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Climate One

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We’re living through a climate emergency; addressing this crisis begins by talking about it. Co-Hosts Greg Dalton, Ariana Brocious and Kousha Navidar bring you empowering conversations that connect all aspects of the challenge — the scary and the exciting, the individual and the systemic. Join us. Subscribe to Climate One on Patreon for access to ad-free episodes.

Episodes

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Youth Grabbing the Wheel: Young Leaders Speak Up on Driving Down Carbon


Jason Bade, 19, Stanford Student; Co-director, Green Youth Alliance; California Climate Champion
Gemma Givens, 19, UC Santa Cruz Student; Member, Indigenous Environment Network
Shreya Indukuri, 16, Harker Upper School Student; Co-founder SmartPowerEd.org
Alli Reed, UC Berkeley student; Real Food Challenge


What would the move to a clean-energy economy look like if your kids were driving? Business and policy leaders often talk about preserving natural resources for future generations, and yet youth are rarely part of the conversation. In fact, they usually are on the margins or not even in the room.


This program was recored in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on May 4, 2010.

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Published 2010-04-26

Cap and Charade?

68 min
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Cap and Charade?


Michael Shellenberger, Breakthrough Institute
Kristin Eberhard, Legal Director, Western Energy and Climate, Natural Resources Defense Council
Larry Goulder, Chair, Department of Economics, Stanford


Would capping and trading carbon pollution create a prosperous clean energy economy? Or would it be a boondoggle for Wall Street and scammers in developing countries? While touted as a market-based way to put a price on carbon, cap and trade has been parodied by Jon Stewart as the superhero Cap N’ Trade and is increasingly questioned by environmentalists and regulators. Yet the state of California and many companies have a lot invested in a cap-and-trade system. Will it die a slow death? Should it? What would be a better way to create a global price for greenhouse gases?


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on April 22, 2010.

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Forecast or Invent Our Energy Future?


Vinod Khosla, Founder, Khosla Ventures; Former CEO, Sun Microsystems


Predictions of peak oil and resource scarcity are driving investments in new energy and technologies. What will determine the winners and losers? What policies are needed to drive innovation and send proper price signals? Are incremental solutions such as hybrid vehicles helpful, or does the climate challenge require huge breakthroughs at the system level?


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on April 20, 2010.

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Published 2010-04-19

Global Warring with Cleo Paskal

64 min
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Global Warring


Cleo Paskal, Consultant, U.S. Department of Energy
Associate Fellow, Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London


The changing climate now has the attention of military establishments around the world. Last year, for example, the CIA created a group focused on tracking the national-security implications of desertification, rising sea levels, population shifts and heightened competition for natural resources. What will the opening of the Arctic mean for Russian access into North American waters? Will China's lack of clean, fresh water undermine its global ambitions? Will India's increasingly erratic monsoon affect its economic growth? These and other pressing questions will be answered.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on April 13, 2010

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Fossil Fuels + Dependence = Security Risks?


Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn, United States Navy, Retired


What do military officers think about the United States’ reliance on oil? One group of retired brass concluded that it threatens economic stability and national security. Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn (retired) says the 12 people studied scientific data and energy models for more than a year and concluded that the Pentagon should clearly integrate energy and climate change into its strategy and operations. What's that mean?


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on March 29, 2010.

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Published 2010-03-25

Is Your God Green?

65 min
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Is Your God Green?


Reverend Sally Bingham, Interfaith Power and Light
Senior Rabbi Stephen Pearce, Temple Emanu-El


What would Jesus say about climate change? What does the Torah say about stewardship of God's creation? Leaders from different religious traditions discuss how their respective philosophies and scriptures guide their approach to today's energy challenges. They'll also address how congregations around the country are getting involved in the movement to build a cleaner energy future.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on March 23, 2010.

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Published 2010-02-24

Geo-engineering: Global Salvation or Ruin?

71 min
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Geo-engineering: Global Salvation or Ruin?


Ken Caldeira, Professor, Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution
Albert Lin, Professor, UC Davis School of Law
David Whelan, Chief Scientist, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems


Should humans address man-made rising temperatures and sea levels by tinkering further with Mother Nature? A lively debate about such geo-engineering burst into the mainstream recently with reference to Caldeira’s work in the final chapter of the popular book SuperFreakonomics. Now this panel takes a measured look at the good, bad and ugly of what could and should be done. What is technically feasible? How could such tactics be tested? What are the risks? How would such a program be governed? Does the mere mention of geo-engineering take the steam out of efforts to reduce carbon pollution and create a moral hazard?


