In the face of hurricanes, wildfires, droughts and other fossil fueled disasters, it’s easy to feel hopeless about the future of the climate. But marine biologist, and co-founder of The All We Can Save Project, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson asks us instead to focus on the question, “What if we get it right?” 

Johnson’s new book, also titled “What If We Get It Right?” features such climate luminaries as Third Act Founder Bill McKibben and Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen, whom we also feature in this week’s episode. In their different ways, they have all been at the forefront of enacting solutions at the nexus of science, policy and justice. 

Guests: 

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Marine Biologist; Co-founder, The All We Can Save Project

Bill McKibben, Author, Educator, Environmentalist

Abigail Dillen, President, Earthjustice

🎟️ Join Climate One live in San Francisco on December 9 for our celebration of 2024 Schneider Award Winner Leah Stokes! Tickets are on sale now.

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Before Justin J. Pearson became a national voice for common sense gun regulation, he was a strong advocate for climate and environmental justice, having worked to defeat a multi-billion-dollar crude oil pipeline that could have poisoned Memphis’s drinking water and taken land from South Memphis residents. 

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is working to make climate a top priority in his traditionally fossil fuel-friendly city. From his first press conference where he discussed making Cleveland a “15-minute city,” to his current push to electrify municipal fleets and decarbonize the city “block by block,” Bibb is leading his city to advance climate solutions and close the racial wealth gap.

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Environmental icon Jane Goodall is celebrating 90 years of life, and she’s not backing off of her passionate commitment to nature. The indefatigable Goodall is now focused on three intertwined crises: biodiversity loss, climate change, and environmental inequity. She has one important message for her audiences around the world: vote like your children’s lives depend on it — because they do. 

Jane Goodall is joined by Rhett Butler, founder of Mongabay, a nonprofit media organization that delivers news and inspiration from nature's frontline via a network of more than 900 journalists in about 80 countries. 

Guests:

Jane Goodall, Ethologist, conservationist

Rhett Butler, Founder, Mongabay 

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What we wear defines us in so many ways. But in recent decades we’ve moved away from long-lasting, quality pieces in favor of disposable fast fashion, with major consequences for our climate and environment. From mechanized farming and pesticides to grow fiber crops, to energy for manufacturing and transportation, fossil fuels are embedded in the clothing industry at every step of the process. Companies large and small are working against this trend, with some setting lofty goals for reducing carbon emissions and water use.

But achieving those goals is hard. So what are the solutions? Buy less? Design new fibers and materials? Thrifting and repurposing existing clothing? New business models? How can we make low-impact clothing?

Guests: 

Aja Barber, Author, “Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change and Consumerism”

Jason Kibbey, Former CEO, Sustainable Apparel Coalition; Former President, Worldly

Molly Morse, CEO, Mango Materials

Jonathan Chapman, Professor, Carnegie Mellon University School of Design

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The U.S. is gearing up for a presidential election between a climate advocate and a climate denier. Scientists have given humanity a deadline to drastically reduce the use of fossil fuels if we want a habitable Earth. While there has been some progress, it’s not anywhere nearly enough, and the consequences of our failure to address our fossil fuel addiction is becoming more and more obvious. All of which generates lots of anxiety about the election’s outcome. 

So what are some ways we can address that anxiety? Can that worry be put to good use?

Guests:

Lise Van Susteren, General and forensic psychiatrist; Author

Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., President & CEO, Hip Hop Caucus

David Hogg, Gun control activist; Cofounder, March for Our Lives, Leaders We Deserve

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🎟️ Climate One has three incredible live shows on the horizon! Join us for conversations featuring Jane Goodall, Justin J. Pearson, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Bill McKibben, and Abigail Dillen. Tickets are on sale now.

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Tom Steyer rose to public prominence as the billionaire investor and climate organizer who ran for president in the 2020 election on a climate-first platform. While he didn’t secure the Democratic nomination, his dedication to supporting and advancing climate solutions has remained steadfast. 

In his new book, “Cheaper, Better, Faster: How We’ll Win the Climate War,” Steyer argues that we are in a defining moment: We face the daunting, existential threat of climate change. And yet, with this great challenge comes a great opportunity for innovation, global leadership and economic growth. But can capitalism, the system that helped create and exacerbate the climate crisis, be the system that fixes climate chaos? 

Guests: 

Tom Steyer, Co-Executive Chair of Galvanize Climate Solutions, Investor, Author 

Naomi Oreskes, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard

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🎟️ Climate One has three incredible live shows on the horizon! Join us for conversations featuring Jane Goodall, Justin J. Pearson, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Bill McKibben, and Abigail Dillen. Tickets are on sale now.

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The U.S. military is one of the world’s largest consumers of fossil fuels. And its carbon pollution is equally huge. At the same time, climate disruption is already amplifying crises and conflicts around the world — making climate change, in the words of one military expert, “a threat multiplier.”

