How to Make Policy Work Through Collective Climate Action

CLIMATE HOUR – Current political trends are making it harder and harder to express climate optimism. Not only are countries failing to meet their Paris Climate Treaty commitments, but recent elections have given climate deniers control of many governments. The prospect for significant climate action through legislation is dimming. But the potential for economic solutions to climate change are growing. Electricity produced from renewable wind and solar is now cheaper than that from fossil fuels. The operation and maintenance of electric vehicles now costs significantly less that traditional cars and trucks. It is no longer just a question of health and sustainability. It is now also a question of profitability. Join host, Bob Grove, and Tam Hunt to discuss the case for climate optimism and green energy law. Tamlyn Hunt is a public policy lawyer and green energy law & policy writer. He has taught at the graduate level at the University of California Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, and at the University of Hawaii Manoa's Richardson School of Law. Tam is a part-time academic at UC Santa Barbara’s METALAB where he studies consciousness and psychology. To learn more, visit … https://tam-hunt.com https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6JPDD24 View other Climate Hour episodes at www.ClimateHour.net.

CLIMATE HOUR – Women are deeply effected by the climate crisis. They repeatedly demonstrate that they have the strength, ideas and skills to make crucial decisions about how we live with the Earth and with each other. Women around the world direct their family’s lifestyle and consumption habits. Women farmers feed the world, producing as much as 80% of food in the Global South. Indigenous women in particular hold invaluable traditional knowledge on regenerative farming and the preservation of our waters and lands. Women vote more often. They work harder to get out the vote. And they lead on enacting, environmental legislation when elected to office. Women are more willing and able to unite across party lines and other boundaries. Studies repeatedly show that countries with more women in government, ratify more international environmental treaties. Women's voices are key to the political and ecological changes needed to slow the climate crisis and to create a sustainable future. Join host, Bob Grove, and guest Osprey Orielle Lake, Founder and Executive Director of the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network, and author of The Story is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice Can Remake a World in Crisis, to discuss the opportunities women's voices offer in world climate actions. To learn more, visit … https://ospreyoriellelake.earth/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6JPDD24 View other Climate Hour episodes at www.ClimateHour.net.

CLIMATE HOUR – We as individuals know that we can do things that reduce our personal carbon footprint – things that make us healthier, more secure, save us money – all while helping the environment and reducing climate change. But we also know that it’s going to take collective action to fight the most egregious impacts of climate. And to act collectively, we must engage with our governments to create positive climate legislation and then engage with that legislation to make real-world change. A good example of this is the United States’ 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. As the name implies, the goal of the legislation is to reduce inflation. But it does that by investing in domestic clean energy production. Analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says that the Inflation Reduction Act raises $738 billion dollars from tax and prescription drug reform, and then spends $783 billion dollars on new clean energy infrastructure and climate change mitigation. This is the largest climate investment in U.S. history. If fully implemented, the law is projected to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to 40% by 2030. So how do we, as individuals, engage with this legislation to turn these goals into reality? Join host, Bob Grove, and guests to discuss the how to policy work through collective climate action. Guests include: James Owen, Executive Director of Renew Missouri Jon Dolan, Executive Director of Missouri Solar Energy Industries Association To learn more, visit … https://www.renewmo.org https://www.moseia.com https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6JPDD24 View other Climate Hour episodes at www.ClimateHour.net.

CLIMATE HOUR – What is the role of state government in the challenge of Climate Change? The scientific consensus is that global warming of over two degrees Celsius will threaten human life as we know it. The Paris Agreement defines 1.5 degrees as a more desirable goal to limit the worst outcomes. Yet as of October, 2023, the planet’s average surface-temperature increase was already 1.4 degrees Celsius. There’s many things we can do to reduce our personal carbon footprint. But we also need to engage in collective climate actions. We have to take action with our communities, our national governments, and at the state government level. Join host, Bob Grove, and Mark Glick, Chief Energy Officer the the State of Hawai'i, to discuss the role of state government in the challenge of climate change. Mr Glick served as senior advisor to the Texas Land Commissioner in the 1980s, where he helped pass landmark amendments to both the Texas Clean Air Act and the federal Clean Air Act. He then headed up operations and economic development for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and later served as Hawaii's Energy Administrator during the formative years of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative. And in 2023, Mark was appointed Chief Energy Officer of the Hawaii State Energy Office. Hawaii’s clean energy initiative is recognized as a national and global policy trendsetter. Hawaii was first in the nation to establish a legally binding commitment to 100% renewable energy. And Hawaii adopted legislation in 2022 that requires the state to sequester more atmospheric carbon than emitted, achieving net-negative emissions no later than 2045. To learn more, visit … https://energy.hawaii.gov/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6JPDD24 View other Climate Hour episodes at www.ClimateHour.net.

CLIMATE HOUR – Connections between humans and the natural world are often seen as exploitative or destructive. But scientists continue to find surprising ways that the natural world can heal us, both physically and mentally. Join host, Bob Grove, and Florence Williams, science journalist and author, to discuss the surprising connections between humans and the natural world. Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, has been awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in science and technology, an Audie in general nonfiction, two Gracie Awards from the Alliance of Women in Media, and her latest book, Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey, has won the 2023 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. To learn more, visit … https://www.florencewilliams.com https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6JPDD24 View other Climate Hour episodes at www.ClimateHour.net.