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on February 23, 2010.

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Published 2010-02-03

After Copenhagen: What Now?

65 min
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After Copenhagen: What Now?


Emily Adler, Partnership Director, Alliance for Climate Education
Louis Blumberg, Director, California Climate Change, The Nature Conservancy
Tony Brunello, Deputy Secretary for Climate Change and Energy, California Natural Resources Agency
Leslie Durschinger, Managing Partner, Terra Global Capital
Caitlin Grey, Student, Alameda High School
Dan Jacobson, Executive Director, Environment California
AG Kawamura, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture
Bruce Klafter, Head, Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, Applied Materials
Sally Osberg, President and CEO, The Skoll Foundation
Amy Luers, Environment Manager, Google.org
Nancy Skinner, Chair, Natural Resources Committee, California State Assembly


What are the prospects for a global climate treaty in 2010? With world leaders still arguing over how fast to reduce carbon pollution and who will pay for the clean up, we convene a panel of experts who attended the UN climate summit in Copenhagen. Was that a success, a bust or a little of both? We’ll have firsthand reports and backroom insights.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on February 2, 2010.

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Published 2010-01-28

Chris Martenson: Oil, Water and Climate

65 min
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Chris Martenson: Oil, Water and Climate


A former employee of the International Energy Agency told the Guardian newspaper recently that figures about worldwide oil supplies are exaggerated. That supported what peak oil adherents such as Martenson have been saying for years. In addition to oil, he discusses how the intertwining effects of the economy and environment will coalesce to shape a future radically different from the past.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on January 26, 2010.

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The King of Coal, Prince of Wind?

Dave Freudenthal, Governor of Wyoming

With America’s largest deposits of coal and uranium, Wyoming sends massive amounts of energy to California and the rest of the country. Governor Freudenthal is trying to chart a new path for an extraction state where half the people don’t believe global warming is real. He’s looking to cleaner ways of using coal and believes natural gas is a winner, for fueling transportation or generating electricity. Wind power also holds promise, while getting it to market without trampling on endangered species and testy landowners is a challenge. Can California technology and innovation help illuminate the way? Join us for a special opportunity to discuss America’s energy future with the down-to-earth chief executive of this powerhouse state.

This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on January 21, 2010

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Sun Up: Scaling Solar Power in California


Bob Epstein, Founder, Environmental Entrepreneurs
Mike Peevey, Chair, California Public Utilities Commission
Mike Splinter, CEO, Applied Materials
Nancy McFadden, Senior Vice President, PG&E


Solar power is surging in popularity as a renewable energy source, yet still remains a small part of California’s overall energy supply. How will this situation change, in light of a state plan calling for a massive scaling up of renewable sources by 2030? What factors are driving the ongoing decrease in the price of photovoltaic systems, and what technology, project financing and policy will enhance the availability and affordability of residential, commercial and utility scale solar power?


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on January 12, 2010.

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Published 2009-12-17

Climate One in Copenhagen

60 min
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Climate One in Copenhagen

Segment One

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor, California Huang Ming, Founder and CEO, Himin Solar (one of China's largest renewable energy companies)

Segment Two

Rajendra Pachauri, Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Caio Koch-Weser, Vice Chair, Deutsche Bank

As the tumultuous climate negotiations in Copenhagen near the end, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says it is embarrassing that the US does not have a national climate policy as do many of the 192 countries meeting here. He says sub-national actors such as states and cities can act as "laboratories of action" on climate change as they have on many other issues. Huang Ming, a former petroleum engineer turned clean energy entrepreneur, says that shaping popular culture and thinking is as important as the policies being discussed in Copenhagen. In a light moment he and the governor discuss heating hot tubs with solar energy.

Rajendra Pachauri says India and other countries are doing a lot at the local level to reduce carbon pollution.
"We don't need to wait for leadership at the top," he says, urging a grassroots movement to spur deadlocked negotiations among countries here trying to reach a global climate framework.

He believes rich countries do have a moral obligation to address the carbon pollution their economic development has created.

Among the most contentious issues in Copenhagen is the question of transferring funds from wealthy countries to help less developed nations reduce future pollution and deal with changes already happening. Koch-Weser, a former official with the World Bank and German Finance Ministry, says that financial markets can leverage taxpayer money to reach the $65 billion to $100 billion a year in financing that developing countries say they need to cut a deal. He also says electric cars in the future will be "built in China not Stuttgart or Detroit" because China's automotive technologies will leapfrog industrialized countries.

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The Future of Cars and the Auto Industry


James Lentz, President/COO, Toyota, USA, Inc.


Toyota is known for creativity and a commitment to sustainable development, but is it enough in today's ultra-competitive globalized car industry? Come hear the unique perspective of industry veteran Lentz, who launched the innovative Scion brand in 2001, on what automakers are doing to ensure vehicles are a benefit, not a burden, to society and what future designs may be on the horizon.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on November 17, 2009.

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Published 2009-11-13

India: Deal Maker or Deal Breaker?

31 min
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India: Deal Maker or Deal Breaker?


India plays a critical role in the global climate chess game. It’s hard line stance has been softening slightly recently as the Copenhagen negotiations approach.
What is India’s approach to the international negotiations? What are the prospects for reforming its electricity sector? How is clean technology faring in India now?
These questions are addressed by Varun Rai, a Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, and Alexis Ringwald,
a co-founder of Valence Energy and a co-organizer of the Climate Solutions Road Tour in India.


This program was recorded at The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco on October 6, 2009

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Saving Civilization Is Not a Spectator Sport


Lester Brown, President, Earth Policy Institute


Brown sees concern in the merging of world food and energy economies. Putting corn ethanol in gas tanks and grain-intensive food (beef) into more human bellies will drive up commodity prices and exacerbate fresh water scarcity. Though he believes the Earth is under stress, Brown is hopeful, in part because for the first time since the Industrial Revolution we have begun investing in energy sources that can last forever.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on November 10, 2009

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Published 2009-11-13

David Orr: Confronting Climate Collapse

64 min
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Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse


David Orr, Professor, Environmental Studies and Politics, Oberlin College


Due to our refusal to live within the Earth’s natural limits, we now face a multitude of problems that will have a severe negative impact on human civilization. Orr, an expert on environmental literacy and ecological design, further argues that political negligence, an economy driven by insatiable consumption and a disregard for future generations are only adding to our plethora of environmental challenges.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California, on November 11th, 2009.

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What’s Science Got to Do with Climate Change?


Stephen Schneider, Professor of Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies, Stanford


Greg Dalton, Founder, Climate One


What risks does the changing climate pose to the global economy and how can we manage those risks? Rather than betting so much on a cap-and-trade regime for carbon pollution, Schneider says policymakers should fund more research to invent our way to a greener economy.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on November 3, 2009.

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A World Without Ice: Man’s Impact on Climate Change


Henry N. Pollack, Ph.D., Professor of Geophysics, University of Michigan


It has taken just three centuries for human growth and rising industrial economies to bring the delicate relationship between ice and humans to a dangerous precipice. Ice carved Earth’s landscape to its present state – the sharp Alpine peaks of Europe, the vast Great Lakes of North America, the majestic valleys of Yosemite National Park and the deeply incised fjords of Norway. But as the climate-change debate becomes more heated, are we at risk of losing these precious formations?


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on October 27, 2009.

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Published 2009-11-05

Tim Flannery: Now or Never

62 min
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Tim Flannery

Chairman, Copenhagen Climate Council; Author, Now or Never: Why We Must Act Now to End Climate Change and Create a Sustainable Future


Greg Dalton, Founder, Climate One - Moderator


One of the world's leading scientists and notable climate experts offers a pragmatic roadmap of the environmental challenges we face in dealing with climate change and the potential solutions toward sustainable living. Rather than looking backward and assigning blame, Flannery offers a powerful argument for immediate action and highlights some of the advancements made by wind-energy companies and automobile manufacturers to create electric cars that could end the reign of oil.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on October 21, 2009.

