Climate One

Atmospheric scientist Ben Santer pioneered the research that connects human activity to specific climate events. Now, pursuing treatment for a rare type of lymphoma, he sees his own diagnosis and his climate science as the same kind of detective work: using essential and basic science to conduct tests, read complex markers, and rule out every other cause. Even while ill, he's calling out efforts by the Trump administration to reject, defund and ignore the science we all depend on.

“If we leave basic science behind because the administration doesn't like the results of the science, then as Americans, we're not gonna thrive, and the planet isn't gonna thrive either,” Santer says.

Guests:

Ben Santer, Atmospheric Scientist, University of East Anglia

Rachel Rothschild, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan Law School

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

2:24 – Ben Santer on how he’s doing amidst his health issues

6:43 – Ben Santer on having the motivation to keep going

11:21 – Ben Santer on what it means to find human fingerprints on climate disruption

16:52 – Ben Santer on the importance of climate measuring

20:23 – Ben Santer on persevering through personal attacks and credible death threats

31:01 – Ben Santer on the effect of Trump administration funding cuts

33:43 – Ben Santer dealing with grief

38:54 – Rachel Rothschild on how state superfund laws work

42:26 – Rachel Rothschild on having her personal communication targeted

47:40 – Rachel Rothschild on the personal tax of doing her work

51:45 – Rachel Rothschild on what surprised her

For show notes and related links, visit ⁠our episode page⁠ at ClimateOne.org

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When it comes to climate, we have the facts, but we aren’t moving fast enough. So we need to get climate education and solutions into the places where people already spend their time. Pop culture offers endless opportunities to influence audiences – your favorite movie or TV character can feel like a friend whose views on climate might affect your own.

In this episode, we connect moments like this to the broader media environment shaping how we understand the world. Can you be masculine and care about the climate? Can watching a character take charge of the future onscreen actually change what people believe they can do in real life? And can the stories we consume ultimately shape public attitudes and even policy outcomes?

Guests:

Allison Begalman, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Context Collaborative; Co-founder, Hollywood Climate Summit

Michael P. Haselhuhn, Associate Professor of Management, University of California, Riverside

Brent Suter, Baseball player, Los Angeles Angels; EcoAthletes Climate Champion

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

5:00 – Allison Begalman on why it’s important for climate to show up in popular culture

8:45 – Unpacking a climate-themed scene from the show “Hacks”

13:00 – Unpacking a climate-themed scene from “The Morning Show”

16:30 – Bringing new people in at the Hollywood Climate Summit

23:15 – Michael P. Haselhuhn on how men’s views on masculinity and climate change are linked

33:25 – Masculinity is multifaceted

34:30 – Kousha goes to an MMA cage fight to ask guys about their views on masculinity

40:15 – Brent Suter on where he got his nickname, “The Raptor”

42:00 – His reaction to seeing “An Inconvenient Truth” as a young person

44:00 – Speaking out against fossil fuel endorsements for pro sports

49:20 – Suter on how his faith drives his climate activism

54:30 – How Suter talks to his teammates about climate and the environment

57:40 – Climate One More ThingFor show notes and related links, visit our episode page at ClimateOne.org

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Join Climate One for an electric conversation on September 1 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor owned utility model. Tickets available at climateone.org/events

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It’s becoming increasingly clear that how we talk about climate change matters as much as the science or policy itself. The words we use carry weight, and climate communicator Susan Joy Hassol says specific word choices, like “heat-trapping pollution” rather than “greenhouse gases,” can cut through polarization and help messages resonate with a wider range of people. Equally important is listening to what people and communities need to better handle the impacts from climate disruption.

And different audiences need different approaches. For example: adults can help children process climate fear and grief without overwhelming them by offering age-appropriate honesty paired with validation of their emotions. Good communication can be one of the most effective forms of climate action.

Guests:

Robin Cooper, Co-Founder and President, Climate Psychiatry Alliance

Elizabeth Yeampierre, Attorney; Executive Director, UPROSE

Susan Joy Hassol, Director, Climate Communication

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction

2:14 Robin Cooper on climate related mental health issues young people have

5:16 Robin Cooper on how adults can help young people in their lives

12:22 Robin Cooper on having multiple conversations with young people about climate

15:57 Robin Cooper on next steps after identifying climate anxieties in young people

19:46 Elizabeth Yeampierre on what it took to get Sunset Park Solar going

29:33 Elizabeth Yeampierre on building community trust and listening

31:40 Elizabeth Yeampierre on working with other communities

36:11 Susan Joy Hassol on not using the phrase “climate change”

39:52 Susan Joy Hassol on the phrase “natural disasters”

46:11 Susan Joy Hassol on dealing with hostility when discussing climate

For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our ⁠⁠⁠episode page⁠⁠⁠ at climateone.org

***

Join Climate One for an electric conversation on September 1 at 6 p.m. between PG&E CEO Patti Poppe and California State Senator Scott Wiener about energy affordability, outages, and whether cities like San Francisco are ready to break up with the investor owned utility model. Tickets available at climateone.org/events

***

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠⁠.

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Making steel accounts for around 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But the industry could reduce that number by removing coal from the steel-making process entirely. Three of the U.S.’s last seven coal-based steel mills are situated along Lake Michigan. Together, these facilities produce nearly half of the steel made in the U.S., supplying skyscraper beams, car doors, and appliances across the country. And right now, in Northwest Indiana, a once-in-a-generation decision is on the table.

Nippon Steel, the owners of the Gary Works steel mill, can either extend the life of their aging blast furnaces for another 20 years and continuing coal-based production, or invest in cleaner, next-generation steelmaking. Other steelmakers have already moved towards decarbonization. Will Nippon switch to cleaner steelmaking for the next generation, or double-down on coal?

Guests:

Terry Steagall, Retired Steelworker, United Steelworker Union activist

Hilary Lewis, Steel Director, Industrious Labs

Roger Smith, Asia Lead, SteelWatch

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

1:55 Terry Steagall on the importance of the steel industry in northwest Indiana

4:31 Terry Steagall on relining blast furnaces

11:16 Terry Steagall on cleaner steel for the next generation

14:27 Hilary Lewis on steel industry emissions

19:36 Hilary Lewis on the realistic path to decarbonizing the steel industry

23:03 Hilary Lewis on the pressure facing the industry to make cleaner steel

27:57 Hilary Lewis on the industry’s move to southern states

34:01 Roger Smith on the scale of US Steel’s acquisition by Nippon Steel

36:58 Roger Smith on the “golden share” the Trump administration received

46:33 Roger Smith on the viable technology for cleaner steel

For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our ⁠⁠episode page⁠⁠ at climateone.org

***

Join Climate One for an induction cooking demonstration night on July 21, at 6 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Come enjoy delicious food and wine, and learn about why cooking with magnets beats cooking with gas. Tickets available at ⁠⁠climateone.org/events⁠⁠

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Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠⁠Sign up today⁠⁠.

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The “rights of nature” is the idea that if a corporation can have legal standing as a person, why can’t a river or a mountain? Thomas Linzey, one of the early architects of a legal framework for granting rights to nature, now believes that structure doesn’t go far enough: Even when ecosystems are granted rights, the land is still owned by someone or some entity, even if that is a land trust or conservancy.

Through Linzey’s work in collaboration with the Sacred Contract Coalition, a 30-acre mountain in Colorado was recognized in June 2025 as the first mountain to own itself. What could this mean for protecting other places?

Guests:

Thomas Linzey, Senior Legal Counsel, Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights

Crystal Wolfchild, Guardian of The Mountain

Kumu Ramsay Taum, Cultural Advisor

Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction

02:30 – Thomas Linzey on his career fighting projects on behalf of communities

05:40 – Linzey on why federal environmental laws don’t protect air, water, or communities

11:00 – Linzey explains rights of nature legal framework

16:30 – Successful rights of nature cases in other parts of the world

19:15 – Rights of nature is Western law catching up with Indigenous cosmovisions

21:45 – Going beyond the rights of nature to land that owns itself

35:00 – Crystal Wolfchild on what it means to be a guardian of the Mountain

40:30 – Wolfchild on what this case could mean for other places

44:00 – Ramsay Taum on incorporating Hawaiian sense of environmental responsibility with Western worldviews

50:45 – Taum on the connection between restoring sovereignty and the rights of nature

56:00 – How to respond to climate changes like rising sea levels

58:00 – Climate One More Thing

For show notes, related links, and episode transcript, visit our ⁠episode page⁠ at climateone.org

***

Join Climate One for an induction cooking demonstration night on July 21, at 6 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Come enjoy delicious food and wine, and learn about why cooking with magnets beats cooking with gas. Tickets available at ⁠climateone.org/events⁠

***

Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on ⁠Patreon⁠, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. ⁠Sign up today⁠.

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