Jerry Brown and Sen. Dianne Feinstein Bill Hare, Founder and CEO, Climate Analytics Amy Myers Jaffe, Executive Director, Energy and Sustainability, UC Davis Graduate School of Management Carl Pope Former Executive Director, Sierra Club Jim Sweeney, Director, Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, Stanford University Portions of this program were recorded at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate change isn’t just an environmental problem – it’s also a health hazard. Air pollution and changing weather patterns give rise to heat-related illnesses, asthma and allergic disorders. Disasters like Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irma leave hospitals scrambling to save patients without power and resources. According to the Centers for Disease Control, insect-borne diseases have tripled in the United States in recent years – and warmer weather is largely to blame. Guests: Jonathan Patz, Director, Global Health Institute Su Rynard, Filmmaker, Mosquito Chuck Yarling, Engineer, Triathlete Jessica Wolff, U.S. Director of Climate and Health, Health Care Without Harm This program was recorded at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The scientific consensus is that human activity is cooking the planet and disrupting our economies. Yet many people still don’t believe that climate change will affect them personally, or they deny the urgency of the problem. Can better communication help sell the science of climate change? “Only the repetition of simple messages changes public opinion and affects the brain,” says David Fenton, a four-decade veteran of PR campaigns for the environment, public health and human rights. “If you are not using effective messages that you repeat, repeat, repeat and are simple, then you get nowhere.” Guests: David Fenton, Founder and Chairman, Fenton Communications Renee Lertzman, Climate Engagement Strategist, Author and Speaker Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Meteorology, Penn State University Cristine Russell, Freelance Science Journalist Portions of this program were recorded at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1968, the best-seller “The Population Bomb,” written by Paul and Anne Ehrlich (but credited solely to Paul) warned of the perils of overpopulation: mass starvation, societal upheaval, environmental deterioration. The book was criticized at the time for painting an overly dark picture of the future. But while not all of the Ehrlich’s dire predictions have come to pass, the world’s population has doubled since then, to over seven billion, straining the planet’s resources and heating up our climate. Can the earth continue to support an ever-increasing number of humans? On its 50th anniversary, we revisit “The Population Bomb” with Paul Ehrlich. Guest: Paul R. Ehrlich, President, Center for Conservation Biology, Bing Professor of Population Studies, Stanford University; co-author, “The Population Bomb” (Ballantine, 1968) This program was recorded at Stanford University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an emergency, we’re told to “break the glass” and grab the fire extinguisher. If we’re in the midst of a climate emergency, is there a firehose we could spray into the sky to cool down our atmosphere? It may sound like science fiction, but some climatologists endorse research into such techniques known as geo-engineering. But could tinkering with the stratosphere in this way lead to a new ice age – or worse? What group of people could be trusted with such God-like powers? Join us for a discussion of the scientific, moral, economic and technological dimensions of geo-engineering. This program was recorded live at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the planet gets hotter, it’s affecting many of the foods we love – when and where they’re grown, how they get to the grocery store and how much we pay for them. On today’s program, we’ll talk about migrating crops, shrinking grasslands, and how food producers and restaurants are using technology to better predict and adapt to the new food normal. Ashley Allen, Senior Manager, Climate and Land, Mars Corporation Jason Clay, Senior Vice President, Food & Markets; Executive Director, Markets Institute, World Wildlife Fund Annie Cull, Director of Communications, The Good Food Institute Portions of this program were recorded live at Duke University in Durham, NC on March 22, 2018 and at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Volkswagen’s brazen cheating on air pollution rules rocked an industry with a history of skulduggery. The scandal has now cost the company $30 billion plus jail time for one. Furthering chaos in the auto industry is a Trump administration looking to roll back emissions standards while California and 12 additional states, making up 36% of the auto market, threaten to maintain theirs. Alberto Ayala, Air Pollution Control Officer, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District Edward Niedermeyer, Auto Industry Analyst and Commentator, Autonocast Margo T. Oge Former Director, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, U.S. EPA This program was recorded live at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on March 27, 2018 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve all heard that hopping on a plane is one of the worst things we can do for the climate. So how do we justify the environmental costs of world travel? Whether we’re scaling Mount Everest or diving with sea turtles in the Galapagos Islands, it’s important to tread lightly – and respectfully – on every corner of our planet. And ideally, use the experience to make the world a better place. Three veterans of adventure and eco travel talk about doing just that. Join us for a conversation about traveling mindfully and responsibly. Jennifer Palmer, Founder, Women for Wildlife James Sano, Vice President for Travel, Tourism and Conservation, World Wildlife Fund Norbu Tenzing, Vice President, American Himalayan Foundation This program was recorded live at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on March 19, 2018 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her book “Dark Money: the Hidden History Behind the Rise of the Radical Right,” New Yorker writer Jane Mayer exposes the powerful group of individuals who bankroll our political system. Mayer traces the billions of dollars spent by the Kochs, the Mercers, and other wealthy conservative activists to influence policies related to climate change, the economy and more. And as the Trump administration rolls back regulations, the head of the US Chemical Safety Board, Vanessa Sutherland, wonders how much these billionaires will succeed in weakening government oversight of their business. Jane Mayer, Author, "Dark Money: The Hidden History Behind the Rise of the Radical Right" Vanessa Sutherland, Chairperson, US Chemical Safety Board Portions of this program were recorded at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, CA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices