Climate One

SF Climate Week 2024: Is California on Track for an Affordable and Just Energy Transition?

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Golden State has staked much of its reputation on its green credentials, with state leaders often touting its role on the leading edge of global a...

SF Climate Week 2024: California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Suing Big Oil

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On behalf of the People of the State of California, Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against five of the world’s largest oil and gas c...

Artificial Intelligence, Real Climate Impacts

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence can do some pretty amazing things, including for the climate. AI can help optimize the electric grid, make heating and cooling...

Nearly 2 Years In… Is the Inflation Reduction Act Delivering Yet?

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In August 2022, Congress passed the biggest piece of climate legislation in our nation’s history: The Inflation Reduction Act, which put $400 billio...

Elizabeth Kolbert on Hope, Despair, and Everything In Between

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Even before Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” brought climate change to the mainstream, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert was ...

Rising Temperatures, Rising Prices: How Climate Drives Inflation

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Climate change means extreme weather, shifting landscapes, and generally more instability. More and more, you can feel the impacts of climate disrupti...

Climate Migration: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The places that most people call home are coming under increasing threat from climate change. From rising seas and more frequent floods to stronger hu...

Talk Isn’t Cheap: The Power of Conversation

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As heat waves, storms, droughts and wildfires continue to worsen, talking can seem like a seriously insufficient climate solution. It’s fair to ask:...

How Activism Can Win Bigger and Faster with Kumi Naidoo

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kumi Naidoo is a world renowned activist and climate leader. Before going on to lead Greenpeace International then Amnesty International, Naidoo was a...

What More Can I Do?

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a climate-conscious person, you likely already know some of the main ways you can reduce your contribution to greenhouse gasses: buy less,...

Geothermal: So Hot Right Now

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When most people hear the phrase renewable energy, they imagine fields full of solar panels or giant spinning wind turbines. But another source may be...

Let’s Talk Dirty to Clean Energy

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As fossil fuels are phased out, shuttered coal plants, contaminated landfills, and abandoned mine lands across the U.S. are finding new life as renewa...

Busted: The Newest Emission Cheaters

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A settlement for the largest civil penalty resulting from the Clean Air Act has just been reached. The EPA, DOJ and the State of California have agree...

REWIND: Jane Fonda: A Lifetime of Activism

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jane Fonda has spent the last several decades fighting for Indigenous peoples' rights, economic justice, LGBTQ rights, peace, gender equality and more...

Indigenous Perspectives: What Makes a Just Transition?

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We often talk about a “just transition” from dirty to clean energy as if the term means the same thing to everyone. Indigenous people have seen th...

Wardrobe Malfunction: The Climate Impact of Clothing

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What we wear defines us in so many ways. But in recent decades we’ve moved away from long-lasting, quality pieces in favor of disposable fast fashio...

Pairing Scientists with Community Advocates

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The climate crisis can feel distant — like it’s someone else’s problem — until your town is flooded, your home is damaged by storms, or you're...

REWIND: Youth Activists 15 Years Later

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From the climate movement’s earliest days, young people have been at the forefront of activism. But the first major international climate conference...

REWIND: Just a Walk or Bike Ride Away: The 15-Minute City

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Can you imagine if everything you needed in your everyday life was just a walk or bike ride away? That’s the goal of the 15-minute city, a new name ...

Ben Santer: 2023 Schneider Award Winner

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Santer has spent decades researching and identifying the human fingerprints on the climate system changes we’re now all seeing. He was lead auth...

This Year in Climate: 2023

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a year of weather extremes — again. But there’s also been cause for  renewed hope about our climate future. On the heels of this year...

Reporting from COP28: The People at the Heart of It All

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re reporting from Dubai, where the 28th UN climate change conference (COP28) is now underway. Ever since the Paris Agreement was signe...

On the Ground at COP28: What’s at Stake with the Global Stocktake?

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 28th annual Conference of the Parties, COP28, opens this week in Dubai. For the 28th time, the nations of the world have gathered to see what prog...

REFRESH: Another Look at Bridging the Great American Divide

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Most Americans support climate action, but you wouldn’t know it from Congress or the courts – or from most of the media. People on both the left a...

The Coolest Show: The Referendum — Stop Cop City with Rev. Keyanna Jones

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From The Coolest Show: The City of Atlanta has leased 381-acres of Weelaunee Forest, stolen Muscogee land, to the Atlanta Police Foundation for a poli...

