Climate One

While federal experts warn that it will cost $44 trillion to rid the U.S. economy of carbon, Citibank counters that failing to act on climate disruption could result in over $44 trillion in public and private losses over the next 25 years. The true cost of either keeping or ditching fossil fuels was up for discussion at a recent Climate One event. Nicholas Stern, Chair, Center for Climate Change Economics and Policy, London School of Economics Steve Westly, Founder and Managing Partner, The Westly Group This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on May 5, 2016.

Geoengineering may sound like science fiction, but there are many who believe we can -- and should -- be taking drastic measures to cool our planet down. Oliver Morton, Briefings Editor, The Economist; Author, The Planet Remade: How Geoengineering Could Change the World (Princeton University Press, 2015) Kim Stanley Robinson, Author, 2312 (Orbit, 2012) Ken Caldeira, Climate Scientist, Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on January 28, 2016.

Today, we’re going to extreme ends of climate change debate... and action. While most of us are still comfortable sitting in the center – perhaps accepting the science, but not doing much about it – there are some organizations and individuals who are willing to jump off a bridge to convince us of the peril we face. And there are others who are using misinformation and deception to try to sow doubt in our minds about whether there is any problem at all.

Nearly 200 countries have pledged to go on a carbon diet. But does what happens in Paris, stay in Paris? How does the US plan to keep its climate promises? Ernest Moniz, U.S. Secretary of Energy Hal Harvey, CEO, Energy Innovation Danny Kennedy, Managing Director, California Clean Energy Fund Lyndon Rive, Co-founder and CEO, SolarCity This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on January 26, 2016.

We will discuss the hot prospects for building a climate-conscious career. New jobs and avenues for advancement are being created as companies strive to grow cleaner and governments figure out what a disrupted climate means for water, food, transit and housing systems. The young Americans entering the workforce today will create the cool new products, technologies and cities that will grow our economy and stabilize the climate. What are the best career paths for people who want to take advantage of that huge opportunity? What sectors are most promising? Will doing good entail making less? A conversation about building a thriving career based on reducing carbon while increasing social and economic value. Leonard Adler, CEO, Green Jobs Network Charlotte MacAusland, Commercial Channel Partner Manager, SolarCity Lyrica McTiernan, Sustainability Manager, Facebook Keely Wachs, Director of Communications, Clif Bar Katherine Walsh, Director, Student Environmental Resource Center, UC Berkeley This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on April 23, 2016

We discuss how doctors, teachers and parents are framing climate change as a children’s issue. The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement saying children’s health will be disproportionately affected by climate. The California Parent-Teacher Association is raising its voice about carbon risk and the Boy Scouts are teaching kids about sustainability. Giana Amador, Research Analyst, Center for Carbon Removal Minda Berbeco, Programs and Policy Director, National Center for Science Education Ryan Condensa, Action Fellow, Alliance for Climate Education Luis Martinez, Student Activist Alexander Zwissler, Principal, Einstellung Labs This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on April 23, 2016

The global effects of climate disruption will have local impacts on the Bay Area. The political leaders of this region are already planning for a future with a new normal. Sam Liccardo, Mayor, San Jose Libby Schaaf, Mayor, Oakland Phil Ting, California State Assemblymember (D-19) This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on April 20, 2016

You know that cartoon where the guy has a light bulb over his head and then “bing” it goes on? Well, America is having a collective “light bulb” moment these days. And it’s powered by solar energy. Solar panels are 50% cheaper than just 5 years ago. And energy from the wind is looking just as bright. Today, we’re taking a look at the explosion of clean energy alternatives, how we’re pumping it into new cars and our plans for carrying it over a new electric grid.

In the quest for a carbon-neutral lifestyle, it can be difficult to sort out which activities have the greatest negative impact on our climate, from driving a car to eating animal products. The documentary Cowspiracy, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, contends that animal agriculture is the number one source of climate killing pollution, and environmental non-profits are colluding to keep this information from the American public. Kip Andersen, Founder, AUM Films and Media Nicolette Hahn Niman, Author, Defending Beef Jonathan Kaplan, Director, Food and Agriculture Program, Natural Resources Defense Council This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on April 20, 2016

Global warming is hitting closer to home than we think, from a neighborhood child gasping with asthma to a parent collapsing from heatstroke. These realities led U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to assert in April that climate change presents the most complex threat to public health in U.S. history. Rachel Morello-Frosch, Professor, University of California, Berkeley Linda Rudolph, Director, Center for Climate Change and Health, Public Health Institute Robert Gould, Director of Health Professional Outreach and Education, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, UCSF Katrina Peters, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCSF This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on April 5, 2016

Radical protesters Tim DeChristopher and Georgia Hirsty put the “active” in “activism.” But is civil disobedience the best way to effect real change? Tim DeChristopher, Founder, Climate Disobedience Center Georgia Hirsty, National Warehouse Program Manager, Greenpeace Brendon Steele, Director of Stakeholder Engagement, Future 500 This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on January 19, 2015.

The historic climate summit in Paris is behind us. And nations around the world are turning their attention to the lofty promises made. Yet scientists and politicians agree that these goals for dialing back global warming are only the tip of the iceberg. With 2015 breaking the record for the hottest year ever, and 2014 holding the number two spot, plans for coping with an increasingly hot and dry world need to be part of the strategy as well. And facing this future can be scary, so we’ll also explore ideas for how to handle the anxiety and stress that many of us are feeling about all this.

Today’s electric cars are more fun to drive than ever. And for many, they’re more affordable too. Will California reach its goal of a million EVs by 2020? Sherry Boschert, Co-founder, Plug In America; Author, Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars That Will Recharge America (New Society, 2006) Eileen Tutt, Executive Director, California Electric Transportation Coalition Charlie Vogelheim, Principal, Vogelheim Ventures This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on February 24, 2016.

Coffee, beer and chocolate – oh my! How is global warming affecting our beloved guilty pleasures? Can growers and producers adapt to a changing climate? Ken Grossman, Co-Founder & CEO, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Paul Katzeff, Founder & CEO, Thanksgiving Coffee Company Brad Kintzer, Chief Chocolate Maker, TCHO Chocolate This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on November 20, 2014.

Cigarette makers downplayed the dangers of smoking for decades with distracting science. How close is the link between tobacco denial and climate denial? Lowell Bergman, Investigative Journalist Stanton Glantz, Director, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, UCSF Kenneth Kimmell, President, Union of Concerned Scientists William K. Reilly, Senior Advisor, TPG This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on February 18, 2016.