Benji Backer: Nature is Nonpartisan

Benji Backer: Nature is Nonpartisan

Author: Climate One from The Commonwealth Club April 3, 2026 Duration: 57:19
In a moment 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.  Can conservation still serve as common ground in a divided country? What does it take to make environmentalism resonate beyond traditional audiences? Is a bipartisan movement possible in today’s political climate? Guests:  Benji Backer, Founder and CEO, Nature is Nonpartisan Skyler Zunk, Founder and CEO, Energy Right  For show notes, transcript, and related links, visit ClimateOne.org/podcasts. Highlights: 00:00 – Intro 03:30 – Benji Backer on his relationship with nature 05:54 – Benji Backer on how Nature is Nonpartisan came to be 09:29 – Benji Backer on making conservation culturally relevant  16:44 – Benji Backer on the hard work of moving policy forward  21:19 – Benji Backer on why political leanings are labeled on staff page 24:16 – Benji Backer on bringing more people into the tent 31:45 – Benji Backer on where there is bipartisan support 34:30 – Benji Backer on where his work has had the most impact  39:23 – Skyler Zunk on his time working for the first Trump administration 44:31 – Skyler Zunk on a farmer who has solar panels on the sheep farm 49:26 – Skyler Zunk on the importance of being able to relate to locals ********** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today at patreon.com/ClimateOne.  Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The conversation about our changing planet is often reduced to headlines and political noise, but Climate One moves beyond that. Hosted by Greg Dalton, Ariana Brocious and Kousha Navidar, this podcast from The Commonwealth Club creates a space for the full, complex dialogue we need. Each episode features candid discussions with scientists, policymakers, activists, and thinkers who are on the front lines. The focus is on drawing connections-between personal action and economic systems, between daunting scientific reports and tangible community solutions. You’ll hear analysis that doesn’t shy away from the severity of our situation while actively exploring pathways for genuine progress, from technology and finance to culture and justice. This isn't about alarmism or easy answers; it's about equipping listeners with a deeper understanding of the intertwined challenges and opportunities. Tuning into this podcast means joining a crucial exploration of how we adapt, mitigate, and fundamentally rethink our relationship with the natural world. The dialogue here is built on the idea that confronting the climate emergency honestly, in all its facets, is the first necessary step toward shaping a livable future.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Climate One
Podcast Episodes
Biomimicry & Green Burial: Living and Dying with Nature in Mind [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:46
Nature can feel distant from our everyday lives. Maybe it’s a place we visit on the weekends, a getaway from the hustle and bustle, something “out there,” just beyond the edges of our neighborhoods. But we are part of it…
ENCORE: Drag Queen Pattie Gonia on Bringing Joy to Climate Action [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:41
When individuals want to take action on climate, it’s often in the form of electrifying a home, voting, or maybe even traditional activism. Those are very important, but we often overlook how individual skills and talent…
BONUS: He Started Tesla Employees Against Elon. Then Got Fired. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:58
Matt LaBrot was the Tesla sales manager who got so fed up with how Elon Musk’s public persona affected the brand that he published a website called “Tesla Employees Against Elon.” He was subsequently fired, allegedly for…
Is the EV Transition Stuck in Neutral? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:59
In 2024, BloombergNEF predicted electric vehicles would make up nearly half of U.S. new car sales by 2030. Now, they’ve revised their projection down to less than 30%, just one year later. In a time when we need to be sp…
Dead Heat: The Danger Of Home Power Shutoffs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:11
Summer is here, temperatures are rising — and so are electric bills. That also means many people are facing a severely overlooked issue: power shutoffs. In 2024, over 600,000 households in the United States had their pow…
Super Pollutants: The Hidden Half of Global Warming [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:13
Carbon dioxide is a big deal. It’s responsible for about half of global heating. But what about the other half? There’s actually good news here: Nearly half of the temperature increases driving climate disasters come fro…
Three Big Thinkers With No Room for Doom [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:09
There’s so much hard and heavy news out there right now, climate related and not. It feels like decades of progress is being lost. But — good news! — there are many solutions that can be deployed right now. This week we’…
I’m Walkin’ Here! A Report Card on Congestion Pricing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:31
In January, congestion pricing went into effect in New York City. The policy’s implementation took decades; along the way, multiple moments suggested that it wouldn’t happen at all. Now, drivers entering Manhattan south…
Murder, Pollution as Policy, and Two Women Who Won’t Give Up [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:16
“In the course of saying no with their bodies, they were met with more violence… including moms who were carrying babies on their backs and were pushed to the edge of the river — and had to choose the river.” That’s Abby…
Honoring Environmental Heroes in 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:05
Would you stand up against a giant corporation to stop toxic chemicals from harming your town’s water? Could you get policy enacted to cut emissions affecting people living in your state’s “diesel death zone?” How would…