This Year in Climate: 2024

This Year in Climate: 2024

Author: Climate One from The Commonwealth Club December 20, 2024 Duration: 1:03:20
2024 set new records for extreme heat around the world in what is already the warmest decade on record. According to the World Meteorological Organization, sea-level rise and ocean heating are accelerating along with the loss of ice from glaciers. We continue to see extreme weather of all kinds wreak havoc on communities across the world. In spite of the growing disruption, countries continue to miss their self-imposed climate targets. And in November, the U.S. re-elected Donald Trump to the presidency, a move that will almost certainly slow the transition to cleaner forms of energy. And yet, the transition continues. As the year winds down, Climate One hosts Greg Dalton and Ariana Brocious look back upon recent climate progress and pitfalls and revisit some of our most illuminating interviews of 2024. Guests: Karen Hao, Contributing Writer, The Atlantic Shelley Welton, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Law and Energy Policy, University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy Justin J. Pearson, District 86 State Representative, Tennessee General Assembly Aja Barber, Author, “Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change and Consumerism” Jamie Beard, founder of Project InnerSpace Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Climate Justice Activist Tzeporah Berman, Chair, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty John Morales, Hurricane Specialist, WTVJ NBC6 Miami Rob Bonta, Attorney General of California Emily Raboteau, Author, “Lessons for Survival: Mothering Against ‘the Apocalypse’” Jane Goodall, Ethologist, conservationist 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 for just $5/month. For show notes and related links, visit our website. 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
Benji Backer: Nature is Nonpartisan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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 bri…
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green Says Aloha to Decarbonization [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:54
More than perhaps any other state, Hawaii has major incentives to decarbonize. Imported oil accounts for about 90% of Hawaii's total energy consumption, and electricity prices are more than three times the national avera…
Trash Talk: Fresh Takes on Food Waste [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:24
Food loss and waste account for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and cost $1 trillion annually, according to the United Nations. About a third of all food grown on the planet gets wasted, rather than eaten. I…
Cities Leading the Way [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:39
While the federal government has all but abandoned trying to address the climate crisis, cities around the world are stepping up. C40 is an international network of 97 cities representing 920 million people and 23% of th…
Electric Bills are Bonkers. What Can We Do About It? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:43
Rising electricity rates across the country are adding pressure to families and businesses already dealing with inflation in other aspects of their lives. Most Americans get their power from a utility that needs to turn…
EPA Cancels Billions in Grants. Recipients Won’t Back Down [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:51
Congress approved billions for federal grants and programs through the EPA during the Biden administration. Those dollars were meant to help disadvantaged communities and fund community resilience projects, public health…
Figure It Out…Or Else: Feds to Colorado River States [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:12
It’s been an unusually warm and dry winter across the west, and that’s bad news for the seven states and 40 million people that rely on water from the Colorado River. The water flowing into the river from snowmelt and ra…
Crude Behavior: Venezuela and the Global Politics of Oil [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:57
On January 3, U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, and flew them to New York to stand trial for drug trafficking and narco-terrorisim. At the same time, President Trump has not been s…
Under the Weather: The Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:14
As the planet warms, the story of climate change is increasingly becoming a story about human health. Rising temperatures, wildfire smoke, flooding, and shifting disease patterns are no longer distant threats; they are e…