Skip to content
Melo Podcasts Home
CategoriesLanguagesFollowing

Episode · Climate One

Two Stories That Prove Change Is Possible

17 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 0 min

Play episode WhatsApp Download

Episode notes

We are living through a time where big positive change seems unachievable, but there are two instances from the recent past that prove change is possible. For over a century, Indigenous people along the Klamath River fought to protect their way of life, and the salmon they depend on. Their persistence helped remove four dams and restore hundreds of miles of river. In Los Angeles, decades of science, activism, and policy turned toxic smog into cleaner air. Both stories reveal that progress takes persistence, coalition-building, and time. But when communities push and institutions respond,…

Podcast

Climate One

Climate One from The Commonwealth Club · Tech & Science · English

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. S

More from Climate One All episodes →

  1. 15 May 2026 · 57 min

    Protest and Beyond: Annie Leonard On What You Can Do

    Protest is the ultimate in equal-opportunity political action. As Annie Leonard, former executive director of Greenpeace USA says, "Making change is like laying a stone path across the garden. Peaceful protest may be every 4th or 8th or 200th stone; it helps us get where we want to go but also we need a lot of other stones too.” Leonard explores the history of protests in her new book “Protest: Respect It. Defend It. Use It.” And while protest is the loudest and most visible tool, it’s only one of many ways to take action. Through community building, through civic engagement, through elected…

  2. 8 May 2026 · 59 min

    Mother is Mothering

    Sometimes mothers are biological; other times, they’re chosen. But often, they're the fiercest people you can have on your side. In this special Mother’s Day episode, we’ll hear stories about the vital role mothers and caregivers play in confronting the climate crisis. From a midwife providing essential healthcare in one of the most climate-stressed regions on the planet to an organizer who leads a network of over a million caregivers demanding cleaner air and a healthier future — these women show what it means to protect people in a changing world. Guests: Dominique Browning, Co-Founder and…

  3. 1 May 2026 · 59 min

    John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram: Speed & Scale’s Reality Check

    In 2021, legendary investor John Doerr outlined his plan to solve climate change in his bestseller “Speed & Scale.” The plan outlines 10 objectives, each with their own set of key results, to cut emissions to net zero. And in true John Doerr style, the results are to be measurable and trackable. ​Now, five years later, Doerr and co-author Ryan Panchadsaram unveil their 2026 update, revealing where the world is winning, where it's falling behind, and what it will take to close the gap. Guests: John Doerr, Venture capitalist; Chair, Kleiner Perkins Ryan Panchadsaram, Advisor to the Chairman,…

  4. 29 Apr 2026 · 39 min

    Nancy Pelosi’s Seat is Open. Meet Two Candidates Vying to Succeed Her.

    This year, one of the most powerful politicians in the country decided not to seek re-election. For nearly 38 years, Nancy Pelosi has represented the people of San Francisco in the US House of Representatives. As one of the most powerful House Speakers in U.S. history, Pelosi played a central role in advancing landmark environmental and climate laws, and bringing energy and climate policy to the forefront of the national agenda. Her retirement opens up a space for a new person to take up her mantle as an advocate for climate and energy policies, as well as the other priorities of the people…

  5. 24 Apr 2026 · 57 min

    ENCORE: Taylor Brorby and Suzie Hicks Tell The Stories We Don’t Always Hear

    Finding one's voice in climate action can come in many forms. Author and activist Taylor Brorby grew up in Center, North Dakota as a fourth-generation member of a fossil-fuel family. He struggled to find his place as a young gay kid who loved art, music, nature and poetry. Over time, he turned that tension into writing that challenges the fossil fuel industry, makes space for others stuck in a broken system, and inspires a more just future. Suzie Hicks felt the weight of climate concerns but after college, didn’t know what to do with those feelings. After doing an internship at the New…

  6. 10 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 3 min

    Press Start: Video Games and the Climate Crisis

    About half the global population spends some amount of their leisure time playing games, whether it’s a board game after dinner with friends or online role-playing experience through an alternate world. While many video and board games have long incorporated elements we can imagine in a climate-altered future — such as resource scarcity, conflict, and survival — some in the industry are working to shift players’ mindsets towards protecting nature and reducing their own climate impacts in the process. Daybreak is a cooperative board game about stopping climate change. Cities: Skylines lets…

  7. 3 Apr 2026 · 57 min

    Benji Backer: Nature is Nonpartisan

    In a moment when nearly everything feels polarized, Benji Backer is trying to carve out a different path, one where caring about the natural world isn’t a partisan issue. As the founder of Nature Is Nonpartisan, he’s bringing together voices from across the political spectrum who might disagree on climate policy, but still share a desire to preserve public lands, wildlife, and the outdoors. Can conservation still serve as common ground in a divided country? What does it take to make environmentalism resonate beyond traditional audiences? Is a bipartisan movement possible in today’s political…

  8. 27 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 3 min

    What the Rise of the Electrostate Means for Petrostates… And Everyone Else

    For decades we’ve seen nations exercise geopolitical dominance tied to their production and control of fossil fuels – especially oil. But that leverage may be changing. Last year, China installed nearly twenty times the amount of wind and solar as the United States. In this essay in The National Interest, the authors lay out a global political and economic realignment already underway. Petrostates, like those in OPEC, are increasingly at odds with electrostates like China and many in the EU. This isn’t to say that electrostates are not without resource challenges – they’re seriously…

  9. 6 Feb 2026 · 1 hr 4 min

    Crude Behavior: Venezuela and the Global Politics of Oil

    On January 3, U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, and flew them to New York to stand trial for drug trafficking and narco-terrorisim. At the same time, President Trump has not been shy about stating his other motivation for intervening in the country: Back in December, he said, “We had a lot of oil there. As you know they threw our companies out, and we want it back." So what are the geopolitical ramifications of these actions? And in a world increasingly powered by renewable energy, could fossil-fueled conflicts become a thing of the past? Episode…

  10. 2 Jan 2026 · 1 hr 3 min

    ENCORE: Gloria Walton and Wawa Gatheru Believe in Grassroots Change, Not Just Charity

    Those standing up to climate and environmental injustice face challenges they weren’t seeing a year ago. But Gloria Walton, head of The Solutions Project, sees a bigger picture: “ The reality is that the same systems that created the climate crisis, whether that's colonialism, white supremacy, racism, and the patriarchy, those are the same ones that have harmed communities of color for generations,” she says. Her organization has channeled tens of millions of philanthropic dollars to grassroots efforts that build community resilience. Black Girl Environmentalist founder Wawa Gatheru is…

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.

Get it on Google Play