Six People Who’ve Changed Jobs for Climate

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most common questions people ask about climate is: what can I do? Since time is one of our most valuable resources – and we spend so much...

Putting It All on the Line with Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. and Jacqueline Patterson

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Climate affects everyone, but not equally. Those affected first and worst are often the same communities that suffer from housing and income inequalit...

Rebecca Solnit on Why It’s Not Too Late

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit has been examining hope and the unpredictability of change for over 20 years. In 2023 she co-edited an ...

Is This a Joke? Comedy and Climate Communication

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Laughter can be good medicine, but when is it okay to laugh at something as deadly serious as the climate crisis? Jokes help us remember information t...

Community Resilience: Knowing Your Neighbor Could Save Your Life

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Disasters caused by burning fossil fuels are becoming more frequent, and in the aftermath of hurricanes, floods and wildfires, federal and state respo...

Ken Burns, Rosalyn LaPier and The American Buffalo

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For thousands of years, the American buffalo evolved alongside Indigenous people who relied on them for food and shelter, and, in exchange for killing...

Rep. Ro Khanna on AI, Misinformation and Holding Big Oil Accountable

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Congressman Ro Khanna has made a name for himself as a pragmatic progressive and critic of Big Oil. He grilled oil company CEOs under oath and helped ...

Jane Fonda: A Lifetime of Activism

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jane Fonda has spent the last several decades fighting for Indigenous peoples' rights, economic justice, LGBTQ rights, peace, gender equality and more...

Naomi Klein and Carolyn Beeler: Covering Big Ideas and Personal Stories

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The climate crisis can be difficult to cover in a way that most people can relate to. The mechanism of harm goes from a person's gas car or stove to t...

Official Trailer: Climate One

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re living through a climate emergency; addressing this crisis begins by talking about it. Join us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...

The Nuclear Option

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fourteen years after receiving its permit, the nation’s first new nuclear reactors in decades just fired up in Georgia. Massive, traditional nuclear...

Rethinking Economic Growth, Wealth, and Health

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since the industrial revolution, the global north has seen massive economic growth. Yet that growth has been linked to increasing greenhouse gas emiss...

Fairytales and Fear: Stories Of Our Future

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Stories are the way we remember, the way we share knowledge, the way we play out possible outcomes. Climate fiction imagines dark or bright futures de...

The Road to Zero Emission Trucking

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the build out of infrastructure for electric passenger vehicles gets underway, another segment of transportation is just starting down the road to ...

Navigating Science and Feelings on a Destabilized Planet

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This year is shaping up to be the hottest year in 125,000 years. It may also be the coolest year a child born today will ever see. In “The Quickenin...

Just a Walk or Bike Ride Away: The 15-Minute City

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Can you imagine if everything you needed in your everyday life was just a walk or bike ride away? That’s the goal of the 15-minute City, a new name ...

Youth Activists 15 Years Later

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From the climate movement’s earliest days, young people have been at the forefront of activism. But the first major international climate conference...

Building a Better Battery Supply Chain with JB Straubel and Aimee Boulanger

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Batteries are a critical part of the transition away from fossil fuels. From electric vehicles to grid scale storage for wind and solar, demand for ba...

REWIND: Anand Giridharadas: Persuaders in a Hot and Polarized World

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a democracy, meaningful change often requires adapting views and building coalitions. Some believe finding common ground and building rapport is th...

Green Energy / Red States

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Billions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act have started flowing into renewable energy projects and manufacturing. That’s bringing jobs and...

Law and Oil: Taking Climate Offenders to Court

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The last several years have seen a big increase in the number of lawsuits focused on the climate crisis. Some lawsuits challenge governments for their...

Peter Gleick on Water Poverty, Conflict, and a Hope for the Future

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

No elemental force has done more to shape life on this planet than water, from originating the earliest forms of life, to sculpting our landscapes, to...

Cory Booker: Taking on Big Ag & Going Big on Climate

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our food and agricultural systems are helping fuel the climate emergency. But climate isn’t the only harm; these systems also impact local economie...

REWIND: Saket Soni on the People Who Make Disaster Recovery Possible

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Who cleans up and rebuilds our communities after floods, fires, and hurricanes? COVID redefined America's definition of “essential workers,” but m...

