Home Podcasts Climate One
Climate One

Climate One

Climate One from The Commonwealth Club 901 Episodes Sep 18, 2026

Climate One is a podcast that explores the climate emergency through empowering conversations. Co-hosts Greg Dalton, Ariana Brocious, and Kousha Navidar discuss all aspects of the challenge, from the scary to the exciting, and from individual actions to systemic changes. The podcast aims to address the crisis by starting conversations about it.

Episodes

As the Midterms Approach, What’s Electrifying the Electorate?
As the Midterms Approach, What’s Electrifying the Electorate? Sep 18, 2026 3315 As the 2026 midterms approach, voters are contending with concerns around affordability, the AI boom, and climate disruption in their daily lives. AI data centers have become the wild card in energy politics, driving up energy demand and utility bills, and playing a large role in a battleground House primary. A year after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rolled back key parts of the Inflation Reduct
New Nuclear, Old Challenges. What Now?
New Nuclear, Old Challenges. What Now? Sep 11, 2026 3765 Growing power demands – coupled with increasingly frequent climate-driven disasters – have led even staunch environmentalists like NRDC head Manish Bapna to rethink their past opposition to nuclear power.  Three Mile Island didn't kill anyone or cause major public harm, but it fundamentally changed U.S. nuclear policy for 40 years. Why did an accident with a relatively contained consequence
The Little EVs That Could Displace Big Oil
The Little EVs That Could Displace Big Oil Sep 4, 2026 3518 While most Americans think of a truck or a sedan when they hear “electric vehicle,” a quiet revolution is happening in other countries on two and three wheels. In China and India, the electric vehicles doing the most to push out oil aren't cars – they're scooters, mopeds, motorcycles and the three-wheeled rickshaws and tuk-tuks that move people and packages through some of the world's busiest citi
ENCORE: Protest and Beyond: Annie Leonard On What You Can Do
ENCORE: Protest and Beyond: Annie Leonard On What You Can Do Aug 28, 2026 3230 Protest is the ultimate in equal-opportunity political action. As Annie Leonard, former executive director of Greenpeace USA says, “Making change is like laying a stone path across the garden. Peaceful protest may be every 4th or 8th or 200th stone; it helps us get where we want to go but also we need a lot of other stones too.” Leonard explores the history of protests in her book “Protest: Respec
It’s Too Damn Hot… So What Can We Do?
It’s Too Damn Hot… So What Can We Do? Aug 21, 2026 3939 We all complain about the heat, yet it's a climate threat we routinely underestimate. In the U.S., extreme heat kills more people each year than floods, fires and hurricanes combined. About 16,000 excess deaths were recorded during Europe's June heatwave – a striking and tragic number. What does extreme heat do to our bodies, our wallets and our cities, and what can we actually do about it? 
ENCORE: Benji Backer and Katharine Hayhoe on Finding Common Ground
ENCORE: Benji Backer and Katharine Hayhoe on Finding Common Ground Aug 14, 2026 3743 At a time when nearly everything feels polarized, Benji Backer is trying to carve out a different path, one where caring about the natural world isn’t a partisan issue. As the founder of Nature Is Nonpartisan, he’s bringing together voices from across the political spectrum who might disagree on climate policy, but still share a desire to preserve public lands, wildlife, and the outdoors.  S
A Cancer Diagnosis Reframed How Ben Santer Thinks About Climate Science
A Cancer Diagnosis Reframed How Ben Santer Thinks About Climate Science Aug 7, 2026 3640 Atmospheric scientist Ben Santer pioneered the research that connects human activity to specific climate events. Now, pursuing treatment for a rare type of lymphoma, he sees his own diagnosis and his climate science as the same kind of detective work: using essential and basic science to conduct tests, read complex markers, and rule out every other cause. Even while ill, he's calling out efforts b
Hollywood, Baseball, Cage Fights, and… Climate
Hollywood, Baseball, Cage Fights, and… Climate Jul 31, 2026 3783 When it comes to climate, we have the facts, but we aren’t moving fast enough. So we need to get climate education and solutions into the places where people already spend their time. Pop culture offers endless opportunities to influence audiences – your favorite movie or TV character can feel like a friend whose views on climate might affect your own. In this episode, we connect moments like th
How Do I Say This…
How Do I Say This… Jul 24, 2026 3262 It’s becoming increasingly clear that how we talk about climate change matters as much as the science or policy itself. The words we use carry weight, and climate communicator Susan Joy Hassol says specific word choices, like “heat-trapping pollution” rather than “greenhouse gases,” can cut through polarization and help messages resonate with a wider range of people. Equally important is listening
Cleaner Steel is Coming. Will the Communities That Built the Industry Benefit?
Cleaner Steel is Coming. Will the Communities That Built the Industry Benefit? Jul 17, 2026 3388 Making steel accounts for around 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But the industry could reduce that number by removing coal from the steel-making process entirely. Three of the U.S.’s last seven coal-based steel mills are situated along Lake Michigan. Together, these facilities produce nearly half of the steel made in the U.S., supplying skyscraper beams, car doors, and appliances across t
Beyond the Rights of Nature: Land that Owns Itself
Beyond the Rights of Nature: Land that Owns Itself Jul 10, 2026 3824 The “rights of nature” is the idea that if a corporation can have legal standing as a person, why can’t a river or a mountain? Thomas Linzey, one of the early architects of a legal framework for granting rights to nature, now believes that structure doesn’t go far enough: Even when ecosystems are granted rights, the land is still owned by someone or some entity, even if that is a land trust or con
ENCORE Dead Heat: The Danger Of Home Power Shutoffs
ENCORE Dead Heat: The Danger Of Home Power Shutoffs Jul 3, 2026 3551 Summer is here, temperatures are rising — and so are electric bills. That also means many people are facing a severely overlooked issue: power shutoffs. According to a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2024 utility companies disconnected U.S. households from electricity more than 13.4 million times due to a customer’s inability to pay. When that happens, people can’t turn on

Recommended