The Department of Defense has been making moves to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. The Air Force has recently invested in electric aircraft, and several bases are tapping into geothermal energy — capturing heat from deep underground. Others are building their own microgrids — islands of electricity that can run on clean sources. This week we explore how the U.S. military is trying to balance global security with climate threats.

This episode also features a reported story by NPR’s Quil Lawrence, originally broadcast on NPR’s All Things Considered on October 2, 2023.

Guests:

Sherri Goodman, Secretary General, International Military Council on Climate & Security 

Neta C. Crawford, Montague Burton Professor of International Relations, University of Oxford

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🎟️ Climate One has three incredible live shows on the horizon! Join us for conversations featuring Jane Goodall, Justin J. Pearson, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Bill McKibben, and Abigail Dillen. Tickets are on sale now.

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The leaders at the top of the Republican Party want the U.S. to double down on carbon-intensive oil and gas — and avoid reckoning with the damage they cause.  As temperatures continue to rise, a majority of young Republican voters say clinging to that stance could spell trouble for the sustainability of the GOP.

And yet, conservatives aren’t a monolith when it comes to climate. A small wing of the party is warming up to the idea of climate action. The question is: Can those Republicans, who take climate seriously, move the needle on bipartisan climate action? 

Guests: 

Emma Dumain, Reporter, E&E News

Heather Reams, President, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions

Mariannette Miller-Meeks, U.S. Representative (R-IA 1st District) and Chair of the Conservative Climate Caucus

Danielle Butcher Franz, CEO, American Conservation Coalition

📞 With the presidential election just a few months away, many of us are experiencing increased anxiety and uncertainty. If you're finding it challenging to manage your stress or are looking for support during this tense time, we want to hear from you. We’re inviting you to call in with your questions for our expert therapist, who will provide insights and practical advice on how to cope that may be shared in an upcoming episode.

Call ‪(650) 382-3869 to leave us a voicemail ‬and let us know what you’re feeling. Thanks for sharing!

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🎟️ Climate One has four upcoming live shows, featuring Tom Steyer, Jane Goodall, Justin J. Pearson, and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Tickets are on sale now.

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The nation’s electric grid needs to be expanded and made more reliable for our future energy demands and climate forecasts. The way we’ve built transmission in the past — regionally siloed with short term planning — is now suffering from reliability and capacity issues and won’t work for the next century.

The Department of Energy is drafting plans for national transmission corridors to help speed new construction. It’s also handing out funds to build new lines and upgrade existing infrastructure to increase capacity.

Meanwhile, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently passed a rule requiring utilities to work together and take a longer view on planning their transmission needs. But it will still take years to accomplish these changes.

Can we build a robust national transmission system that serves our decarbonized future at the speed we need?

Guests:

Shelley Welton, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Law and Energy Policy, University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy

Maria Robinson, Director, Grid Deployment Office, Department of Energy 

Danielle Fidler, Senior Attorney, Clean Energy Program, Earthjustice

Pat Wood, CEO, Hunt Energy

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Last year was the hottest in recorded history, and this summer, much of the United States has already experienced record-shattering heat waves. That leaves millions of workers risking their health and possibly even their lives while on the job. And the danger is not limited to those who work outdoors. Warehouses, restaurants, and other indoor spaces are heating up. Most jobs lack heat protection from the federal or state government, but the same groups that brought us the 40-hour work week, child labor laws, and the weekend are now fighting for new worker protections.

Unions across the country — from Texas UPS drivers to the Chicago Teachers Union — are negotiating to keep their workers protected from the effects of the climate crisis. Some are even going one step further and negotiating for their employers to cut the  carbon pollution that’s adding to global heating. How has the climate crisis spurred union action?

Guests: 

Terri Gerstein, Director, The Labor Initiative, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University

Stacy Davis Gates, President, Chicago Teachers Union

Anita Seth, President, UNITE HERE Local 8

Emily Minkus, Member, UNITE HERE Local 8

🎟️ We've added yet another event to our stacked fall calendar. This program will feature Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson in conversation with Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen and Co-Host Greg Dalton. Tickets are on sale now.

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This week we take a trip to Mexico, a petrostate that just elected climate scientist Claudia Sheinbaum as its next president. She’s also the former mayor of Mexico City, the largest city in North America, which has been going through a major water crisis due to climate change. It’s at risk of running out of water — and it has been for a long time. In fact, much of the country is coping with drought and heat waves exacerbated by climate change.

Christine Colvin, a hydrogeologist with WWF International, was in Cape Town, South Africa, at the height of a recent megadrought. The city was approaching Day Zero, when it would not be able to supply water to residents. Colvin says that of all the ways climate disruption impacts our lives, the most critical may be to our relationship with water. 

"If the climate crisis is a shark, then water are its teeth. This is the thing that’s really going to bite us first and hardest." 

Guests:

Oscar Ocampo, Coordinator for Energy and Environment, Mexican Institute of Competitiveness

Christine Colvin, Water Policy Lead, WWF International

🎟️ Climate One has three exciting live shows on the calendar featuring conversations with Tom Steyer, Jane Goodall, and Justin Pearson. Tickets are on sale now.

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