Climate One

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.

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

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

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.

Tech companies are cleaning up their data centers and building shiny new buildings that sip water and energy. But are they really as green as they claim? Many companies issued statements in support of the Paris climate agreement, but their actions will be more important than their statements. According to guest Aron Cramer from BSR, the way we measure how green companies are needs an update. “Companies should be judged not only on what they do, which is more traditional,” Cramer says, “but also what they enable through their partnerships and what kinds of policy frameworks they seek to create.” Lynette Cameron, Vice President of Sustainability at Autodesk Aron Cramer, President and CEO, Business for Social Responsibility Patrick Flynn, Senior Director of Sustainability, Salesforce This program was recorded live at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on March 6, 2018.

Executive Committeewoman of Democratic National Committee Christine Pelosi, as well as staunch Trump supporter and clean energy advocate, Debbie Dooley, join Climate One for a discussion about the politics of energy more than a year into the Trump presidency. Reviving fossil fuels and rolling back action on climate change has arguably been one area where his agenda has achieved the most traction. Debbie Dooley, President, Conservatives for Energy Freedom, Co-Founder, Tea Party Movement Christine Pelosi, Executive Committeewoman, Democratic National Committee This program was recorded live at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on March 1, 2018.

When the U.S slapped 30 percent tariffs on imported solar panels, headlines heralded bad times ahead for clean energy in this country. But the stock prices of solar installers increased because the hit could have been worse. Solar entrepreneur and advocate, Jigar Shah, said it was “good news.” Our guest and professor from University of California Berkeley, Severin Borenstein said, “there's no question, this is a policy that was designed to make renewables more expensive because it doesn't make any economic sense beyond that.” Listen to a conversation about the future of solar. Severin Borenstein, E.T. Grether Professor, Haas School of Business, University of California Scott Jacobs, CEO and Co-founder, Generate Capital Lynn Jurich, Chief Executive Officer, Sunrun This program was recorded live at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on February 21, 2018.

After more than a century of ruling the roads, oil is starting to lose its dominance over the auto industry. More and more automakers are introducing electric models, and according to one report, sales of electric cars will surpass those of regular cars within twenty-five years. With Detroit embracing plug-in cars, electric utilities sense an opportunity to grow their business as the age of oil starts to sunset. A conversation exploring the future of the cars we love, the impact of robotic and electric vehicles, and the changing nature of how we get around town. Caroline Choi, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Southern California Edison Andreas Klugescheid, Head of Steering Government and External Affairs, Sustainability Communications, BMW Group Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President, Western States Petroleum Association This program was recorded live at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on February 13, 2018.

2017 brought a raft of extreme weather disasters costing the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars in damages, including hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. And those are just the ones with names – other areas of the country were hit by floods, fires and drought. How do we fight back? The mayors of three cities on the frontline of climate change – Houston, Miami, and Columbia, South Carolina - discuss what their cities are doing to recover, rebuild and prepare for the next mega storm. Steve Benjamin, Mayor, Columbia, South Carolina Francis Suarez, Mayor, Miami, Florida Sylvester Turner, Mayor, Houston, Texas This program was recorded at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco.

What should climate-conscious people do to eat most sustainably? How people approach their diet is deeply personal and can be extremely controversial. Roughly 1 in 9 people in the world are undernourished. Addressing hunger while making the food chain more sustainable is critical for addressing climate change. John Purcell, VP and Global R&D Lead, Monsanto Company Austin Wilson, Environmental Health Program Manager, As You Sow Scott Kennedy, Filmmaker, Food Evolution Nicolette Hahn Niman, Author, Defending Beef Jonathan Kaplan, Director, Food and Agriculture Program, NRDC Kip Andersen, Founder, AUM Films and Media Brian Kateman, President and Co-Founder, The Reducetarian Foundation This program was recorded at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco.

It was in 1970, under President Nixon, that the Environmental Protection Agency was founded. While the Agency enjoyed tremendous bipartisan support for decades, the last 9 years have seen a decline in support from congressional Republicans. Recently, former EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, explained that she is not worried about protections being rolled back—she thinks they will withstand the assault—but rather about the budget cuts Lynda Deschambault, former EPA Staff Scientist Benjamin Franta, PhD candidate in History of Science, Stanford University Gina McCarthy, former EPA Administrator Portions of this program were recorded at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco.

The so-called hockey stick papers, published in 1999, ignited an assault on the science of climate change that still rages to this day. But lead author Michael Mann hasn’t backed off on his mission to educate the public on the science of global warming. Mann was awarded the seventh annual Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication, by Climate One. Jonathan Foley, Executive Director, California Academy of Sciences Dr. Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science, Penn State University This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, CA on January 16, 2018.

Consumption-crazed baby boomers are leaving millenials with a mountain of debt and a destabilized climate. In his book A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America, Gen-Xer Bruce Gibney argues that the aging baby boomers who still rule the roost politically are holding up progress -- and it’s time they got out of the way. Carleen Cullen, Founder and Executive Director, Cool the Earth James Coleman, Student Bruce Gibney, Author, A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America Corina MacWilliams, Student Michael Ranney, Professor of Psychology, UC Berkeley Wilford Welch, Speaker on Sustainability and Resilience This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, CA.

World-renowned primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall talks about her life’s work, the link between deforestation and climate change and why she sees reasons for hope. Yvon Chouinard, the reluctant entrepreneur who founded Patagonia, Inc., explains how charting his own path through the wilderness led him to create a multi-million dollar sporting goods company committed to environmentally responsible design and production. Jane Goodall, Founder, Jane Goodall Institute; U.N. Messenger of Peace Yvon Chouinard, Founder, Patagonia, Inc. This program was recorded by the Commonwealth Club of California.

Conservation begins at home – literally. Designing and operating a home that generates as much power as it uses is rapidly becoming a reality. Meanwhile, cities around the country have made zero waste a goal for their landfills. Can it be done? What steps can we take to reduce the trash on our collective backs? And what is it really like to live trash-free? Diana Dehm, Founder, Trash on Your Back Kevin Drew, Zero Waste Coordinator, San Francisco Department of the Environment Lauren Hennessy, Sustainability Outreach Manager, Stanford University Samuel McMullen, Co-Founder, Live Zero Waste Ann Edminster, Author, Energy Free: Homes for a Small Planet Daniel Simons, Principal, David Baker Architects Sven Thesen, Owner, Net Zero Home This program was recorded at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, CA.