

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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May 31, 2024 • 55min
You Gonna Finish That? Saving Good Food from Going Bad
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 production contributes to the climate crisis. When food is wasted, it’s also a waste of land, water and energy.In this episode, we talk with experts about how to fix the broken system and hear from some of the people on the ground recovering food before it goes to waste. How can we address both climate and food insecurity at the same time? Guests:Dawn King, Senior Lecturer, Brown UniversityLisa Moon, CEO, The Global FoodBanking NetworkNorma Alonso, ABACO, Cooperation Manager James Leyson, Managing Director for Global Impact and Operations, Scholars of SustenanceThis episode also features a news story produced by Harvest Public Media contributor Peter Medlin, a reporter with WNIJ Northern Public Radio.It's time for our annual spring appeal! At Climate One, we believe in the power of open conversations to drive positive change. Through our thought-provoking discussions and interviews, we strive not only to raise awareness of climate issues and solutions, but to also empower individuals — like each of our valued listeners — to take tangible steps toward a more sustainable future. You can show your support for Climate One by contributing to our spring fundraising campaign.For show notes and related links, visit our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 24, 2024 • 54min
Staycation: All I Ever Wanted
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 detailed local map around his home. His new book “Local” is an ode to slowing down, as well as a rallying cry to protect the wild places on our doorstep.This episode also features field reporting from Producers Austin Colón and Megan Biscieglia.Guest: Alastair Humphreys, Author, adventurerIt's time for our annual spring appeal! At Climate One, we believe in the power of open conversations to drive positive change. Through our thought-provoking discussions and interviews, we strive not only to raise awareness of climate issues and solutions, but to also empower individuals — like each of our valued listeners — to take tangible steps toward a more sustainable future. You can show your support for Climate One by contributing to our spring fundraising campaign.For show notes and related links, visit our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 17, 2024 • 55min
Fighting Fossil Fuels in the Courts and on the Ballot
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, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law prohibiting such neighborhood wells. Then Big Oil bankrolled a referendum on the matter for the November 2024 ballot, putting the restrictions Cobo fought so hard for on hold.Also in California, State 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. This week we explore two methods of challenging fossil fuels: in the courts and on the ballot.Guests:Nalleli Cobo, Cofounder, People Not PozosRob Bonta, California Attorney GeneralIt's time for our annual spring appeal! At Climate One, we believe in the power of open conversations to drive positive change. Through our thought-provoking discussions and interviews, we strive not only to raise awareness of climate issues and solutions, but to also empower individuals — like each of our valued listeners — to take tangible steps toward a more sustainable future. You can show your support for Climate One by contributing to our spring fundraising campaign.For show notes and related links, visit our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 15, 2024 • 7min
Special: Remembering Pete McCloskey
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 - in the 1972 presidential primary because of the Vietnam War. He was the first member of Congress — from either party — to call for President Nixon’s resignation during the Watergate scandal. After he left public office in the 1980s, he continued to champion peace and environmental causes. About fifteen years ago, he became an early supporter of young people bringing climate cases into the courts. In 2011 he came on Climate One with other experts to discuss the first suits that young people filed alleging the US government has a responsibility to protect a healthy atmosphere for future generations. That effort laid the groundwork for the ongoing case Juliana vs. United States and another that was recently won in Montana.It's time for our annual spring appeal! At Climate One, we believe in the power of open conversations to drive positive change. Through our thought-provoking discussions and interviews, we strive not only to raise awareness of climate issues and solutions, but to also empower individuals — like each of our valued listeners — to take tangible steps toward a more sustainable future. You can show your support for Climate One by contributing to our spring fundraising campaign. For show notes and related links, visit our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 10, 2024 • 54min
Big Plastic: The New Big Oil
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 apart. Yet, as petrochemical companies pay lip service ending fuel production, they are pouring resources into plastics production. How do we wrap up our reliance on plastics?Guests: Diane Wilson, Founder and Director, San Antonio Bay WaterkeeperJane Patton, U.S. Fossil Economy Campaign Manager, Center for International Environmental Law Susannah Scott, Professor of Chemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara Alexis Jackson, Ocean Policy and Plastics Lead, California Chapter, The Nature Conservancy It's time for our annual spring appeal! At Climate One, we believe in the power of open conversations to drive positive change. Through our thought-provoking discussions and interviews, we strive not only to raise awareness of climate issues and solutions, but to also empower individuals — like each of our valued listeners — to take tangible steps toward a more sustainable future. You can show your support for Climate One by contributing to our spring fundraising campaign.For show notes and related links, visit our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 3, 2024 • 60min
When California Dreams Hit Political Reality
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.At the same time, the state is at increasing risk from severe wildfires, epic floods and other impacts worsened by burning fossil fuels. What can the nation learn from California’s attempts to mitigate climate disruption?Guests:Scott Wiener, California State SenatorNancy Skinner, California State SenatorLiane Randolph, Chair, California Air Resources BoardMari Rose Taruc, Energy Justice Director, California Environmental Justice AllianceEleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor, CaliforniaJennifer Barrera, President & CEO, California Chamber of CommerceIt's time for our annual spring appeal! At Climate One, we believe in the power of open conversations to drive positive change. Through our thought-provoking discussions and interviews, we strive not only to raise awareness of climate issues and solutions, but to also empower individuals — like each of our valued listeners — to take tangible steps toward a more sustainable future. You can show your support for Climate One by contributing to our spring fundraising campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 1, 2024 • 24min
SF Climate Week 2024: Are Businesses and Governments Measuring What Matters?
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 argues that when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, businesses need to get as good at accounting for their pollution as they are for their dollars.Guest:Alicia Seiger, Lecturer, Stanford Law SchoolIt's time for our annual spring appeal! At Climate One, we believe in the power of open conversations to drive positive change. Through our thought-provoking discussions and interviews, we strive not only to raise awareness of climate issues and solutions, but to also empower individuals — like each of our valued listeners — to take tangible steps toward a more sustainable future. You can show your support for Climate One by contributing to our spring fundraising campaign. For complete show notes, visit our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 1, 2024 • 18min
SF Climate Week 2024: Leading San Francisco in a Hot and Volatile World
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 three years ago. So what progress has been made? And what strategies are in place to get the city to its 2040 target?Guest:Tyrone Jue, Director of the San Francisco Environment DepartmentIt's time for our annual spring appeal! At Climate One, we believe in the power of open conversations to drive positive change. Through our thought-provoking discussions and interviews, we strive not only to raise awareness of climate issues and solutions, but to also empower individuals — like each of our valued listeners — to take tangible steps toward a more sustainable future. You can show your support for Climate One by contributing to our spring fundraising campaign. For complete show notes, visit our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 26, 2024 • 1h 9min
REWIND: Building a Better Battery Supply Chain with JB Straubel and Aimee Boulanger
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 recycling, for now that means a lot more mining. With the battery supply chain only growing more critical as the electric vehicle market matures, we’re revisiting this critical episode from last summer exploring how to build a battery supply chain that meets demand while reducing harm.Guests: JB Straubel, Founder and CEO, Redwood Materials Aimee Boulanger, Executive Director, Initiative for Responsible Mining AssuranceSupport 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. Support Climate One for just $5/month.For complete show notes, visit our website.This episode was underwritten by ClimateWorks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 24, 2024 • 21min
SF Climate Week 2024: Is California on Track for an Affordable and Just Energy Transition?
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 bear out — and worse, increase harm to communities of color and low-income households. What role should regulators and community advocates play in ensuring our clean energy transition remains equitable and on track? Guests:Liane M. Randolph, Chair, California Air Resources BoardMari Rose Taruc, Energy Justice Director, California Environmental Justice Alliance🎟️ There are limited tickets still available for Climate One's suite of SF Climate Week events this Thursday. See you soon!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. Join today for just $5/month.For show notes, visit our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


