Biotechnology promises weed-resistant crops, bigger yields, more food for a growing population. But are genetically modified fruits and vegetables safe? Are they healthy? “Man has been improving crops from the beginning of time, whether it’s the tomato or the corn or all of our fresh fruits and vegetables,” says Robert Fraley of Monsanto. “There’s a whole set of tools that we’re going to need to be able to meet the challenge of food production for the future.” “This is about chemical companies selling chemicals,” says Andrew Kimbrell of the Center for Food Safety. “It’s not about feeding the earth. We have yet to see a GMO crop that has greater yield, that does anything about malnutrition, about a better taste, a lower cost.” In the face of climate change and its agricultural challenges, is biotechnology the answer? Should we be working to strengthen the world’s rural farming communities? Or is there a sustainable balance between Big Ag and the family farm? This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on June 11, 2014. Robert Fraley, Chief Technology Officer, Monsanto Company Nathanael Johnson, Food Writer, Grist; Author, All Natural: A Skeptic’s Quest to Discover If the Natural Approach to Diet, Childbirth, Healing, and the Environment Really Keeps Us Healthier and Happier (Rodale, 2013) Andrew Kimbrell, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Food Safety Jessica Lundberg, Seed Nursery Manager, Lundberg Family Farms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The way we think influences what we think about wild weather. The human brain shapes how we see the risks of fossil fueled storms and the opportunities of clean energy. Our next program looks at the stories we tell ourselves – and each other. And how these stories can protect the climate and the economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jane Lubchenco oversaw NOAA during the worst 4-year weather period in U.S. history. What can we do to predict – or mitigate – future weather disasters? Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. Ecology, Harvard; Former Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Former President of American Academy of Arts and Sciences Alex Bakir, Director of Business Development, Planet Labs This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on December 16, 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you believe in climate denial? According to climate scientists, it’s all around us. How can scientists learn to communicate to a skeptical public? Naomi Oreskes, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard; Co-Author, Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco to Global Warming (Bloomsbury Press, 2011) Joe Romm, Founding Editor, Climate Progress; Author, Language Intelligence: Lessons on Persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga (CreateSpace, 2012) Eugenie Scott, Chair, National Center for Science Education This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on December 16, 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Companies big and small are conjuring up new technologies, production methods and delivery systems to capitalize on the trend towards a green economy. Greg Dalton, Founder and Host, Climate One David Crane, CEO, NRG Energy, Inc. Katie Fehrenbacher, Reporter, GigaOm.com Adam Lowry, Co-Founder and Chief Greenskeeper, Method Products PBC Arun Majumdar, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University; former Vice President for Energy, Google This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on September 15, 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The way we think influences what we think about wild weather. The human brain shapes how we see the risks of fossil fueled storms and the opportunities of clean energy. Our next program looks at the stories we tell ourselves – and each other. And how these stories can protect the climate and the economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coffee, beer and chocolate – oh my! How is global warming affecting our beloved guilty pleasures? Can growers and producers adapt to a changing climate? Ken Grossman, Co-Founder & CEO, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Paul Katzeff, Founder & CEO, Thanksgiving Coffee Company Brad Kintzer, Chief Chocolate Maker, TCHO Chocolate This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on November 20, 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite abundant evidence that climate change threatens our planet, public concern is on the decline. How do we foster awareness of the imminent danger? Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology, UC Berkeley George Marshall, Author, Don’t Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change (Bloomsbury USA, 2014) Greg Dalton, Host and Founder, Climate One – Moderator This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on September 12, 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The amount of food needed to feed the earth’s growing population is expected to double by mid-century. How will we manage the world’s food supply? Karen Ross, California Secretary of Food and Agriculture; former Deputy US Secretary of Agriculture Jonathan Foley, Executive Director, California Academy of Sciences Helene York, Director, Google Global Accounts at Bon Appétit Management Company This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on November 28, 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By land, by sea or via the Keystone Pipeline, Canadian oil is coming to satisfy our energy thirst. But is our need for fossil fuel a foregone conclusion? David Baker, Energy Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle John Cushman, Author, Keystone and Beyond: Tar Sands and the National Interest in the Era of Climate Change (Inside Climate News, 2014); former New York Times reporter Dan Matross, Trade Commissioner on Science and Sustainable Technologies at the Consulate General of Canada This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on October 30, 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices