Climate One

Twenty years ago, Julia Roberts won an Oscar for her portrayal of maverick environmental activist Erin Brockovich in the film of the same name. These days, in addition to her work on water safety and toxins in communities, Brockovich has taken on the climate emergency. “Climate change is about too much water, not enough water, no water, drought, flooding,” Brockovich says. “I think it's becoming real because it's tangible, it's touchable. You're running from it, you’re breathing it. You're swimming in it. You could be drowning in it. I just think it's here.” Superman’s not coming to protect our water or environment, writes Brockovich in her latest book — and neither are corporations, politicians or the “gutted” EPA. “Climate change will be about our response, our preparedness, our defending ourselves,” Brockovich maintains. “And not just thinking that because you can’t see it, it’s not going to happen.” An unfiltered conversation with an environmental icon. Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Erin Brockovich, Author, Superman's Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What We the People Can Do About It (Pantheon, 2020) This interview was recorded via video on September 11, 2020

From pipelines to clean power, the world’s biggest economies are brokering developments in oil, gas, and renewables that will shape climate and politics for years to come. But COVID, plummeting oil prices, and expectations for diversity and sustainability are changing the way successful industries must do business. “This isn't about supply and demand, this is about the economies being open or closed,” says Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel Yergn. Will the pursuit of energy and economic efficiency help solve our global dependence on fossil fuels — or leave many societies behind? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Daniel Yergin, Author, The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations Roger Martin, Author, When More is Not Better: Overcoming America’s Obsession with Economic Efficiency This program was recorded on August 24 and September 14, 2020.

Wildfires are nothing new – they’ve been part of the west’s ecology for millennia. But burning fossil fuels and suppressing the burning of forests over the past century have led to larger, more frequent and ever-more catastrophic wildfires. And burning trees release carbon dioxide. California’s fires now are so big and fierce that they threaten to erase the state’s progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And even for those miles from the flames, the smoke from raging wildfires presents an extra danger in the age of coronavirus. "How and when exposure to wildfire smoke increases the likelihood of infection with COVID-19, we’re still trying to figure that out," says Vin Gupta of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. "But there is a clear symmetry between exposure and the likelihood of infection." Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Part 1: Wade Crowfoot, California Secretary of Natural Resources Julie Cart, Reporter, CalMatters Part 2: Leroy Westerling, Professor of Management of Complex Systems, University of California Merced Part 3: Vin Gupta, Affiliate Assistant Professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington Additional speaker: Lenya Quinn-Davidson, Director of the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council. This episode was recorded in August 2020.

The cost and health burdens of electricity production have long been higher for low-income communities of color than for wealthy white ones. But for many of those communities the fossil fuel industry is also a source of jobs, tax dollars, and cheap energy. “It makes it difficult for anyone to speak out against the hand that’s feeding them,” says Ivan Penn, Alternative Energy Reporter for the New York Times. “The NAACP would typically support the positions of the utility companies.” So is the industry an example of community leadership, manipulative greenwashing — or something in between? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Speakers: Derrick Hollie, President, Reaching America Jacqueline Patterson, Director, NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program Ivan Penn, Alternative Energy Reporter, The New York Times Vien Truong, Climate Justice Director, Tom Steyer PAC Additional Speaker: Andres Soto, Richmond Community Organizer, Communities for a Better Environment This program was recorded via video on August 11, 2020.

Can art help us process our changing climate? The story of climate change is typically told in the language of facts and figures, graphs and charts. But through dance, music, sculpture and other media, artists can reach people on a deeper and more emotional level, designing cultural moments that can bring us together - and bring us to tears. Choreographer Alonzo King sees the union of art and science as the perfect balancing act. “There is nothing that exists that you can create that does not have science -- it's impossible,” says King. “There's nothing that doesn't have music. It's impossible.” A conversation about art, beauty and humanity in the age of climate disruption. Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Alonzo King, Choreographer and Founder, LINES Ballet Nora Lawrence, Senior Curator, Storm King Art Center Additional Speaker: Adam Schoenberg, Composer This program was generously underwritten by the Sidney E. Frank Foundation and was recorded via video on August 6, 2020.