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EPA + You = A Greener Future

Lisa Jackson, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

After winning higher auto fuel economy earlier this year, what are the EPA’s next big priorities? In her first visit to California as the country’s chief environmental regulator, Jackson will lay out her vision for cleaning up America’s air, water and land. What are her plans on toxics, mining and other hot-button issues? And with climate legislation winding through Congress, what is her view on a national renewable fuel standard and other drivers moving toward a clean energy future? How does she plan to “sell” environmentalism in minority communities? Join us for an evening with President Obama’s top green advisor.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience in San Francisco as part of Climate One at The Commonwealth Club on September 29, 2009

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Arnold Schwarzenegger: California - Carbon = A Cleaner World?


Governor of California


Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will soon convene a global summit of governors from developing countries to advance the transition to a clean-energy economy. Before that happens, he visited Climate One for a discussion of California's role managing greenhouse gases, promoting green jobs and developing clean technology. Join us at the intersection of policy, politics and carbon for a conversation with the governor.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience in San Francisco as part of Climate One at The Commonwealth Club

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Hopenhagen: Seth Farbman, Jon Krosnick, Adam Werbach - Public Support for a Deal in Copenhagen

Adam Werbach, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi S
Seth Farbman, Managing Director, Ogilvy & Mather
Jon Krosnick, Professor of Communication and Political Science, Stanford University
Greg Dalton, Founder, Climate One

What do people around the world think about the threat of climate change and the promise of a new clean economy? Are they informed about the international negotiations in Copenhagen? If clean energy doesn't become a kitchen table issue, will the negotiations succeed?

This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club on September 15, 2009.

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Carbon Exchange 101

Eileen Tutt, Deputy Secretary for Climate Change and Environmental Justice, Cal EPA
Lawrence Goulder, Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics, Stanford University
Josh Margolis, CEO, Cantor CO2e
Greg Dalton, Vice President, The Commonwealth Club – Moderator

Could carbon exchange be the best route to controlling emissions? Some argue that the cap-and-trade approach lets companies buy the right to pollute, while others see a way to encourage clean industry while boosting the economy.

This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on September 20, 2009.

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Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms and Fertility Mattered

Woody Tasch, Chair and President, Slow Money; Author

Tasch is the chairman and president of Slow Money, a new nonprofit intermediary dedicated to catalyzing the flow of capital to enterprises that support the values that underline slow money, Tasch explains how we can “slow down” the flow of money to support soil fertility and local communities.

This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on August 27, 2009.

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The Truth About Green Business: The Potential for Jobs and Prosperity


Gil Friend, Founder/CEO, Natural Logic, Inc.; Author, The Truth About Green Business


Running a profitable business that takes care of the environment, provides meaningful jobs, and helps the community is an oxymoron, right? Not so fast. Friend suggests that green business practices are good for business and the world.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on August 18, 2009

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World Bank: Driving Incomes Up, Carbon Down


Katherine Sierra, Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank Group
Awais Khan, Lead, Clean Tech Venture Capital Practice, KPMG
Greg Dalton, Founder of Climate One at The Commonwealth Club


Are the world’s poor going to get shafted in the clean economy, just as they did in the dirty one? The World Bank is at the center of the great 21st-century challenge of reducing carbon while creating opportunity in emerging economies. When are those priorities in alignment? When do they conflict? How does the World Bank’s efforts relate to private capital and entrepreneurs?


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on July 28, 2009

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Published 2009-07-14

Curtailing Suburban Sprawl in California

67 min
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Curtailing Suburban Sprawl in California


Ted Droettboom, Joint Policy Director, Association of Bay Area Governments
Laura Hall, Principal, Hall Alminana, Inc.
Paul Campos, Vice President and General Counsel, Northern California Home Builders Association


As California’s population has grown, so too has the state’s thirst for expansion and elbow-room. As a result, Californians are spending more time in their cars than ever before. Longer commutes equate to higher greenhouse gas emissions, with roughly 40 percent of the state’s current overall emissions resulting from the transportation sector. Panelists will discuss recent state legislation that was passed to curtail suburban sprawl, as well as the impact legislation will have on individual citizens and the state.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on July 7, 2009

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Chevron + Sierra Club: Drilling for Common Ground


Dave O’Reilly, CEO, Chevron
Carl Pope, Executive Director, The Sierra Club
Alan Murray, Deputy Managing Editor, The Wall Street Journal – Moderator


Chevron and the Sierra Club both see renewable fuels as a growing part of our future. Yet as the world transitions to a low-carbon economy, they have different views on how that change should occur and who should bear the costs. Higher taxes? Voluntary conservation and efficiency? Government mandates? In their first-ever public conversation, O’Reilly and Pope discuss balancing energy and the environment in the 21st century.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club on June 10, 2009

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Published 2009-06-09

The Road to Copenhagen: Are We on Track?