CLIMATE HOUR – Clean water is essential for life, yet billions of people around the world don’t have enough water. Global warming is increasing the number of water-stressed areas and magnifying the water problems in regions already affected, leading to increased geopolitical conflict and water wars. Scientists with the United Nations report a 20% drop in renewable water resources for every 1° celsius increase in global warming. So the world’s current 1.5° celsius increase means we’ve already lost 30% of our renewable water resources. Subtropical regions, like the southern United States, North Africa and Australia are suffering longer and more frequent droughts; broken by torrential rainfalls that cause flooding. Water scarcity is effecting the world’s food supplies and is a direct cause of mass migration. Join host, Bob Grove, and Dr Wendell Chris King, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General and co-founder of the Global Military Advisory Council on Climate Change to discuss Water Wars: Direct Impacts of Water Scarcity on the World. To learn more, visit … https://GMACCC.org https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6JPDD24 View other Climate Hour episodes at www.ClimateHour.net.

CLIMATE HOUR – Marine mammals are the planet’s canary in a coalmine. For as the ocean goes, so goes the land and all that dwell upon it. Climate change is causing the world’s oceans to become warmer and more acidic, while a constant stream of petrochemicals and microplastics turn then into a toxic wasteland. The study and preservation of marine mammals can provide an early warning system that helps us understand the long term impacts of climate and waste on land, and the future of land mammals. Join host, Bob Grove, and guests to discuss marine mammals. Guests include: Ted Cheeseman, Co-Founder and Director, HappyWhale.com Philip Hamilton, Interim Chair, Kraus Marine Mammal Program, and Senior Scientist, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium Adam Ratner, Director of Conservation Engagement, The Marine Mammal Center To learn more, visit … https://www.MarineMammalCenter.org https://www.NEAQ.org https://www.HappyWhale.com https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6JPDD24 View other Climate Hour episodes at www.ClimateHour.net.

CLIMATE HOUR – A little community orchard provides an amazing number of benefits. First there’s basic carbon sequestration. Trees take carbon out of the air and reduce global warming. Then there’s food sovereignty. Trees give you control of your own food sources. In today’s corporate farming system, genetically modified foods are picked green, irradiated to prevent spoilage, then shipped half way around the world to high priced grocery stores. Food sovereignty means growing tasty, nutritious food that you can just walk up to the end of a block and pick from a tree. And then there’s community building. Bringing people together. Creating a shared work that builds relationships and creates a sense of accomplishment. Join host, Bob Grove, and guests to discuss the Amazing Impacts of the Little Community Orchard. Guests include: Erica Kratofil, Co-Executive Director, Giving Grove Florence Williams, Science Journalist and Author Matt Bunch, Horticulturalist, Giving Grove To learn more, visit … https://www.GivingGrove.org https://www.FlorenceWilliams.com/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6JPDD24 View other Climate Hour episodes at www.ClimateHour.net.

CLIMATE HOUR – We’ve talked about climate education before. We’ve discussed how to teach children about climate, and we’ve talked about climate programs in higher education. But all of these programs need teachers who understand and are willing to add climate to their curriculum. How do we go about teaching teachers to teach climate change and how do we form the professional networks needed to support both formal and non-formal climate education? How do we teach teachers to teach climate? Join host, Bob Grove, and guests to discuss the Value of Teaching Teachers To Be Climate Teachers. Guests include: Marie Fargo, Senior Climate Change Instructional Resources Coordinator for Climate Generation Amy Frame, Director of Strategic Partnerships for Ten Strands Barbara Martinez-Guerrero, Executive Director of Dream in Green Seth Spencer, Team Climate Network Coordinator for Climate Generation To learn more, visit … https://climategen.org https://tenstrands.org https://dreamingreen.org https://climategkc.org https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6JPDD24 View other Climate Hour episodes at www.ClimateHour.net.

CLIMATE HOUR – When was the last time you talked about climate issues with a friend or family member? Studies find that the majority of people are concerned about climate but don’t talk about it. Why has something as universal as the climate conversation become such a political football that it’s a forbidden topic at family holiday gatherings? In 2002, a prominent republican pollster circulated a strategy guide advising his candidates to talk about “climate change” instead of global warming. His research found that the concept of climate change was less threatening. Global warming was a crisis. Climate change was like taking a ski trip. He effectively created a talking point that de-escalated and delayed climate action for over 20 years. So words do matter. Words can inspire hope and action. Or they can discourage and silence our voices. How do we find that balance between inspiring hope and addressing the urgency of a situation. How do we reframe the climate conversation? Join host, Bob Grove, and guests to discuss Reframing the Conversation. Guests include: Adam Ratner, Director of Conservation Engagement, The Marine Mammal Center Hannah Phillips, Manager of Docents and Interpreters, Education Department, Saint Louis Zoo Kait Birghenthal, President & Project Coordinator, National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI) Dr. Megan Ennes, Assistant Curator of Museum Education and Director of the Thompson Earth Systems Institute, Florida Museum of Natural History To learn more, visit … https://MarineMammalCenter.org https://stlzoo.org https://NNOCCI.org https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/earth-systems/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6JPDD24 View other Climate Hour episodes at www.ClimateHour.net.