Coronavirus outbreaks in food markets, food plants, and farmworker communities have impacted food access and put a spotlight on food insecurity. Farmers are hurting as supply chains for fresh, perishable foods shrivel, while food banks have seen a surge in demand that has required distribution support from the National Guard. “Farmers saw a lot of increased demand direct to consumer, which requires extra labor, extra packaging -- just so much time essentially creating a whole new business model,” says Lisa Held, Senior Reporter with Civil Eats. Will COVID-19 change our food system for good? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Lisa Held, Senior Policy Reporter, Civil Eats Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture Helene York, Professor, Food Business School, Culinary Institute of America Additional speakers: Shay Myers, CEO, Owyhee Produce Gabriel Morales, Program Director, Brandworkers This program was recorded via video on July 30, 2020.

Miami may be the poster child of rising waters in the U.S., but further inland, states are grappling with torrential flooding that is becoming the new norm. The Great Flood of 2019 caused destroyed acres of farmland and caused billions in damage throughout the Midwest. And scientists predict that there’s more climate-related precipitation to come. What does that mean for America’s aging infrastructure? “It’s absolutely going to fail for future climate events,” warns Martha Shulski of the Nebraska State Climate Office. “If you're not planning for the climate of 2040 or 2060 then there's going to be failure. There's going to be impacts in a very extreme way perhaps.” What happens when there is too much water — or not enough? “The problem with water is we treat it as if it’s, you know, inexhaustible,” says Betsy Otto, Global Water Director at the World Resources Institute. How are companies and communities planning for a future of water saturation and scarcity? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Julia Kumari Drapkin, CEO and Founder, ISeeChange Ed Kearns, Chief Data Officer, First Street Foundation Martha Shulski, Director, Nebraska State Climate Office; Nebraska State Climatologist Betsy Otto, Global Water Director, World Resources Institute Additional interview: Jack Mulliken, farmer in Northeast Nebraska This program was recorded on July 28 and August 4, 2020, and is generously underwritten by the Water Foundation.

Long before the coronavirus began disrupting America’s trillion-dollar meat industry, lab-grown proteins were upending the way we consume chicken, pork, and beef. With an environmental footprint far smaller than traditional animal agriculture, are cell-cultured and plant-based meat products — now on the menus of major chains like Burger King — still the future of food? "While no one should reasonably be expected to eat a thousand dollar, million dollar burger, so too should we really be questioning the concept of a dollar burger," says Sophie Egan, author of How to Be a Conscious Eater: Making Food Choices That Are Good for You, Others, and the Planet. Will food science and tech help us make better-informed decisions for our bodies and the planet, or do we need to get back to basics? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Sophie Egan, Author, How to Be a Conscious Eater: Making Food Choices That Are Good for You, Others, and the Planet Chase Purdy, Author, Billion Dollar Burger: Inside Big Tech’s Race for the Future of Food Additional Speaker: Riana Lynn, CEO of Journey Foods This program was recorded via video on July 9, 2020.

Science has given us a realistic picture of what Earth will look like with unmitigated climate change: increased extreme weather events, crippled economies, and a world where those with the least are the hardest hit. By creating community and sharing feelings of fear and determination, “you can rely on each other and feed off each other…having an ecosystem of all these different people and entities and organizations that are involved in this great transformation effort is so critical,” says Project Drawdown VP Katharine Wilkinson. What would a radically re-envisioned future look like? What solutions do we need to replace tomorrow’s doom-and-gloom projections with thriving equitable cities, renewed political consciousness and carbon-free economies? A conversation on reimagining our role in creating climate solutions. Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Eric Holthaus, Author, The Future Earth: A Radical Vision for What's Possible in the Age of Warming (HarperOne, 2020) Katharine Wilkinson, Vice President, Project Drawdown Additional Speaker: Michael Méndez, assistant professor of environmental planning and policy at the University of California, Irvine This program was recorded via video on July 21, 2020.

