Climate One

World leaders are gathered in Antalya, Turkey, for COP 31, the annual UN climate conference, which takes place against the backdrop of a global energy crisis that’s accelerating the need to move away from fossil fuels. This year’s summit is billed as set on turning past promises into action, while pushing countries to swiftly electrify their economies. Yet one of the biggest questions remains unresolved: can countries agree on how to move away from fossil fuels? And are other processes, like the Fossil Fuel Treaty and Santa Marta conference, a different way forward?

Guests:

Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder & Executive Director, Environmental Voter Project

Jennifer Morgan, Senior Fellow, The Climate Policy Lab, Fletcher School, Tufts University

Christiana Figueres, Global Climate Leader; Co-Host, Outrage + Optimism

Tzeporah Berman, Founder & Chair, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty

For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.

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00:00 Introduction

01:32 Nathaniel Stinnett on how climate fared in the midterm elections

02:58 Nathaniel Stinnett on climate voter turnout

05:07 Nathaniel Stinnett on how climate-minded politicians should move forward

09:39 Jennifer Morgan on what this year’s COP is meant to accomplish

13:52 Jennifer Morgan on what it means to make climate part of foreign policy

22:29 Jennifer Morgan on the role of civil society in negotiations

26:30 Christiana Figueres on the intended purpose of the COP

36:36 Christiana Figueres on how the courts contribute to climate progress

40:15 Christiana Figueres on “stubborn optimism”

45:25 Tzeporah Berman on how the Santa Marta conference came to be

47:27 Tzeporah Berman on how Santa Marta is distinct from the COP process

55:29 Tzeporah Berman on unexpected countries leading on the clean energy transition



Climate One will present the 2026 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication to Daniel Swain, Ph.D., a climate scientist at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR). Join us for a lecture and celebration of this fantastic climate communicator on Dec. 8 in San Francisco. Tickets are available at climateone.org/events.

Our 2026 audience survey is open, and we'd like to hear from you. It takes about five minutes and asks how you found us, how you engage with Climate One, and what you'd like more of. The survey closes Nov. 30. Take the survey at climateone.org/survey.

Join Climate One on February 23rd at 6 pm for an evening with Amory Lovins on Disruptive Energy Futures. For five decades, Lovins has led energy research, strategy, and public discourse. He has received MacArthur and Ashoka Fellowships, 12 honorary doctorates, and too many other honors and prizes to mention here. Tickets are available at climateone.org/events.

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Common climate wisdom used to be that buying solar panels was one of the smartest long-term investments an individual could make – pay once up front for decades of carbon-free electricity. But it turns out layers of red tape make that process slower – and much more expensive – than it needs to be. And with federal rollback of longstanding tax credits and stiff competition from China, the U.S. solar industry is facing new headwinds.

Still, the future could be bright: More states are looking at allowing plug-in or balcony solar. Energy affordability nonprofits like Permit Power are helping state governments reduce red tape and costs for home solar. And solar developers see new potential in the millions of acres of commercial rooftops. Plus, researchers continue to work on new ways to maximize the power a solar cell can produce. This week we take a look at what the next era of solar power might look like.

Guests:

Bernadette del Chiaro, Senior Vice President, California, Environmental Working Group

Nick Josefowitz, Chief Executive, Permit Power

Juliane Borchert, Group Leader, Fraunhofer ISE; Early Career Group Leader, University of Freiburg

For show notes, transcripts, and related links, visit our episode page.

Climate One will present the 2026 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication to Daniel Swain, Ph.D., a climate scientist at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR). Join us for a lecture and celebration of this fantastic climate communicator on Dec. 8, in San Francisco. Tickets are available at climateone.org/events.

Our 2026 audience survey is open, and we'd like to hear from you. It takes about five minutes and asks how you found us, how you engage with Climate One, and what you'd like more of. The survey closes Nov. 30. Take the survey at climateone.org/survey.

Support Climate One by going ad-free! Subscribe to Climate One on Patreon for exclusive access to all future episodes, free of ads. Sign up today.

Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the cost of living climbs, can clean energy technology help ease the burden? That seems to be the case in West Texas, where revenue from a wind farm is helping fund a rural county’s senior center, Meals on Wheels, and even a Valentine’s Day dance!

But the benefits of clean energy aren’t always spread evenly, largely because of how policies shape incentives and cost distribution. In some cases, utility scale solar lowers electricity prices while rooftop solar can shift costs onto households without it. Meanwhile, new balcony solar panels are helping renters cut their bills, and Every Electric and Con Edison are giving New Yorkers plug-in batteries to keep their AC running even during heat waves. And the fact that these solutions also cut climate pollution? That’s the cherry on top.

Guests:

Bekah Stolhandske McNeel, Freelance Journalist

Christopher Knittel, Professor of Applied Economics, Sloan School, MIT; Director, MIT Climate Policy Center

Andrew Wang, Co-Founder, CEO, Every Electric

For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our episode page here.

