As climate change increases wildfire severity, adequate funding to maintain and restore natural and working lands as a buffer against climate impacts is key. This week, join our conversation with Chuck Bonham, the Director of California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife about how California offers an example through the one million acres his department manages.
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Audio By: Wangyuxuan Xu Scripting By: Alexandra Jade Garcia Blurb By: Elizabeth Shertinsky Socials By: Sophia Del Priore West Virginia v. EPA The U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency on June 30, 2022, determining (in a 6-3 ruling) that, without explicit congressional instruction,…
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Russia is a major oil producer, responsible for 11 percent of the world’s total oil supply in 2020. Its invasion of Ukraine has roiled the markets and geopolitics of energy, driving oil and gas prices to their highest levels in nearly a decade and forcing many countries to reconsider their energy supplies. This week, listen to Steve Cohen, professor of international affairs and sustainability management at Columbia University, talking about the impact Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is having on energy policy.
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The environmental justice movement began in the 1980s which address the unfair exposure of poor and marginalized communities to harms associated with resource extraction, hazardous waste, and other land uses. It’s often closely tied with environmental racism. Dr. Robert Bullard first defined environmental racism in his 1990 book Dumping in Dixie, and is now serving on the White House Environmental Justice Council to develop a screening tool to determine which communities get priority for new climate investments.
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Diplomacy may actually produce some real results on climate change. Kevin Rudd, former prime minister of Australia says addressing climate change requires the U S and China to put aside differences and collaborate on climate policy in a California China Climate Institute discussion.
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The growth of electric vehicles has increased the demands on the electric grid, which can be a particular problem if EV owners charge their cars at the same time that other electricity demand is at its peak. However, EVs may be part of the solution to some of the grid’s operational challenges. Dr. Carla Peterman, chief sustainability officer at electric utility Pacific Gas and Electric and a former California energy official, spoke about the possibility of electric vehicles providing grid services.
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Dr. Liz Hadly is a biologist studying how human activity and human caused climate change affect global biodiversity and ecosystem function. One policy Dr. Hadly’s research supports is the so-called 30×30 pledge to conserve 30 percent of both land and oceans by 2030, which California and United States made the promise to meet the target. At a recent California China Climate Institute discussion, she discussed preserving native biodiversity as a way of building climate resilience, with former California Governor Jerry Brown.
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“Climate 101” is a new roundtable podcast that our show producer, Ethan Elkind, will talk to different experts to get the basics on various climate topics in each episode. This time, the guest is California’s trailblazing climate leaders Mary Nichols, Louise Bedsworth, and Aimee Barnes and they will talk about lessons from California: Where we’ve gone wrong that other states can learn from, as well as where we’ve gone right.
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Combating the effects of climate change requires effective policy solutions, and in democratic societies, one of the most effective climate actions citizens can take is voting for candidates that support sustainable climate solutions. Thus, climate change must be viewed as a voting issue to build public and political demand for climate solutions. This week, listen to the climate scientist Michael Mann in this California China Climate Institute discussion.
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As climate change impacts rapidly increase, global leaders are working to greatly accelerate their emission reductions by 2030. They are working to reach short-term decarbonization solutions as quickly as possible. This week, listen to Christiana Figueres at a recent California China Climate Institution discussion and how investors and advocates can enhance scrutiny over international fossil fuel investments.
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