For many of us, the story of the American wilderness begins when Europeans arrived on these shores and began conquering it. The wide open spaces of the American West loom large in our country’s mythology. But what often gets written out is the history and culture of those native societies who were here to begin with - and whose relationship to this land is very different. In some places like Jackson Hole, Wyoming, one-percenters contribute generously to preserve and protect the pristine wilderness they love, while the people who work for them are often struggling, working two or three jobs. “The idea of ...giving your time and philanthropy to protect nature is through this elite sort of white lens that can be based on, you know, this romanticized view of nature,” Farrell says. “And a nature that for example for Yellowstone had to remove certain people to create that Eden.” How are public and private land interests competing in the American West? Can conservation and recreation coalesce in a way that is inclusive of all communities? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Dina Gilio-Whitaker, American Indian Studies Lecturer, California State University San Marcos Justin Farrell, Author, Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West (Princeton University Press, 2020) Diane Regas, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Trust for Public Land Additional interview: Jessica Newton, Founder, Vibe Tribe Adventures This program was recorded via video on July 7, 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to cut U.S. carbon emissions by 7.5% in 2020 — exactly the rate needed globally to meet the climate goals outlined in the Paris Agreement. Can other major economies like China and Europe make plans to decarbonize at the same rate without throwing their economies over a cliff? What happens when the world’s top clean energy exporters are also the top greenhouse gas emitters? With post-COVID economic recovery plans taking precedence, will the transition to a clean economy be pushed to the back burner? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests (in order of appearance): John Kerry, Former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Justin Wu, Head of Asia-Pacific, Bloomberg NEF David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University Julia Poliscanova, Senior Director of Vehicles & E-mobility, Transport & Environment Lisa Fischer, Senior Policy Advisor, E3G This program was recorded between April 21 and June 26, 2020.

Racism, police and the pandemic are dominating hearts and headlines, but will they translate to votes in national and regional elections? One study found wavering Trump voters rank immigration and climate change as top reasons for a possible vote change, but it’s unclear if that will materialize. Other studies contend climate doesn’t even rank on the minds of swing voters. Young, liberal Americans are leading the charge on climate, but Bernie Sanders learned they are more likely to protest than vote. What issues are top of mind for Obama-Trump voters in swing states? How will the Coronavirus and racial justice crises of 2020 impact voters this cycle? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Tiffany Cross, Co-Founder, The Beat DC; Author, Say It Louder! Black Voters, White Narratives, and Saving Our Democracy Rich Thau, President & Co-founder, Engagious Rick Wilson, Republican Political Strategist This program was recorded via video on June 23, 2020

The national uprising ignited by the murder of George Floyd has cast a spotlight on the country’s embedded, institutional racism, including the fraught relationship between environmentalism and communities of color. Air pollution, severe weather and the economic upheaval brought on by climate change impacts black and minority communities first and worst, yet their voices are often left out of policy responses and market solutions. How can we amplify and advocate for leaders of color in the fight against climate change? What can allies do to create a green movement that is inclusive and actively anti-racist? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Mustafa Santiago Ali, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization, National Wildlife Federation Glynda Carr, CEO and Co-Founder, Higher Heights for America Robert Bullard, Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy, Texas Southern University This program was recorded via video on June 11, 2020 This program was recorded via video on June 11, 2020

Expanding oil extraction and clean energy, supporting capitalism while fighting climate change: can humans ever really have it all? In their new books, authors Hope Jahren and Rebecca Henderson explore how a healthy climate might coexist with a consumption-driven economy — and what we need to change to get the best of both worlds. Meanwhile, is Norway the perfect example of having it all — or just a walking contradiction? Like “a drug dealer who doesn’t use its own product”, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is the largest in the world, supported exclusively by petroleum revenues. As they continue to explore new avenues for drilling, the country has also moved away from using the fossil fuels they produce, electrifying their economy and leading in climate friendly technologies. Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests (Part 1): Hope Jahren, Researcher, Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics, University of Oslo Rebecca Henderson, John and Natty McArthur University Professor, Harvard University Guests (Part 2): Richard Milne, Nordic and Baltic Correspondent, The Financial Times Sveinung Rotevatn, Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment Part 1 of this program was recorded on April 7, 2020. Part 2 of this program was recorded on May 25, 2020.

As the global population approaches eight billion, humans continue to test the number of bodies that can fit onto a planet of finite resources. Empowering women through access to education and family planning may be at the core of establishing a healthy population balance, not just for the planet’s sake, but for ours. So why aren’t we talking about it more? How big a role can gender equity play in reducing our global carbon footprint — and who gets to decide? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Musimbi Kanyoro, Former President & CEO, Global Fund for Women; Chair of the Board, United World Colleges Ertharin Cousin, Visiting Scholar, Stanford Center on Food Security and the Environment; Former Director, World Food Programme Corrine Sanchez, Executive Director, Tewa Women United Additional Interview: Evelyne Ajwang, Programme Manager MNCH/FP at Pathfinder International This program was recorded via video on May 21, 2020.