00:03:34 Bekah Stolhandske McNeel describes Ozona

00:05:32 Bekah Stolhandske McNeel on country response to wind project

00:06:54 Bekah Stolhandske McNeel on where wind project proceeds went

00:09:56 Bekah Stolhandske McNeel on the Senior Center Valentine's Day Dance

00:20:29 Christopher Knittel on the “green premium”

00:25:05 Christopher Knittel on rooftop solar and your energy bill

00:28:42 Christopher Knittel on important policy choices

00:33:36 Christopher Knittel on equitable distribution of costs

00:37:18 Andrew Wang on how the power bank program works

00:41:54 Andrew Wang on connecting the power bank program to air conditioning

00:48:50 Andrew Wang on scaling the program

On November 5 at 5:30 p.m., join Climate One and the Children & Nature Network for an evening with Richard Louv, author of the internationally bestselling Last Child in the Woods. Tickets are available at climateone.org/events

Climate One will present the 2026 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication to Daniel Swain, Ph.D., a climate scientist at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR).

Join us for a lecture and celebration of this fantastic climate communicator on Dec. 8, in San Francisco. Tickets are available at climateone.org/events.

Support Climate One by going ad-free! Subscribe to Climate One on Patreon for exclusive access to all future episodes, free of ads. Sign up today.

Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After PG&E pled guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the 2018 Camp Fire, Patti Poppe was brought on as the utility’s new CEO. Her stated mission: to fix it.

Now, rising electricity prices, repeated power outages, and the growing impact of climate change have put PG&E in the crosshairs of the public and legislators. Again.

This summer, California lawmakers rejected a bill that would have capped the utility’s liability if their equipment sparks another fire. In response. PG&E announced it would defer roughly $2 billion in capital investments planned for 2027 as it works to strengthen its finances and, in Poppe’s words, “reinvent” the company. That means plans to connect new housing projects, clean energy initiatives, and some technology upgrades may be put on hold.

In a climate-changed world, is the investor-owned utility model still sustainable? Are utilities putting too much emphasis on profits at the expense of maintenance? And how do utilities across the country balance the needs for affordability, reliability, and climate resilience?

Guests:

Patti Poppe, CEO, Pacific Gas & Electric

Ryan Reed, Co-Founder, FireGeneration Collaborative

Kyle Trefny, Seasonal wildland firefighter; Co-Founder, FireGeneration Collaborative

For show notes, transcripts, and related links, visit our episode page.

00:00 – Introduction

03:30 – PG&E CEO on rising costs of electricity

06:50 – Is PG&E beholden to Wall Street instead of Main Street?

10:00 – Why the utility hasn’t put more power lines underground

12:00 – Poppe on how data centers could help normal ratepayers with lower costs

19:00 – Can the grid handle all this new demand from data centers and electrification?

20:45 – Wildfire risk and liability

27:30 – Customer outrage about power outages, more calls to break up PG&E

30:00 – How much would it cost for San Francisco to buy out PG&E

32:00 – Lightning round

40:00 – Ryan Reed and Kyle Trefny on history of wildfire and fire suppression

45:00 – Reed and Trefny on the work of FireGen Collaborative

49:00 – “Good fire” versus catastrophic, climate-fueled wildfires

57:00 – Climate One More Thing

On November 5 at 5:30 p.m., join Climate One and the Children & Nature Network for an evening with Richard Louv, author of the internationally bestselling Last Child in the Woods. Tickets are available at climateone.org/events

Support Climate One by going ad-free! Subscribe to Climate One on Patreon for exclusive access to all future episodes, free of ads. Sign up today.

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Climate scientist Kate Marvel made headlines this year when she publicly resigned from NASA, drawing coverage from Bloomberg to The New York Times. Marvel says her resignation wasn’t newsworthy on its own. What made it notable is that she was one of more than 10,000 Ph.D. scientists to leave the federal government during President Trump’s second term, part of what she calls a “mass nerd exodus.”

She is now senior climate scientist at Project Drawdown and author of “Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet.” Marvel argues that scientists need to stop hiding their feelings behind the data.

“When we pretend we don’t have emotions, that’s not making us more credible, because that’s lying,” she says. “You can feel a whole range of human emotions and still get the numbers right.”

Guests:

Kate Marvel, Senior climate scientist, Project Drawdown; author, “Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet”

Michael McPhaden, Senior oceanographer, University of Washington

For show notes, transcripts, and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.

Highlights:

00:00:00 Intro

00:02:24 Kate Marvel on if leaving NASA was newsworthy

00:08:05 Kate Marvel on why science should be publicly funded

00:12:18 Kate Marvel on “emergency break” solution

00:15:01 Kate Marvel on why feelings are a major topic in her book

00:18:11 Kate Marvel on which emotion was hardest to write about

00:23:06 Kate Marvel on which emotion isn’t discussed enough

00:26:27 Kate Marvel on when she felt wonder

00:30:36 Kate Marvel on how to talk about climate change

00:33:28 Kate Marvel on why it’s not too late

00:37:18 Michael McPhaden on this year’s El Niño

00:39:40 Michael McPhaden on the hurricane season

00:41:06 Michael McPhaden on the Climate change and El Niño connection

00:46:12 Michael McPhaden on what people should look out for

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On October 20 at 6 p.m. join us, in partnership with The Redford Center, for a screening of the short film In Earth We Trust, followed by a conversation with the filmmaker, the film’s central figure, and other faith leaders. Tickets available at climateone.org/events

On November 5 at 5:30 p.m., join Climate One and the Children & Nature Network for an evening with Richard Louv, the internationally bestselling author of Last Child in the Woods. Tickets available at climateone.org/events

Support Climate One by going ad-free! Subscribe to Climate One on Patreon for exclusive access to all future episodes, free of ads. Sign up today.

Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads

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