CLIMATE ONE: Hollywood, Baseball, Cage Fights, and… Climate
Author: Commonwealth Club of California
July 31, 2026
Duration: 1:02:33
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 this to the broader media environment shaping how we understand the world. Can you be masculine and care about the climate? Can watching a character take charge of the future onscreen actually change what people believe they can do in real life? And can the stories we consume ultimately shape public attitudes and even policy outcomes?
Guests:
Allison Begalman, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Context Collaborative; Co-founder, Hollywood Climate Summit
Michael P. Haselhuhn, Associate Professor of Management, University of California, Riverside
Brent Suter, Baseball player, Los Angeles Angels; EcoAthletes Climate Champion
Highlights:
00:00 – Introduction
5:00 – Allison Begalman on why it’s important for climate to show up in popular culture
8:45 – Unpacking a climate-themed scene from the show “Hacks”
13:00 – Unpacking a climate-themed scene from “The Morning Show”
16:30 – Bringing new people in at the Hollywood Climate Summit
23:15 – Michael P. Haselhuhn on how men’s views on masculinity and climate change are linked
33:25 – Masculinity is multifaceted
34:30 – Kousha goes to an MMA cage fight to ask guys about their views on masculinity
40:15 – Brent Suter on where he got his nickname, “The Raptor”
42:00 – His reaction to seeing “An Inconvenient Truth” as a young person
44:00 – Speaking out against fossil fuel endorsements for pro sports
49:20 – Suter on how his faith drives his climate activism
54:30 – How Suter talks to his teammates about climate and the environment
57:40 – Climate One More Thing
For show notes and related links, visit our episode page at ClimateOne.org
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Join Climate One for an electric conversation on September 1 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor owned utility model. Tickets available at climateone.org/events
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