70 min
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The Road to Copenhagen: Are We on Track?


Bill Reilly, Chairman, Climate Works Foundation; Former Administrator, EPA
Larry Schweiger, President, National Wildlife Federation; Board Member, Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection
John Bryson, Retired CEO, Southern California Edison; Co-founder, National Resources Defense Council
Greg Dalton, Vice President, Commonwealth Club of California


In six months more than 180 nations will gather in Copenhagen to hammer out one of the most far-reaching international treaties since the post-war order was established nearly 70 years ago. The Obama administration is taking a proactive approach. Environmentalists and businesses are weighing in. Is the world on track to make a deal? What will it look like? How is California helping set the agenda?


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club on June 9, 2009

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Rethinking Buying and Building: A New Sustainability Chain


Andy Ball, CEO, Webcor Builders
Beth Springer, EVP, Clorox
Dave Steiner, CEO, Waste Management, Inc.
Greg Dalton, Vice President, Commonwealth Club, moderator


Companies and consumers are being asked to think more about the full life-cycle of the products they make and buy. Whether making consumer goods or constructing skyscrapers, companies are coming around to such a cradle-to-cradle mentality. This panel, which includes the CEO of the country’s largest recycler, $14 billion Waste Management, will discuss innovations in design, materials and marketing that are convincing people and companies that being green is good for business and the planet.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience on May 12, 2009

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Published 2009-04-30

Clean Coal: Myth, or Reality?

68 min
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Clean Coal: Myth, or Reality?


S. Julio Friedmann, Carbon Management Program Leader, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Ray Lane, Managing Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Bruce Nilles, Director, Beyond Coal Campaign at Sierra Club
Joe Lucas, Senior Vice President, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
Jeff Goodell, Author, Big Coal – Moderator


Coal-fired power plants are the largest U.S. emitters of CO2 and human-generated mercury, yet our nation is poised to build many new coal plants in the future. Panelists will discuss new technologies for carbon capture and storage and IGCC, and the implications of energy policy decisions on the health of our economy and our planet.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club on April 28, 2009

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Published 2009-04-29

Change in Your Palm: The Borneo Rainforest

25 min
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Biologist Birute Mary Galdikas discusses the connection between Indonesian rainforests and climate change.
In conversation with Greg Dalton, Commonwealth Club Vice President, founder of Climate One


Deforestation in Indonesia, driven largely by large palm oil plantations, has caused that country to become the
third largest emitter of greenhouses gases in the world. Galdikas, who studied under anthropologist Louis Leakey, has
been studying orangutans in Borneo for nearly 40 years. She urges people to be aware of the impact palm oil, and biofuels,
are having on one of the world’s largest carbon sinks.


This program was recorded at The Commonwealth Club on April 27, 2009

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Getting Green Done: Hard Truths from the Front Lines of the Sustainability Revolution

Auden Schendler, Executive Director of Sustainability, Aspen Skiing Company; Author, Getting Green Done

What does the mechanic say when you ask him to put french fry oil in his $250,000 tractor? How do you actually make sustainability happen? Schendler will give us a peek under the hood of the green movement – what it means, in the trenches, to implement actual solutions to climate change.

This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on April 7, 2009.

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Published 2009-03-16

Climate Security

33 min
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Andrew Vincent Alder, Senior Fellow, Institute for Environmental Security
Holmes Hummel, Lecturer, Climate Policy, University of California, Berkeley
Tom Spencer, Vice Chair, The Institute for Climate Security
Greg Dalton, Vice President, The Commonwealth Club, Moderator


What is the geopolitical context in which the “Carbon Quad” – The United States, European Union, China and India –
are posturing regarding a global deal to reduce carbon pollution? What is the potential impact of the dwindling snow pack in the Tibetan plateau?
How does water stress factor into the climate equation internationally and in California? A fast and furious roundtable explores these issues and
touches on the lessons of the European Union Emission Trading Scheme, which is something of a model for the United States.

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Clean Tech for California: Emerging Winners


Jennifer Billock, Founder, Over the Moon Diapers – Air, Water, and Waste Winner
Tuyen Vo, Founder and CTO, Viridis Earth – Energy Efficiency Winner
Michael Looney, CEO and President, BottleStone – Green Building Winner
Allen Bronstein, Founder and CTO, Focal Point Energy – Renewables Winner
Donnie Foster, CEO and President, Power Assure – Smart Power Winner
Fraser Smith, CEO, ElectraDrive – Transportation Winner
Betsy Rosenberg, Founder, EcoTalk - Moderator

Meet the winners of the Third Annual California Clean Tech Open 2008. This statewide competition focuses on keeping California the leader in commercialized green technologies. Learn about the progress that the six winning companies have made as they move their innovations from the lab into the marketplace, as well as the biggest challenges and opportunities for turning clean-technology concepts into viable business models.

This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club on March 2, 2009

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Driving Toward Sustainability


Dan Sperling, Founding Director, Institute of Transportation Studies; Board Member, California Air Resources Board


By 2020, the number of cars on the planet will double to two billion. Without big changes to our cars, fuels and personal habits, the carbon footprint from transportation will rise above its current 25 percent of total emissions. Can we break the cycle of “shock and trance?” Join energy expert Sperling as he reveals what is at stake if we refuse to move quickly, and what opportunities exist if we act now.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club on February 12, 2009

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Letter to President Obama: A Path to a Greener Future


Linda Adams, Secretary, California Environmental Protection Agency
Carter Roberts, CEO, World Wildlife Fund U.S.
Jim Wunderman, President and CEO, Bay Area Council
Greg Dalton, Vice President Commonwealth Club

Can President Obama heal the economy and turn it green at the same time? He says yes, he can – by pumping investment into modern infrastructure, renewable fuels and new technologies. Can he and his cabinet really do all that and also uphold promises to protect national parks, balance the needs for food and energy, and create new jobs? Perhaps he can if he develops a clearly defined roadmap that tackles today’s multi-faceted and intertwined problems of national and energy security, global poverty, and climate change. A leading policymaker, advocate and businessperson discuss what Obama should do to realize his vision for America, and what that means for California.

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Alan Weisman, Author of "The World Without Us"


Alan Weisman's reports from around the world have appeared in Harper's, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Orion, Wilson Quarterly, Vanity Fair, Mother Jones, Discover, Audubon, Condé Nast Traveler, and in many anthologies, including Best American Science Writing 2006.

In this far-reaching narrative, Weisman explains how our massive infrastructure would collapse and finally vanish without human presence; what of our everyday stuff may become immortalized as fossils; how copper pipes and wiring would be crushed into mere seams of reddish rock; why some of our earliest buildings might be the last architecture left; and how plastic, bronze sculpture, radio waves, and some man-made molecules may be our most lasting gifts to the universe.

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Cars: Clean Them or Crush Them?


Kate Blumberg, Research Director,International Center for Clean Transportation
Cornie Huizenga, Vice-Chair, Clean Air Initiative, Asia Center
Michael O’Hare, Professor, Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley
Lee Schipper, Project Scientist, Global Metropolitan Studies, UC Berkeley
Greg Dalton, Commonwealth Club Vice President, Moderator


The number of cars in the world may double in twenty years to 2 billion if the emerging middle
class in India and China get their hands on a new set of wheels. The global economic recession is causing some
countries to invest in rail and other cleaner modes of transportation. At the same time, the recession prompted China to
to relax regulations on autos to boost its economy.


What are the consequences for global climate and quality of life in Asia?
What are the alternatives for personal mobility? Will Asian cities choose the problematic western model?
How can the US improve its transportation policies and technologies? Is the answer cleaner cars or fewer cars?


This program was recorded at The Commonwealth Club on January 22, 2009

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Published 2009-01-30

Getting Your Green Dream Job.

66 min
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Getting Your Green Dream Job


Nick Ellis, CEO, Bright Green Talent

Liz Maw, Executive Director, Net Impact

Jeff Horowitz, Founder, Avoided Deforestation Partners

Peter Beadle, CEO, Green Jobs

Joel Makower, Executive Editor, GreenBiz.com; Author, Strategies for the Green Economy – Moderator


Want a green job? INFORUM will tell you how to get it. In an increasingly green society, eco-friendly jobs are popping up everywhere. You don’t have to be an eco-expert to take advantage of this new market. Whether you’re just entering the workforce or looking to transition into a green career, our panel of experts will give you the ins and outs of finding a green-collar job. Following the panel discussion, INFORUM’s job fair features a wide variety of businesses, organizations, government sectors and schools that can help you take the next step in the green job market.