Killer Heat: Confronting Disproportionate Impacts on Women and Girls

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Extreme heat kills more people per year than any other climate disaster. It preys on the poor, exacerbates racial inequalities, and there is a growing...

Bringing Biodiversity Back from the Breaking Point

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Land use, pollution and the climate crisis are driving what may be the largest mass extinction event since the dinosaurs. The World Wildlife Fund esti...

Naomi Oreskes, David Gelles and The Myth of Free Markets

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many on the left say that the growing climate crisis is the inevitable result of unbridled capitalism – industries seeking profits above all else. I...

Two Heroes Challenging the Powerful

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Making the necessary changes to address climate disruption will take massive collective action. But sometimes, a single individual can make an extraor...

Amy Westervelt on Drilling, Denial and Disinformation

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Amy Westervelt has made a career out of exploring the underbelly of the oil industry through complex and compelling storytelling. Through her investig...

Get Up, Stand Up: What Actions Move the Needle?

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From the Boston Tea Party to the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter, activists have long sought to bring pressing issues into the public cons...

Lights, Camera, Inaction: Where is Climate’s Starring Role?

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hollywood has been slow to include climate in its stories. Executives fear it won’t sell – that it’s too overwhelming or depressing. Apple TV+ h...

Missed Connections: Modernizing Our Multiple Grids

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Thousands of renewable energy projects are ready to be built and start producing fossil-free power, but they’re stuck in a long limbo for one essent...

Bitcoin Uses a Ton of Energy — On Purpose. Is it Worth It?

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Studies estimate that global bitcoin mining uses more electricity than most countries, and that bitcoin mining may be responsible for about 65 megaton...

Two Voices on Climate That Will Surprise You

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s easy to write off people outside our own ideological bubbles, even when we may have many goals in common. But as the effects of the climate cri...

White House Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi on Willow and Biden’s Climate Agenda

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Biden’s policy wins have secured vast amounts of funding for the energy transition, and that money is just beginning to flow, with new programs beco...

Yes, Happiness and Climate Action Can Go Together

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our brains have evolved over millions of years to deal with immediate and direct challenges, but they’re not so great at processing large existentia...

A Global Just Transition — For Whom?

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

According to the United Nations Development Program, 54 countries, accounting for half the world’s population, face such critical debt burdens that ...

Stop, Listen, What’s that Sound?

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every place we inhabit has its own tapestry of sound, whether you’re hiking through the woods or sitting in a cafe with a friend. And not only are s...

Has Hydrogen’s Moment Finally Arrived?

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Not long ago, it was said that “hydrogen is the fuel of the future - and always will be.” Now, with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law tagging $9.5...

Housing Density as a Climate Lever with Scott Wiener

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The lack of affordable housing in the U.S. has contributed to a homelessness crisis and has forced people to move farther away from urban centers. Ine...

Climate Smart Agriculture with Secretary Tom Vilsack

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Agriculture is responsible for around 11% of U.S. carbon emissions. And yet soil holds the potential for massive carbon sequestration. Conventional ag...

What We’re Watching in Climate Now

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

2022 was a banner year for climate – both in terms of climate-fueled disaster and historic federal investments in clean energy, electric vehicles an...

Saket Soni on the People Who Make Disaster Recovery Possible

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Who cleans up and rebuilds our communities after floods, fires, and hurricanes? COVID redefined America's definition of “essential workers,” but m...

Blue Carbon: Sinking It in the Sea

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When most of us think about using nature to remove carbon dioxide from the air, we think of trees. Yet blue carbon, a new name for storing carbon diox...

Activism, Art and Environmental Justice

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Art can inspire community and conversation, provide fresh insights into understanding history, and cultivate connection. It can challenge your worldvi...

REWIND: Coping with Climate through Music

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Music and social movements have historically gone hand in hand. Folk music played a unifying role for the labor movements in the United States. Music ...

REWIND: Molly Wood on Tech, Money and Survival

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After a 20-year career as a tech reporter for CNET, the New York Times, and the public radio program Marketplace, Molly Wood has come to see the clima...

Revisiting The Enablers: The Firms Behind Fossil Fuel Falsehoods

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For years, fossil fuel companies have claimed to support climate science and policy. Many have recently pledged to hit net zero emissions by midcentur...

This Year in Climate: 2022

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves through global energy markets, destabilized international food security, and continues to keep...

