Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Consumption-crazed baby boomers are leaving millennials and Generation Xers with a mountain of debt and a destabilized climate. In his new book, Bruce Gibney, a venture investor in PayPal, Facebook, Spotify, SpaceX and other tech companies, writes that boomers are a generation of sociopaths who betrayed America. According to Gibney, most climate deniers are aging boomers who won’t live to see the worst consequences of climate change. Therefore, they won’t pay to address these challenges. At the same time, some boomers feel guilty about the climate changes they are responsible for and are now striving for redemption. These boomers are attempting to use their wealth and knowledge to engage younger people in climate solutions. The conversation is a difficult one though, especially considering that many young people today know they are inheriting a darker future than the one their parents did. Join us for an intergenerational discussion about what you can do to make an impact—and how to persuade the climate doubters in your life.

For decades, the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival has served as the embodiment of the Bay Area’s cultural diversity and as a beacon for sustaining and celebrating world culture. The festival’s two artistic directors, Carlos Carvajal and C.K. Ladzekpo, as well as a festival veteran artist, Eric Solano, will discuss and showcase world dance forms sustained and performed in the Bay Area, providing participants with an intimate look at the festival’s performance series, which will be performed at the San Francisco Opera House for the first time. Parangal Dance Company is led by Eric Solano. The company’s hopes to honor Filipino heritage, presenting richly varied ethnic attire, music and inspired dances from different regions.

While some people may think of the golf industry as one of waste and excess, recent climate changes and resources have required golf course operators to rethink their strategy when it comes to golfing, natural resources and adjustments for changing golf courses and game environments. Join the operations team from the Presidio Golf Course as they discuss water conservation, sustainable environmental improvements and the model the Presidio Golf Course has created for current and future golfers, environments and the golfing industry.

In May 1997, the world watched as Garry Kasparov, the greatest chess player in the world, was defeated for the first time by the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue. Kasparov's competition symbolized man’s fight against machine, yet years after losing to Deep Blue, he has come to see how humans and machines can partner to reach results that neither can attain alone. Come join us for a conversation about what it was like to strategize against a supercomputer—and how a world increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence can potentially overcome new challenges.

Could China and the U.S. be headed towards war, or is there a way to avoid it? Graham Allison, former assistant secretary of defense, argues that if both the U.S. and China refuse to back down, a trade conflict, cyberattack or accident at sea could escalate into war. Join us for a conversation with Graham Allison about how Thucydides’ Trap, the inevitable contention between a rising power and an established one, is still relevant today.

Lick Observatory is a vibrant research facility and the primary base for the University of California’s astronomy education and public outreach efforts. Lick is also used to develop new technologies, such as laser guide star adaptive optics, that produce very clear images of celestial objects. This is your chance to learn about the exciting research and other activities being completed at Lick. This program is presented by Alex Filippenko, one of the world's most frequently cited astronomers

It's summertime, so let's kick off the new season with a free-for-members special edition of our Week to Week political roundtable. It's never a dull moment in politics these days, and we'll discuss the biggest, most controversial and sometimes the surprising political issues with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil and have a good sense of humor. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz!

In commemoration of Nancy Pelosi’s 30 years in Congress, join us for a conversation about where America has been and where it’s headed. What does the future hold for health care, jobs, the economy, infrastructure, the environment, women’s rights, immigration, national security and foreign policy? How will Democrats work with President Trump? Nancy Pelosi has led House Democrats for more than a dozen years and previously served as House Democratic whip. The Christian Science Monitor has called her “the most powerful woman in American politics.” Bring your questions.

When Californians think of Texas, images of JR Ewing and pump jacks quickly come to mind. But the Lone Star State is greener than you think. It leads the country in wind power thanks to a law signed by Governor George W. Bush. Texans also claim the state can comply with President Obama’s Clean Power Plan with technologies and policies already on hand. Ranchers and former oil men are dipping their toes into renewable energy. What else is in the clean energy pipeline? Join a conversation with Texas energy leaders about fossil fuels and renewables in America’s most prominent energy-exporting state.

Plastic is everywhere—in single and multiuse products and packaging. Almost all plastic ends its short, useable time in litter, waste, dumps, trash, rivers, oceans, soil or landfills. This ultimately leads to unhealthy plastic degradation and causes harm to environments throughout the world. Join us in this important discussion about Recology's mission to achieve the best and highest use of environmentally safe and healthy resources. Learn about Recology's challenges, work and research to create a practical system worldwide to reclaim, convert and remanufacture plastic particles and products into reusable, safe resources for healthy environments, people and populations.

We all love food, but Elisabeth Prueitt loves food. Whether she’s baking some of Bay Area’s favorite bread at Tartine or launching a new venture, the James Beard Award-winning pastry chef always brings the best to the table. Her Tartine Manufactory was recently short-listed for a 2017 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant (although we hear Prueitt is most excited about the soft-serve ice cream machines). Join Prueitt in conversation with other trailblazers in the Bay Area culinary world—such as Gabriela Cámara, owner and executive chef of ten restaurants (including the local Cala)—as they discuss effecting social change through food, creativity and entrepreneurship. Prueitt’s latest cookbook, Tartine All Day, makes her popular food and recipes accessible to the broader community, with a hands-on approach not always seen in a gadget-driven world. Come be inspired to cook, eat, and do better with Elisabeth Prueitt and friends. Premium tickets (limited availability) include a preprogram reception from 5:30–6:30 p.m. with special treats from Tartine and a brief appearance by chef Elisabeth Prueitt. Premium ticket holders will also receive a copy of Tartine All Day.

As CEO of YouTube, Susan Wojcicki oversees one of the world’s most popular digital video platforms—used by over a billion people worldwide. She spent the majority of her career at Google, where she headed the company’s marketing and advertising department and strengthened their commerce and monetization developments. What continues to drive her success as a leader and as an innovator? Wojcicki reflects on her experiences and addresses some of the challenges facing the tech industry in terms of culture, diversity, gender discrimination and transparency.

How did Donald Trump become president in an increasingly polarized America? Mugambi Jouet traces these intriguing social changes to American exceptionalism—an idea widely misunderstood as American superiority. While exceptionalism was once a source of strength, it may now spell decline, as unique features of U.S. history, politics, law, culture, religion and race relations foster grave social conflicts.

Fake News. Fake Facts. All knowing proclamations on social media. Are we at a point in history where expertise is meaningless? Prompted by this very concern, Tom Nichols wrote The Death of Expertise. Nichols says people are now exposed to more information than ever before. He says that these societal gains, however, have also helped fuel a surge in narcissistic and misguided intellectual egalitarianism that has crippled informed debates on any number of issues. Today, everyone knows everything: With only a quick trip through WebMD or Wikipedia, average citizens believe themselves to be on an equal intellectual footing with doctors and diplomats. All voices, even the most ridiculous, demand to be taken with equal seriousness, and any claim to the contrary is dismissed as elitism. Nichols is even more concerned that the current rejection of expertise and learning will threaten the survival of our democracy. What has caused this, and what can be done about it? Join us for a thought-provoking discussion.

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown will give his annual lecture on national and regional political trends. A two-term mayor of San Francisco and legendary speaker of the California State Assembly, Brown is widely regarded as one of the most influential African-American politicians of the late 20th century. He has been at the center of California politics, government and civic life for an astonishing four decades.