The companies and organizations tabling at the job fair portion of the program are: Bay Area Air Quality Management District; Beautiful Communities; California Environmental Associates; California Public Utilities Commision; CleanTech Human Capital; Global Footprint Network; GoodGuide; Green Career Central; Green Jobs Network; Green MBA; ICF Jones & Stokes; Presidio School of Management; Saatchi & Saatchi S; San Francisco Department of the Environment; SF State University – Graduate Business Programs; Solar Living Institute; SolarStaff Inc; Solar Richmond; Sustainable Spaces; The Cassillon Group; TransForm; USGBC NCC - Emerging Green Builders.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club on January 26, 2009

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Climate Countdown: Can the World Cut a Deal?

Tony Brunello, Deputy Secretary for Energy and Climate Change, California
Louis Blumberg, Director, CA Forest and Climate Policy, The Nature Conservancy
Aimee Christensen, Founder and CEO, Christensen Global Strategies
Greg Dalton, Vice President, The Commonwealth Club; Founder, Climate One – Moderator


In 2009, the world will try to craft the next comprehensive environmental treaty. To move forward, there must be multi-lateral consensus on the priorities in the global climate crisis. Recently, the UN Climate Change Conference convened 11,000 people from nearly 190 nations to focus on these challenges. How will governments, business and civil society come together to create plans for action and real solutions? What part will the U.S. play in the next protocol? This panel of insiders will give you the scoop and update you on what you need to know about the U.N.'s negotiations on climate change.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club on January 15, 2009

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Energy Efficiency Unplugged


Jim Davis, President, Chevron Energy Solutions
Ralph Cavanagh, Co-director, Energy Program, Natural Resources Defense Council
Tim Draper, Founder and Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Alan Murray, Deputy Managing Editor and Executive Editor Online, The Wall Street Journal – Moderator


Can we “save” our way to energy independence? Many energy companies contend the cheapest energy is unused energy. Changes in the construction and management of buildings help companies conserve, but is this a comprehensive strategy? What can we do in our personal lives to conserve, rather than consume? Turning off lights, pumping up tires and using the dishwasher’s “energy saver” mode are small, simple steps. Will they actually make a difference, or do we need more efficient technology to spur meaningful change? Join a panel of experts to discover what companies and consumers can do to become more energy efficient.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club on January 13, 2009

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City Planet


Stewart Brand, Co-founder and President, Long Now Foundation


Brand will discuss how increasing urbanization is accelerating economic development with remarkable speed. The consequences will be profound, he believes. Are we prepared? Brand has focused on such subjects as digital media, education and architecture. He’s perhaps best known for founding the Whole Earth Catalog.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club on June 14, 2007

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Author, The Long Emergency,


James Howard Kunstler is an author, social critic, public speaker, and blogger. He is best known for his books The Geography of Nowhere (1994), a history of American suburbia and urban development, and the more recent The Long Emergency (2005), where he argues that declining oil production is likely to result in the end of industrialized society as we know it and force Americans to live in localized, agrarian communities.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club on March 19, 2007

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Renewable Energy for California: Challenges and Solutions

Paul Douglas, Renewables Portfolio Standard Program Manager, California Public Utilities Commission
Roy Kuga, Vice President of Energy Supply, PG&E
Diane Fellman, Director of California Regulatory Affairs, FPL Energy
Carl Zichella, Regional Director for California, Sierra Club
Cliff Chen, Energy Analyst, Union of Concerned Scientists - Moderator

How fast should electric power companies change their game plans? Al Gore has challenged the nation to produce 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years, and the California legislature has directed the state's investor-owned utilities to generate 20 percent of their electricity from renewable energy by 2010. So, how are we doing so far? Only a small proportion of the utilities' contracts for clean energy have resulted in visible construction. What is causing the delay, and what are the solutions?

This program was recorded in front of a live audience on October 21, 2008

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Is Big Oil Part of Our Energy Problem, or the Solution?

John Hofmeister, Founder and Chief Executive, Citizens for Affordable Energy; Former President, Shell Oil Co.

