The Summer Olympic Games are here! That means more than 300 events, ten thousand athletes and millions of spectators coming to watch. And the athletes are not the only ones with an Olympian task; the organizers of the Paris Games pledged to make their event emit only half of the carbon pollution of the 2012 London Games.  In order to make that happen, they are trying to do more — by doing less. Instead of building huge new structures, they’ve renovated a number of existing venues and installed a lot of temporary structures that can be used elsewhere in the future. And that’s just one exam ..read more

This November, voters may have the rare opportunity to choose between two administrations that have already each had four years in office. Regardless of who ends up at the top of the ticket, when it comes to climate in particular, a lot is at stake.  As Biden’s first term is winding down, the administration has been enacting numerous climate initiatives on top of his already robust climate wins, like new guidance on permitting and a new solar program. Meanwhile, former President Trump has promised to “drill, baby, drill” on day one, and roll back as much of Biden’s landmark climate legis ..read more

There are climate heroes everywhere among us, but few get the public attention they deserve. Matt Scott, director of storytelling and engagement at Project Drawdown, has been shining a light on the work of such people in cities across the country in his documentary short series “Drawdown’s Neighborhood.” In Atlanta, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, the San Francisco Bay Area and more, Scott lifts up underrepresented voices of those working directly in their communities on climate issues. This week, we feature some of those voices. Guests: Matt Scott, Director of Storytelling & Engagement, Projec ..read more

As countries around the world become more serious about reducing carbon emissions to meet international targets, many are still approving new oil and gas projects, committing us to increased global warming. Yet an increasing number of countries are taking a stand to leave those future emissions in the ground, even at the expense of their own profits.  Last year, Ecuadorians voted to halt the development of new oil wells in the Yasuní National Park in the Amazon, keeping around 726 million barrels of oil underground. Meanwhile, Costa Rica and Denmark have created the Beyond Oil and Gas All ..read more

Adam Met is a behind-the-scenes climate policy powerhouse. He also happens to be the bass player in the award winning indie pop group AJR. During Met’s time away from touring the world and rocking the bass in front of thousands of fans, he and the team at Planet Reimagined, the thought and action tank Met founded, set out on a cross country listening tour in order to better understand how to create bipartisan climate policy. What they came up with is a plan to help renewable energy projects get built on land that has already been approved for fossil fuel projects, thus cutting down on the time ..read more

Acting like a responsible adult can be challenging at the best of times. Add dealing with climate chaos to the mix, and keeping it all together can feel like an outright miracle.  Let’s start by acknowledging that all does not feel fine in the world at the present moment. But living through extreme intensity isn’t a completely unique experience. Generations before us have endured existential crises of unimaginable magnitudes.  So how do we navigate this period of uncertainty — regardless of our age? And what tools can we use to build resilience in the midst of what feels like a lot ..read more

More than 7% of California has burned in the last five years. Clearly, past methods of wildfire prevention haven’t worked. Now, California is embracing a variety of new approaches to land management in an effort to beat back the flames. California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot oversees the state's public lands, parks, wildlife and its firefighting agency, CalFire. As part of our slate of SF Climate Week events, Secretary Crowfoot spoke with KQED Science Reporter Danielle Venton about his work leading efforts to better adapt the state to the risk of wildfires.  Guests: Wade Cro ..read more

Summer means peak wildfire season. And recently, we’ve seen some of the most destructive wildfires in recorded history. For years the message around fire has been: no fire is good.  But increasingly, we’re starting to fight fire with fire. Prescribed burns may help prevent large, catastrophic wildfires. While using fire as a tool to manage the forest may be a relatively new concept to some, Indigenous communities have used fire to manage their environment for thousands of years. Is it time to rethink our relationship with wildfire?  Guests:  Susan Prichard, Fire Ecologist, Unive ..read more

Globally, one-third of food produced every year is wasted. That’s enough to feed about 2 billion people — twice the number of people who are undernourished. The global food system also accounts for a whopping one-third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. These two problems — waste and emissions — are intricately linked: Climate disruption exacerbates food insecurity. And industrial food production contributes to the climate crisis. When food is wasted, it’s also a waste of land, water and energy. In this episode, we talk with experts about how to fix the broken system and hear from some o ..read more

Summer is coming soon, and for many that means vacation. While traveling far and wide can be an amazing experience, the carbon cost of traveling is significant. But what if we could rekindle a sense of awe in our own neighborhoods? After years of extreme expeditions all over the world, adventurer Alastair Humphreys spent a year exploring the detailed local map around his home. His new book “Local” is an ode to slowing down, as well as a rallying cry to protect the wild places on our doorstep. This episode also features field reporting from Producers Austin Colón and Megan Biscieglia. Guest:&nb ..read more