Climate One At The Commonwealth Club

An emerging area of economics aims to put a price on nature as a way of justifying preserving it in societies dominated by the wisdom of markets. A mountain stream, for example, provides many economic benefits beyond people who own property near it or drink water from it. The same is said of bees that pollinate our food, wetlands that cleans water, and trees that drink up carbon dioxide. If nature were a corporation it would be a large cap stock. Putting a precise tag on something long seen as free is a conceptual leap. However many large companies are starting to realize the extent to which their profits rely on well operating ecosystems. Larry Goulder, Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics, Stanford Tony Juniper, Associate Professor, University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership; Special Advisor to The Prince of Wales International Sustainability Unit This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club of California on July 25, 2013 Learn more about y

Climate denial has become both a psychological and a political problem. Can better communication help us expand common ground and move on to solutions? Renee Lertzman, Climate Engagement Strategist, Author and Speaker Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Meteorology, Penn State University Cristine Russell, Freelance Science Journalist Tom Toles, Editorial Cartoonist, The Washington Post This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on December 12, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Science historian Naomi Oreskes has had her share of hate mail from climate deniers. But, she says, “We can't give up on the challenge of explaining science.” Naomi Oreskes, Professor of History of Science and Director of Graduate Studies, Harvard University, author of “Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming.” (Bloomsbury Press, 2011) Steven Chu, Former U.S. Secretary of Energy; Professor of Physics and Molecular & Cellular Physiology, Stanford This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on December 15, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2016 began in the afterglow of the Paris climate accord, and ended with the triumph of a presidential candidate who has labeled climate change a hoax. So what will 2017 and the Trump administration mean for the future of clean energy? On today’s show we look ahead at how environmentally-conscious lawmakers and businesses might move forward now that Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, and how big blue California might continue to lead the fight against climate change in spite of what happens in Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2016 began in the after-glow of the Paris climate summit and ended with the election of Donald Trump. A look back at the year’s energy triumphs and setbacks. 2. Speaker List David R. Baker, Energy Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Katie Fehrenbacher, Former Senior Writer, Fortune Cassandra Sweet, Reporter, Wall Street Journal This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on December 7, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Donald Trump moves into the West Wing and the GOP takes control of congress, what will become of California’s environmental trailblazing? Christine Pelosi, Superdelegate for Democratic Party; Political Strategist Duf Sundheim, 2016 Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate Tony Strickland, Former California State Senator; California Chairman, The Committee for American Sovereignty Tony Thurmond, California State Assemblymember (D-15) This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on December 1, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recent agreement is designed to curb emissions from international plane flights. But what if the new administration doesn’t clear it for takeoff? Erin Cooke, Sustainability Director, San Francisco International Airport James Macias, President and CEO, Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc. Sean Newsum, Director of Environmental Strategy, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Annie Petsonk, International Counsel, Environmental Defense Fund This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on November 16, 2016 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate change is as much about what we eat as what we drive or where we live. Rising heat is hitting chocolate, wine, beer, bread and other foods we love, while our appetites for meat, fish, and dairy are responsible for a host of unsustainable farming practices. So what’s a climate-conscious eater to do? On today’s program we'll look at how climate change affects us at the kitchen table. We’ll ask whether all those craft beers, fair-trade coffees, and single-batch chocolates are part of the solution, or whether going vegan is the key to a climate-friendly diet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The explorer, climber, surfer and founder of sporting goods company Patagonia, Inc., has spent a lifetime welcoming adventure – and risk - of all kinds. Yvon Chouinard, Founder and Owner, Patagonia This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on October 27, 2016 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America’s National Parks are struggling to find a balance between the needs of a growing population and the desire to preserve our natural heritage. John Hart, Author, An Island in Time: 50 Years of Point Reyes National Seashore (Pickleweed Press, 2012) Jordan Fisher Smith, Author, Engineering Eden: The True Story of a Violent Death, a Trial, and the Fight over Controlling Nature (Crown, 2016) This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on July 19, 2016 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Connecting the dots between the foods we love and our environment may be one way to engage people in the climate change fight – one cup of coffee at a time. Jonathan Foley, Executive Director, California Academy of Sciences Simran Sethi, Author, Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love Helene York, Global Director, Responsible Business, Compass Group@Google This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on October 18, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate change seems to have taken a backseat in this year’s presidential campaign. What’s ahead for the climate movement in the next administration? Bill McKibben, Founder, 350.org Terry Tamminen, CEO, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on October 21, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After last winter’s rains, Californians breathed a collective sigh of relief. But short-term weather is not the same as long-term climate. And state water watchers understand that this rainfall did not break the worst drought in over a thousand years. With the effects of climate change being felt around the country – droughts in some areas and flooding in others – the nation is looking to California as a model for how to handle a new normal. Today we’ll dig into the water woes of this bellwether state. How is California planning for a hotter, drier climate in the cities and down on the farm? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has been proudly fighting the war on climate change for over a decade. But can it can grow its economy and tackle climate change at the same time? Kevin de León, President pro Tempore, California State Senate Melanie Mason, Reporter, Los Angeles Times Antonio Villaraigosa, Former Mayor of Los Angeles This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on October 5, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the world’s population increasingly moves into cities, what is the future of urban life? How can we build in the ability to weather a changing climate? Jonathan F.P. Rose, Co-Founder, Garrison Institute Peter Calthorpe, Principal Architect, Peter Calthorpe Associates This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on September 21, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been ten years since California enacted a landmark law that put it at the forefront of the global war on climate change. Has AB 32 been a boon or a bust? Fran Pavley, Senator, California State Senate Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President, Western States Petroleum Association Dan Sperling, Member, California Air Resources Board This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on September 20, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco developers are planning billions in new construction with a Bayfront view. Yet seas are predicted to rise nearly a foot by 2050. Are we ready? J.K. Dineen, Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Michael Stoll, Executive Director, San Francisco Public Press Lauren Sommer, Science and Environment Reporter, KQED Charles Long, Principal, Charles A. Long Properties, LLC Margie O’Driscoll, Competition Advisor, Resilient by Design Will Travis, Sea Level Rise Planning Consultant This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on September 13, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pacific states and British Columbia have all pledged to reduce carbon emissions. Can they help accelerate the global transition to a green economy? Kate Brown, Governor, Oregon Jay Inslee, Governor, Washington Mary Polak, Minister of Environment, Legislative Assembly of British Columbia This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on June 1, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices