Climate One

Figure It Out…Or Else: Feds to Colorado River States

It’s been an unusually warm and dry winter across the west, and that’s bad news for the seven states and 40 million people that rely on water from the Colorado River. The water flowing into the river from snowmelt and rain is dwindling, partly because of climate change. The basin's two major reservoirs are at historic lows, and without a sudden influx of snowstorms, streamflow forecasts for the coming year aren’t looking good. That adds stress to an already drought-stricken region where negotiations on how to share the river’s water in the future are tense and stalled out.  “We’re at a point where we have to make some serious long-term adjustment of expectations. In other words, people need to agree to take a lot less water than they've been counting on. And that is always really hard when water is scarce,” says Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University. The federal government has given states a deadline of Feb. 14th to reach an agreement, after which the Bureau of Reclamation commissioner could divvy up the water between states as it deems fit. It’s already released its draft environmental impact statement [https://www.usbr.gov/ColoradoRiverBasin/post2026/draft-eis/index.html] with possible alternatives. What’s led to this point of crisis? What is keeping states from reaching agreement? And what will the cities, farmers and industries that depend on the river do as climate change leads to a lower volume of water in an increasingly hotter and drier future?   Episode Guests: Sarah Porter, Director, Kyl Center for Water Policy, Arizona State University For show notes and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/podcasts ********** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/ClimateOne], 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 at patreon.com/ClimateOne [http://patreon.com/ClimateOne].  Ad sales by Multitude [https://multitude.productions/]. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads [http://multitude.productions/ads] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

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 Guests:  Luisa Palacios, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University  Amy Myers Jaffe, Director, Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab, NYU  Bill McKibben, Founder, Third Act and 350.org For show notes, transcript, and related links, visit ⁠⁠climateone.org/podcasts⁠⁠ [https://climateone.org/podcasts]. Highlights: 00:00 Intro 04:54 Luisa Palacios on growing up in Venezuela 08:59 Luisa Palacios on the risks in Venezuela's oil industry 15:15 Luisa Palacios on the climate impact of increasing Venezuela’s oil output 18:01 Amy Myers Jaffe on her reaction to the Maduro’s forced removal 21:08 Amy Myers Jaffe on what the military action is really about 28:32 Amy Myers Jaffe on the importance of the action in Venezuela 35:21 Amy Myers Jaffe on the national security aspects of clean tech 38:39 Bill McKibben on the military action in Venezuela 49:45 Bill McKibben on the “last gasp’ of the fossil fuel industry 52:26 Bill McKibben on the US reversal on climate policy and clean tech ********** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/ClimateOne], 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 at patreon.com/ClimateOne [http://patreon.com/ClimateOne].  Ad sales by Multitude [https://multitude.productions/]. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads [http://multitude.productions/ads] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Under the Weather: The Climate Crisis is a Health Crisis

As the planet warms, the story of climate change is increasingly becoming a story about human health. Rising temperatures, wildfire smoke, flooding, and shifting disease patterns are no longer distant threats; they are everyday realities. The climate crisis is reshaping health care systems, exposing inequalities, and forcing doctors and policymakers to rethink some of their practices. Medical schools are beginning to adopt climate as part of their curricula, yet such education is widely variable across the country. So what policy and system changes might help address both the climate and health crises at the same time? Episode Guests: Jeni Miller, Executive Director, Global Climate and Health Alliance Cecilia Sorensen, Director, Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education, Columbia University  Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, President and CEO, PAI For show notes, transcript, and related links, visit climateone.org/podcasts Highlights: 00:00 – Intro 03:30 – Cecilia Sorensen on consulting for a Grey’s Anatomy episode on heat 07:00 – Climate impact she’s seen in the ER 10:00 – Medical education is variable across the country, including climate awareness 16:00 – Importance of public health and the role of preventive medicine 21:00 – Jeni Miller on interconnections between climate and human health 29:30 – Climate crisis puts pressure on global health systems 34:30 – Ways health care systems can better prepare for climate impacts 44:30 – Connection between climate change and reproductive/sexual health 51:30 – Climate change exacerbates existing inequalities for women and girls around the world 56:00 – Navigating efforts by the Trump administration to increase fertility and birth rate while cutting social services 58:30 – Climate One More Thing ***** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/ClimateOne], 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 at patreon.com/ClimateOne [http://patreon.com/ClimateOne].  Ad sales by Multitude [https://multitude.productions/]. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads [http://multitude.productions/ads] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Beyond the Obvious: What We’re Watching in 2026

