In 1995, Ben Santer authored one of the most important sentences in the history of climate science: “the balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate.” While one of the first statements to identify humans’ role in driving climate change, the vitriol that followed was personal and malicious, impacting both Santer’s career and family.


“If you spend your entire career trying to advance understanding, you can't walk away from that understanding when someone criticizes it or criticizes you,” says Santer, now a scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Berkeley. With his research contingent upon government funding, Santer is concerned about the future of climate science under an administration that does not prioritize it.


This piece is published in partnership with Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story.


Guest::
Ben Santer, Climate Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory


Related Links:

At Hot Center of Debate On Global Warming (New York Times)
Yes, humans are causing climate change. And we've known for 40 years. (Popular Science)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My Climate Story: Ben Santer

We’re living through a climate emergency; addressing this crisis begins by talking about it. Co-Hosts Greg Dalton and Ariana Brocious bring you empowering conversations that connect all aspects of the challenge — the scary and the exciting, the individual and the systemic. Join us.
Subscribe to Climate One on Patreon for access to ad-free episodes and the Climate One Discord server.

Social Sciences

Science & Medicine

News

Science

News Commentary

Earth Sciences

In August 2022, Congress passed the biggest piece of climate legislation in our nation’s history: The Inflation Reduction Act, which put $400 billion into boosting the transition to a clean energy economy over the next ten years. The IRA has spurred companies to announce nearly $110 billion of investment in new factories to build EVs, batteries and renewable energy facilities. That’s driving investments, reshoring of manufacturing, and real change.
This week we check in on the impact of the IRA in the last 18 months. What impact has the IRA really had on US emissions so far? Has the IRA distributed money to fulfill its climate justice initiatives? 
Guests:
Trevor Houser, Partner, Rhodium Group
Danny Kennedy, CEO, New Energy Nexus
Bineshi Albert, Former Co-Executive Director, Climate Justice Alliance
This piece also includes a reported feature from Emily Jones of WABE in Atlanta and Grist.
Climate One will be celebrating SF Climate Week with a series of programs featuring California and the San Francisco Bay Area’s leading voices in policy, climate justice, and business. 
The week will showcase interviews with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Senators Nancy Skinner and Scott Wiener, and California Environmental Justice Association’s Energy Justice Director Mari Rose Taruc, among others, about the challenges and opportunities facing the nation’s innovation capital when it comes to addressing climate change. 
On Tuesday, Climate One will also be hosting an Action Lounge, where attendees will be able to join local climate and environmental organizations, apply for green jobs, and receive guidance from climate career coaches. See you there!
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. 
Join today for just $5/month.
For show notes and related links, visit our website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 2 Years In… Is the Inflation Reduction Act Delivering Yet?

Even before Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” brought climate change to the mainstream, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert was on the beat. Her reporting in the early 2000s culminated in her book “Field Notes from a Catastrophe,” which sounded the alarm on the causes and effects of global warming. 
Nearly 20 years later, Kolbert is still bringing the climate story to the public with her new book “H Is for Hope: Climate Change from A to Z.” The book is told in bite size vignettes that paint a picture of our climate present, what the future may hold and where there may be space for hope. 
Guests:
Elizabeth Kolbert, Journalist and Author
Molly Wood, Climate Solutions Investor and Podcaster
Sister True Dedication, Zen Buddhist Nun
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., CEO, Hip Hop Caucus
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. 
Join today for just $5/month.
For show notes and related links, visit our website.
Elizabeth Kolbert headshot copyright Elizabeth Kolbert
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elizabeth Kolbert on Hope, Despair, and Everything In Between

Climate change means extreme weather, shifting landscapes, and generally more instability. More and more, you can feel the impacts of climate disruption in your wallets. Drought is pushing up the cost of candy and leading to shipping delays in the Panama Canal. 
Globally, researchers say climate could add one percent to inflation every year until 2035. The costs of car insurance, health insurance and property insurance are rising. And whether it’s tea in the morning or wine in the evening, disrupted climate patterns and extreme weather are making certain foods more expensive. 
This week, we unpack how climate change drives inflation. 
Guests:
Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Chair of Economics and Government, London School of Economics
Jeremy Porter, Head of Climate Implications Research, First Street Foundation
Avery Ellfeldt, Reporter, E&E News
Lea Borkenhagen, Senior Vice President, EDF+Business
﻿Support Climate One by going ad-free! By joining 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 even periodic engagements with Climate One staff. Join today for just $5/month.
For show notes and related links, visit our website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rising Temperatures, Rising Prices: How Climate Drives Inflation

The places that most people call home are coming under increasing threat from climate change. From rising seas and more frequent floods to stronger hurricanes and cyclones, to more devastating droughts and wildfires, the most habitable parts of our world are becoming far less so. Over time, our cities will be forced to transform — and hundreds of millions will have to move.
People who have the means are already starting to relocate to places that market themselves as climate-proof. But not everyone will be able to leave. And many won’t want to. How do we handle the next great waves of migration?
Guests: 
Abrahm Lustgarten, author, “On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America”
Sonia Shah, author, “The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move”
This episode also features reported pieces by MPR reporter Dan Kraker on “Climate Proof Duluth” and KUOW Public Radio in Seattle reporter ​​John Ryan on “How a Northwest tribe is escaping a rising ocean.” 
Support Climate One by going ad-free! By joining 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 even periodic engagements with Climate One staff. Join today for just $5/month.
For show notes and related links, visit our website.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate Migration: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

As heat waves, storms, droughts and wildfires continue to worsen, talking can seem like a seriously insufficient climate solution. It’s fair to ask: Are we just engaged in blah, blah, blah?
Too often, talking is one sided – more of a lecture aimed at conveying information or solely stating one's own point of view. And yet, when done right, real conversations and true listening can help us find common ground, which can then lead to collective action and change. So how do we make those conversations really count? In this week’s episode, we delve into some of our most insightful interviews, looking for the answer.
Guests:
Katharine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist, The Nature Conservancy  
Meera Subramanian, Journalist
Faith Kearns, Scientist, California Institute for Water Resources; Author, “Getting to the Heart of Science Communications”
Anand Giridharadas, Author, “The Persuaders” 
Chloe Maxmin, Co-Executive Director, Dirt Road Organizing
John Cook, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change 
For show notes and related links, visit our website.


My Climate Story: Ben Santer

Download our free app to listen on your phone