Stefan Rahmstorf: 2022 Schneider Award Winner

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, Climate One grants an award in memory of pioneering climate scientist Steve Schneider, who fiercely took on the denial machine from the 19...

Green Buildings: Cooking Without Gas

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s become common for homeowners to install solar panels to provide themselves with emission-free electricity. But increasingly more attention is b...

What’s in My Air?

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over a 20-year period, methane is 80 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Yet those responsible for releasing methane into the atmo...

Yvon Chouinard: Giving It All Away

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard made headlines recently when he announced that he and his family had transferred their $3 billion stake in the storie...

In Person at COP27: Funding the Global Energy Transition

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Climate One has been at this year's UN climate summit, COP27, where one of the issues at the forefront of the conversation has been “loss and damage...

On the Ground at COP27: Tallying Payments and Progress

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The 27th UN convention on climate change, known as COP27, is now underway in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. When Climate One spoke with Egyptian Ambassador W...

Kamala Harris and Gina McCarthy: Views From The Inside

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a big year for U.S. climate policy. Three major pieces of legislation: the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the CHIPS and Science Act and th...

Anand Giridharadas: Persuaders in a Hot and Polarized World

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a democracy, meaningful change often requires adapting views and building coalitions. Some believe finding common ground and building rapport is th...

Two Hemispheres, One Story: Reporting on Rising Seas

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty of the world’s richest countries – mostly in the Global North – are responsible for 80 percent of the carbon pollution that’s driving e...

Bonus COP27 Preview: Egyptian Ambassador Wael Aboulmagd

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Paris Agreement requires every country to declare their own nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, for reducing emissions. Last year at COP...

Countdown to COP27: Feeling the Heat

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, scientists and activists have called for action to slow the pace of global warming. The political process has struggled and largely faile...

Political Climate: The Midterm Forecast

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With the US midterm elections looming, the window for enacting meaningful climate policy may be closing. November’s elections will determine which p...

Risky Business: Underinsured Against Climate Disaster

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In recent years, hundreds of thousands of people in high-risk disaster areas across the US have been dropped from their insurance policies, leaving th...

The Inflation Reduction Act Passed. Now What?

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In August, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. The IRA allocates around $370 billion over ten years to invest in renewable en...

Molly Wood on Tech, Money and Survival

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After a 20-year career as a tech reporter for CNET, the New York Times, and the public radio program Marketplace, Molly Wood has come to see the clima...

No Going Back: EVs and Clean Tech Tipping Points with Albert Cheung

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the tech world, there’s a common belief that once a new device hits 5% market penetration, it rapidly goes from a niche to mass adoption. Accordi...

Bridging The Great American Divide

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Most Americans support climate action, but you wouldn’t know it from Congress or the courts – or from most of the media. People on both the left a...

Ukraine and the Middle East: Climate Action in Conflict Zones

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused horrific damage and casualties, in spite of Ukraine’s remarkable efforts to defend itself. The conflict ha...

Will Sustainable Aviation Ever Take Off?

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For those of us who love to travel, climate guilt weighs heavily. Civil aviation accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that nu...

The Inflation Reduction Act: What’s in the Sausage?

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For nearly six decades, the US government passed no comprehensive climate legislation. Now that’s changed. The Inflation Reduction Act contains appr...

REWIND: Climbing, Conservation and Capitalism

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Ridgeway estimates he’s spent about five years of his life sleeping in tents, often in the world’s most remote places alongside fellow outdoo...

Patti Poppe: Reinventing Utilities During a Climate Emergency

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the CEO of the California utility giant PG&E, Patti Poppe is charged with navigating the company through massive wildfires, disrupted energy market...

Turning Down the Heat: Decarbonizing Cement and Steel

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Along with aviation, the construction industry is one of the hardest to decarbonize sectors in the global economy. Cement and steel production togethe...

On The Run: Voluntary and Forced Climate Migration

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The climate crisis is a growing driver of human migration, exacerbating the misery of already struggling communities. According to the UN Refugee Agen...

REWIND: Firefight: How to Live in the Pyrocene

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We’re on track for yet another summer of record wildfires in the western U.S., endangering lives, displacing communities, and sending unhealthy smok...

Wanjira Mathai on Sustainable Development and the Power of Women

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Africa is responsible for only less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet its people are already suffering some of the world’s most devast...