We’re only about a month into 2026, and already so much has happened — from the Trump administration’s forcible removal of Venezuela’s president to the US pulling out of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change… It’s easy to get caught up in the headlines of the moment and lose sight of the big picture.  But important developments are happening in sectors like agriculture and renewable technology that don’t break through the noise to the extent they deserve. So, what should we be watching in 2026? Guests:  Justine Johnson, Chief Mobility Officer, Michigan Michael Grunwald, Journalist, Author, We Are Eating The Earth Jessie Bluedorn, Founder & Executive Director, The Carmack Collective For show notes, transcript, and related links, visit ClimateOne.org/podcasts [https://www.climateone.org/listen-watch/podcasts] Highlights: 00:00 Intro 05:33 Justine Johnson on the importance of mobility 08:48 Justine Johnson on the future of EV charging 11:20 Justine Johnson on the practicality of new EV charging technology 19:05 Justine Johnson on innovation in financing 22:52 Michael Grunwald on making more food with less land 30:17 Michael Grunwald on the new tech used to constipate beetles to death 37:24 Michael Grunwald on what to watch in politics 43:00 Jessie Bluedorn on the fossil fuel industry’s control over cultural narratives 47:57 Jessie Bluedorn on the comedy in the climate crisis 56:36 Jessie Bluedorn on other areas to keep an eye on in the culture ***** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/ClimateOne], 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 at patreon.com/ClimateOne [http://patreon.com/ClimateOne].  Ad sales by Multitude [https://multitude.productions/]. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads [http://multitude.productions/ads] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Crop Shoot: Farmers Caught Up In Policy Turmoil

Agriculture is directly responsible for 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and farmers and ranchers face growing climate impacts every day, from more severe storms to intense droughts, making it harder to grow food.  The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates [https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61467] emissions from the agriculture sector will modestly increase over the next 30 years. Yet the Trump administration is slashing programs [https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/following-the-usda-food-and-farm-funding/]that help reduce emissions, feed people, protect farmworkers and animals and sensitive lands. In addition, the Trump administration’s tariffs and trade wars have affected the cost of machinery and sales of major crops. What will these changes mean for our national food system? How are farmers weathering these impacts? And where are people building resilience regardless of federal policy?  Episode Guests: Lisa Held, Senior Staff Reporter and Contributing Editor, Civil Eats Megan O'Rourke, Congressional Candidate NJ07; Former USDA Scientist John Bartman, Illinois farmer Byron Kominek, Owner and Manager, Jack's Solar Garden Highlights: 00:00 – Intro 05:30 – Lisa Held on major climate and agriculture stories in 2025 07:30 – Climate change is making it harder to be a farmer 09:15 – Changes at USDA 15:00 – How SNAP cuts affect consumers and farmers/growers 18:30 – Trump admin penalizing efforts/grants that support DEI efforts in agriculture 24:00 – John Bartman shares his journey to regenerative agriculture 30:00 – Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities Program and cutbacks under Trump 34:30 – Trade war between China and US is hurting soybean sales and Amazon rainforest 37:10 – Byron Kominek on how he got into agrivoltaics and the benefits it offers 42:00 – Agrivoltaics is climate adaptation 51:20 – Megan O’Rourke on research around kernza, a perennial grain 54:00 – Most pressing challenges for agriculture right now 59:00 – Importance of food security at home and abroad, and role of US farmers 1:03:30 – Climate One More Thing For show notes , transcript, and related links, visit climateone.org/podcasts ****** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/ClimateOne], 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 at patreon.com/ClimateOne [http://patreon.com/ClimateOne].  Ad sales by Multitude [https://multitude.productions/]. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads [http://multitude.productions/ads] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]