Climate One

Questioning science, funding vocal climate denial groups, and encouraging the focus on personal carbon footprints are corporate America’s preferred tools for shifting the responsibility for action on climate from industry to the individual. “Companies that are very much pro-climate action, that are acting in their own operations, are mostly silent on public policy,” says Bill Weihl, former Sustainability Director at Facebook. But with more workers holding their employers accountable and the start of a departure from shareholder-first capitalism, is the role of the corporation shifting? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests (in order of appearance): Mike Toffel, Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management, Harvard Business School; Founder, Climate Rising Podcast Emily Atkin, Climate Journalist, Heated Newsletter & Podcast Bill Weihl, Founder and Executive Director, ClimateVoice; Former Sustainability Director, Facebook Barbara Freese, Author, Industrial-Strength Denial: Eight Stories of Corporations Defending the Indefensible, from the Slave Trade to Climate Change

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. In her mind, the connection is fundamental. “Climate change is about too much water, not enough water, no water, drought, flooding,” Brockovich says, adding, “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.” Also, New York Times reporter Tatiana Schlossberg on how everyday choices – like deciding what to eat, wear or binge-watch – may impact the planet more than you think. And two experts on sustainable apparel uncover the hidden carbon footprint stuffed in our drawers, closets and gym bags. 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) Tatiana Schlossberg, Author, Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have (Grand Central Publishing, 2019) Rebecca Burgess, Founder and Director, Fibershed Amina Razvi, Executive Director, Sustainable Apparel Coalition

Maintaining a consumption-driven economy while keeping emissions down seems more and more like a pipe dream -- is it time to re-think capitalism altogether? “The only thing it requires is a massive cultural and political movement changing the rules that constrain capitalism,” says Rebecca Henderson, author of Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire, “but as soon as we can do that we’re done.” Short of a whole new capitalism, can the stock market be used as a tool for climate action? We may not all be managing billions in assets, but can we use our nest eggs to help finance a green economy? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests (Part 1) Rebecca Henderson, John and Natty McArthur University Professor, Harvard University Hope Jahren, Researcher, Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics, University of Oslo This program was originally broadcast on June 26, 2020. Guests (Part 2) Brian Deese, Managing Director, Global Head of Sustainable Investing, BlackRock Lori Keith, Portfolio Manager, Parnassus Investments Pratima Rangarajan, CEO, Oil and Gas Climate Initiative This program was originally broadcast on April 24, 2020.

President-elect Joe Biden says he will infuse climate change into every corner of his agenda. That’s becoming evident looking at his emerging team. "You're already seeing signs from the nominees and the people they’re choosing that climate is going to be a part of every single agency," says Christy Goldfuss, Senior Vice President for Energy and Environment Policy at the Center for American Progress. But it will take more than staff buy-in to get the country to net-zero emissions. When he’s sworn in on January 20th, Biden will likely be facing a Republican-led Senate that opposes his climate goals. He’s announced an ambitious plan designed to achieve a one-hundred-percent clean economy and net-zero emissions by 2050, and is assembling a team of heavy hitters to get the job done. But he faces criticism from both sides. Republicans claim his plan is too expensive. Sunrise Movement and other progressives accuse him of not being ambitious enough. Join us for a discussion about the Biden climate agenda -- what he hopes to accomplish and what he can get done, with or without congressional support. Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Scott Segal, Partner, Bracewell LLP Christy Goldfuss, Senior Vice President, Energy and Environment Policy, Center for American Progress Jared Blumenfeld, Secretary for Environmental Protection, California Amy Westervelt, Founder, Critical Frequency Podcast Network; Host, Drilled Podcast

Throughout a 45-year career as an environmental regulator, Mary Nichols has been a powerful champion for climate action and cutting emissions. Having been called everything from “Trump's nemesis” to “the most influential environmental regulator of all time,” Nichols has both taken on automakers and collaborated with them. Environmentalists have cheered her moves to limit carbon emissions, while occasionally criticizing her for not doing enough for disadvantaged communities. So where does California’s climate leadership go from here, and what’s ahead for a new national climate agenda in 2021? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guest: Mary Nichols Chair, California Air Resources Board This program was recorded via video on November 17, 2020.