Big Energy is feeling the heat as skyrocketing oil costs and climate-change buzz fuel criticism from consumers and the media. But recently retired Shell chief Hofmeister will give a major speech addressing how the goals of consumers, the environmental movement and energy companies are actually closely aligned. He has just founded the not-for-profit nationwide membership association Citizens for Affordable Energy. This public-policy advocacy firm aims to promote sound U.S. energy security solutions for the nation, including a range of affordable energy supplies, efficiency improvements, essential infrastructure, sustainable environmental policy and public education on energy issues. Don't miss this groundbreaking event.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience on October 16, 2008

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Global Climate Change in the Decades Ahead: Fact Versus Fiction

Rob Dunbar, Professor of Earth Science, Senior Fellow, Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment and Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies


Dunbar takes a fresh look at the controversy surrounding the global warming crisis. He discusses unprecedented changes in the environment, focusing on air-sea interactions, tropical marine ecosystems, polar climate and the transfer of chemicals between organisms and environments.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience on October 8, 2008

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Published 2008-10-02

Eric Schmidt, CEO, Google

64 min
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Where Would Google Drill?

Eric Schmidt, CEO, Google

Would “Drill, Baby, Drill” be part of Google’s vision for green energy? Yes, but not drilling for oil. CEO Schmidt says punching down into the Earth to capture natural and clean geothermal energy could help move the United States away from its dependence on petroleum. Google’s new energy plan also calls for a bold move into solar and wind power. It would cost $2.7 trillion through 2030. However, Schmidt says it would generate $2.1 trillion in energy savings. It would also create hundreds of thousands of jobs. And help fight global warming.

This program was recorded in front of a live audience on October 1, 2008

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Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California

In signing a landmark climate change law two years ago, Governor Schwarzenegger put California ahead of the parade to a low-carbon economy. “The global warming debate is over,” he declared. Public awareness has surged since then, but most of the hard work still lies ahead. How will California meet its goal of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases 25 percent by 2020? Will offshore oil drilling be resumed? Who will pay for the transition to sustainable energy? Will California’s energy and environmental laws become part of a national plan under a new president? The governor will provide an update and his vision of the road ahead.

This program was recorded in front of a live audience on September 26, 2008

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Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chair of the Nobel Peace Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); Director General, Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi

Mary Nichols, Chair, California Air Resources Board (CARB)

Ray Lane, Managing partner of venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins

Greg Dalton, Commonwealth Club Vice President, founder of The Club's Climate One Initiative



PANEL: Leading a transformation to a global low-carbon economy

Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, Mary Nichols and Ray Lane will address questions concerning California’s leading role in the fight against dangerous climate change. What is the state of science on the causes and impacts of global warming? Can California consumers, corporations and policymakers facilitate systemic change and spur others to act? What are the costs and what are the opportunities? What role does innovation play?

“California's culture of innovation is helping to drive the world towards more sustainable ways of producing, consuming and being,” comments Greg Dalton, Club VP and Director of The Club’s new Climate One Program, who orchestrated the program. “The changes are profound and promising. And yet leading environmental scientists such as R.K. Pachauri say we all need to do more, much more.”

Pachauri, chair of the IPCC since 2002, is also the director general of the Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi, devoted to researching and promoting sustainable development. Selected by The United Nations Development Program as a Part Time Adviser in the area of Energy and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, Pachauri holds an M.S. in industrial engineering, a Ph.D. in industrial engineering, and a Ph.D. in economics from North Carolina State University.

Nichols, appointed chair of CARB by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2007, also served as CARB chair under Governor Jerry Brown. Her history includes serving as assistant administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Air and Radiation, Secretary for California's Resources Agency, and Director of the University of California, Los Angeles Institute of the Environment. Considered one of California’s first environmental lawyers, Nichols has paved the way for greater air quality. She has her Juris Doctorate degree from Yale Law School and a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University

Lane, Managing Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, has sponsored several investments for the firm in clean and alternative energy including Ausra (solar concentrator), Fisker Automotive (plug-in hybrid car), Th!nk NA (electric car), Luca Technologies (biologically enhanced gas recovery from fossilized hydrocarbons). Before joining KPCB, Lane was President and Chief Operating Officer of Oracle Corporation, the second-largest software company in the world. Lane received a Bachelor's degree in mathematics and an honorary Ph.D. in Science from West Virginia University (WVU).

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