“Unprecedented” is one of the most overused words of 2020, but it reflects the superstorm of disruption brought on by an overlapping pandemic, racial justice awakening, and presidential election. For the first time ever, climate change galvanized a record number of voters to elect Joe Biden to the Presidency. How has the focus on climate shifted in a year shaped by multiple social and economic crises? Join us for a look back on a year of climate conversations like no other. Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests (in order of appearance): Justin Worland, Senior Climate Correspondent, TIME Katharine Wilkinson, Vice President, Project Drawdown Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Marine Biologist; co-author, All We Can Save: Truth, Courage and Solutions for the Climate Crisis Darryl Molina Sarmiento, Executive Director, Communities for a Better Environment Kevin de Léon, Los Angeles City Councillor; Former President, California State Senate Susan Clayton, Professor of Psychology; Chair of Environmental Studies, College of Wooster Peter Atwater, Adjunct Professor of Economics, College of William & Mary Aaron Bernstein, Interim Director of The Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment, Harvard School of Public Health Amy Jaffe, Director, Program on Energy Security and Climate Change, Council on Foreign Relations Kathleen Day, Finance Lecturer, Johns Hopkins University Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, North America Director, 350.org Gina McCarthy, President, NRDC Action Fund; Former Administrator, US EPA Saul Griffith, Founder and Chief Scientist, Otherlab Chase Purdy, Author, Billion Dollar Burger: Inside Big Tech’s Race for the Future of Food. Sophie Egan, Author, How to Be a Conscious Eater: Making Food Choices That Are Good for You, Others, and the Planet Hui He, China Regional Director, International Council on Clean Transportation Colin McKerracher, Head of Transport Analysis, BloombergNEF

Is this the end of the road for the internal combustion engine? California isn’t the first major economy to ban gas-powered cars and trucks, and it won’t be the last. Fifteen countries, including some of the world’s top auto markets, have announced plans to phase out gas-powered engines as a step toward a 100% zero-emission vehicle future. It’s a bold move, but a critical one for climate. Transportation emits more greenhouse gas than any other sector of the US economy, and 15% of all global emissions come from road transport. What does this mean for drivers, for automakers, for infrastructure and for businesses that depend on a gas-powered economy? Can we get to a zero-emission future quickly enough? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Part 1 Craig Scott, Group Manager, Toyota North America Katie Sloan, Clean Energy and Electrification Executive, Southern California Edison; Board Member, CalStart Emily Castor Warren, Senior Policy Advisor, Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Guests: Part 2 Colin McKerracher, Head of Advanced Transport analysis at BloombergNEF Hui He, ICCT China Regional Director This program was recorded in November 2020 and is underwritten by the ClimateWorks Foundation.

In this program, we revisit two Climate One programs from earlier in the year. First, events of the past year, including the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black citizens by police, have shone a glaring spotlight on the racism embedded in every aspect of American society. How can we amplify and advocate for leaders of color in the fight against climate change? 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.” Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Part 1 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 first broadcast on July 3, 2020. Guests: Part 2 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 first broadcast on August 28, 2020.

Harvest season is especially hard this year as the pandemic strains farmers and food systems, highlighting a deeply divided and often unjust America. Black farmers are no strangers to the intersection of these challenges, as structural racism in the food system makes it increasingly challenging for non-white farmers to own and profit from land. Is small-scale, regenerative agriculture a solution to climate disruption? How have years of redlining and discriminatory real estate policies shaped land ownership in the US? How is climate gentrification shaping access to land? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Amber Tamm, farmer and horticulturist Chris Newman, farmer and co-founder, Sylvanaqua Farms Andrew Kahrl, Professor of History and African-American Studies, University of Virginia

The 2020 campaign season has finally come to a close. And days after November 3rd has passed, the country is still reeling. About seventy percent of Americans - Democrats, Independents and Republicans - say the election caused a significant amount of anxiety and stress in their lives. That’s up from fifty percent four years ago. How should we process those difficult emotions surrounding the election? Climate psychologist Renée Lertzman recommends practicing self-awareness and self-care. “It’s very important for us each to know what our own thresholds are,” she says. “So knowing when it's time to sort of disengage and to take care of ourselves. To do what we need to do to restore our sense of being grounded, of being connected, of being in balance. So definitely, it’s a balancing act.” Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: David Roberts, Energy & Climate Change Writer, Vox Renée Lertzman, Climate Engagement Strategist, author and founder of Project InsideOut Eric Utne, Founder, Utne Reader; Author, Far Out Man: Tales of Life in the Counterculture (Penguin Random House, 2020)

What is the role of power in deciding the fate of a planet? 2020 has seen a reckoning with various forms of power embedded in racial, gender, and generational identities. As we think about a transfer of U.S. presidential power, what can we learn about how other types of power are shaping our climate and our future? “It is precisely for people when they vote to not just think of the vote as voting for health or voting for schools or libraries, but to start connecting the dots,” says Dorceta Taylor, an original leader of the environmental justice movement. “That's another dimension of power.” Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests (in order of appearance): Dorceta Taylor, Professor, Professor of Environmental Justice, Yale School for the Environment Jamie Margolin, Co-Executive Director, Zero Hour; Author, Youth to Power: Your Voice and How to Use It This program was recorded via video on October 26, 2020 and September 15, 2020.

Can we break up the political logjam on climate? “The brokenness of our politics,” says Republican political strategist Stephen Schmidt, “is that we have 90% agreement on a dozen different solutions that we cannot get through the state or federal legislative processes -- because of the systemic brokenness of politics.” Not long ago, Democrats and Republicans basically agreed on climate change. Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzennegger put California at the head of the charge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Senator John McCain crossed the proverbial aisle to co-sponsor three versions of the Climate Stewardship Act -- none of which made it through the senate. In today’s ultra-partisan climate, when even wearing a face mask is seen as a political statement, can both parties ever get on the same page? “I do think that one of the aspects, if we want to move climate change forward as an issue,” Schmidt continues, “is that the two sides, they’re gonna have to learn to speak American to each other.” Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Steve Schmidt, Co-Founder, The Lincoln Project; Former Senior Presidential Campaign Strategist, John McCain Varshini Prakash, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Sunrise Movement, co-author, Winning the Green New Deal: Why We Must, How We Can (Simon & Schuster, 2020) This program was recorded on September 18 and September 24, 2020.

Environmental groups like NRDC, 350.org, and Greenpeace helped move climate onto the presidential agenda last year, pushing Joe Biden and other Democrats’ stance on bold action. Now organizers and advocates are backing recovery plans that bolster clean energy jobs, help strengthen communities, and dismantle systems that exploit people and the planet. “We’re not calling for a referendum on business as usual,” says Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, North America Director of 350.org, “we’re calling for the end of business as usual.” Can activism finally bring America’s political ambitions in line with climate science? Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Annie Leonard, Executive Director, Greenpeace USA Gina McCarthy, President & CEO, NRDC Action Fund Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, North America Director, 350.org This program was recorded via live stream on September 22, 2020.

Pathways for reducing carbon emissions include electrifying transportation, replacing fossil fuels with wind and solar power. But in this time of national reckoning on racial and economic disparities there is growing support for a more holistic approach. This view holds that the climate crisis won’t be resolved until we first address the systemic imbalances that have fueled it - racism, capitalism, white supremacy and patriarchy. In their new book, All We Can Save:Truth, Courage and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, co-editors Katharine Wilkinson and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson bring together the voices of women artists, writers and changemakers who are at the forefront of climate action. “The work that we’re doing is instigating or nurturing a feminist climate renaissance,” says Johnson, “which is what we feel the climate movement so desperately needs right now.” Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, marine biologist Katharine Wilkinson, Vice President, Project Drawdown Co-editors, All We Can Save:Truth, Courage and Solutions for the Climate Crisis Christine Nieves Rodriguez, Co-founder and President, Emerge Puerto Rico. Sherri Mitchell, author, Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change Heather McTeer Toney, National Field Director, Moms Clean Air Force Jainey Bavishi, Director, Mayor's Office of Resiliency, New York City

Technology has helped the world survive, thrive and stay connected through the COVID-19 lockdown. As countries look toward re-opening in a post-pandemic world, does tech hold the same promise in the fight to solve climate change? From mapping weather patterns with pinpoint accuracy using artificial intelligence, to engineering algae that gobbles up carbon dioxide, climate tech is ripe with breakthroughs. “The technology is there,” says inventor and entrepreneur Saul Griffith, ”it’s now down to the politics and the financing.” Visit climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts for more information on today's episode. Guests: Saul Griffith, Founder & Chief Scientist, Otherlab Valerie Shen, Chief Operating Officer, G2VP Michael Wilshire, Head of Strategy, Bloomberg NEF This program was recorded on August 18, 2020.