For decades, hydrogen has held promise as a revolutionary tool in the clean energy transition. It can be a fuel and energy carrier, and when made with renewable energy and burned in a fuel cell, its only byproduct is water. President Biden’s administration invested billions into proposed clean hydrogen hubs. But as we’ve seen dramatic technological innovations and drastic price drops for solar and wind, lithium-ion batteries, and heat pumps — hydrogen may have gone from tomorrow’s technology to yesterday’s solution.

Experts say the best uses of green hydrogen come down to decarbonizing certain industries, like steel manufacturing and fertilizer. So where does hydrogen fit in the modern energy mix?

For show notes and related links, visit our website.

Episode Guests:

Eleanor Smith, Community Organizer, Tó Nizhóní Ání

Joe Romm, Senior Research Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media; Author, “The Hype About Hydrogen”

Hilary Lewis, Steel Director, Industrious Labs

Highlights:

00:00 - Intro

04:04 - Eleanor Smith on learning about the Tallgrass Energy project

12:21 - Eleanor Smith on how the new projects fits in historically

16:45 - Eleanor Smith on opposition to the project

22:06 - Joe Romm on the uses of hydrogen

28:50 - Joe Romm on why there is still investments made in hydrogen technology

35:15 - Joe Romm on using renewables directly vs for hydrogen production

41:00 - Joe Romm on what people need to understand about hydrogen

46:32 - Hilary Lewis on how steel is made

47:42 - Hilary Lewis on the health impacts of the steel industry

51:59 - Hilary Lewis on current green steel projects in the US

56:40 - Hilary Lewis on projects that received federal funding

***

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Legendary primatologist Jane Goodall died on October 1. In a 2024 conversation on the Climate One stage with Co-Host Greg Dalton, the indefatigable Goodall was focused on three intertwined crises: biodiversity loss, climate change and environmental inequity. Her message from that night still resonates: Vote like your children’s lives depend on it — because they do. 

Guests:

Jane Goodall, Ethologist, conservationist

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

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Finding one's voice in climate action can come in many forms. Author and activist Taylor Brorby grew up in Center, North Dakota as a fourth-generation member of a fossil-fuel family. He struggled to find his place as a young gay kid who loved art, music, nature and poetry. Over time, he turned that tension into writing that challenges the fossil fuel industry, makes space for others stuck in a broken system, and inspires a more just future. 

Suzie Hicks felt the weight of climate concerns but after college, didn’t know what to do with those feelings. After doing an internship at the New England Aquarium, they realized they could merge their love of performing with a career focused on climate. With the help of a sunflower puppet named Sprout, Suzie created a children’s show that teaches kids about climate change through a frame of possibility and hope, not doom and gloom. 

Guests:

Taylor Brorby, Activist, Author, “Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land”

Suzie Hicks, Climate Media Maker and Educator

– Intro

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

***

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Within the federal government, science — especially climate science — has taken a beating. The Trump administration has moved from climate denial to climate erasure, firing thousands of career scientists across departments, rolling back established landmark protections, and undermining its own authority to regulate pollutants like carbon emissions. Even at the UN General Assembly, Trump referred to green energy as a “scam” and said climate science came from “stupid people.” 

But climate scientists aren’t all taking it lying down. From former EPA researchers to independent academics, many are heroically maintaining open-access databases and continuing fundamental research like the National Climate Assessment without the administration’s blessing.

Guests: 

Brandon Jones, President, American Geophysical Union

Wes Ingwersen, Lead, Cornerstone Sustainability Data Initiative

Rachel Cleetus, Senior Policy Director, Climate and Energy, Union of Concerned Scientists

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

Episode Highlights:

00:00 - Introduction

3:23 - Brandon Jones on how the Trump administration has treated science

6:35 - Brandon Jones on what’s next for scientists who were laid off

10:58 - Brandon Jones on continuing to collect climate data  

13:18 - Wes Ingwersen on the creation of USEEIO

22:24 - Wes Ingwersen on how EPA changed when Lee Zeldin took over

31:24 - Wes Ingwersen on when EPA employees decided to speak out

37:31 - Wes Ingwersen on taking his work to Stanford 

42:28 - Rachel Cleetus on DOE climate report 

51:27 - Rachel Cleetus on agency staff cuts

60:40 - Rachel Cleetus on how the scientific community is responding 

***

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The past few years have seen a seismic shift in energy and industrial policy in the United States. Under Biden, laws like the Inflation Reduction Act led to money pouring into clean energy manufacturing and deployment. The Trump administration has reversed course, cutting off incentives in instituting massive tariffs. 

As a result, entire clean energy projects have been put on hold or even canceled. Workers who were counting on those projects now face an uncertain future. This situation forces tough questions for unions: Where do they go from here?

Guests: 

Roxanne Brown, Vice President at Large, United Steelworkers 

Lee Anderson, Director of Governmental Affairs, Utility Workers Union of America

Lara Skinner, Executive Director, Climate Jobs Institute, Cornell University

Episode Highlights:

00:00 Intro

3:46 Roxanne Brown on the origins of USW’s environmental advocacy

5:50 Roxanne Brown on the effects of climate workers are feeling today

14:25 Roxanne Brown on how energy policy has affected USW members 

18:45 Roxanne Brown on climate messaging within USW

24:16 Lee Anderson on the jobs of utility workers

25:41 Lee Anderson on how climate has affected the safety of workers

30:54 Lee Anderson on UWUA’s input on current federal policy

40:15 Lara Skinner on what sparked a worker centered agenda on climate policy

42:36 Lara Skinner on the ups and downs of Climate Jobs New York’s work

48:57 Lara Skinner on creating state based coalitions

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

***

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Those standing up to climate and environmental injustice face challenges they weren’t seeing a year ago. But Gloria Walton, head of The Solutions Project, sees a bigger picture:

"The reality is that the same systems that created the climate crisis, whether that's colonialism, white supremacy, racism, and the patriarchy, those are the same ones that have harmed communities of color for generations,” she says. Her organization has channeled tens of millions of philanthropic dollars to grassroots efforts that build community resilience. 

Black Girl Environmentalist founder Wawa Gatheru is helping more Black girls, women, and gender-expansive people enter and lead in the climate space. She says the climate fight has shifted from education to action, with over 70% of Americans now understanding that climate change is real. So what should this 'action phase' look like?

Guests:

Gloria Walton, President & CEO, The Solutions Project

Wawa Gatheru, Founder & Executive Director, Black Girl Environmentalist

Highlights:

00:00 – Intro

05:30 – Gloria Walton on the impact of the Altadena wildfires

10:30 – Walton’s work as an organizer in South Central LA

13:00 – Living with idea of abundance

19:00 – Finding and keeping your individual power within our democracy

21:00 – Work of West Street Recovery Project in Houston

22:30 – Developing local resilience hubs

24:00 – Reframing frontline communities as victors, not victims

27:00 – Channeling philanthropy to climate resilience and frontline communities

36:00 – Story of Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai 

42:00 – Wawa Gatheru’s start in climate and environmental advocacy

44:00 – Not seeing herself in climate spaces

48:00 – Climate storytelling can offer nuance and move people 

55:00 – Work and growth of Black Girl Environmentalist organization

59:00 – Climate One More Thing

For show notes and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts

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Students are heading back to school, and in addition to all of the usual challenges of the school year, some children are carrying an extra weight: climate anxiety. Teachers are also swimming in tricky waters as conversations around the climate crisis — and renewable energy — become more polarized.

Yet there are educators who have worked to create resources for students and teachers, to help bring climate education into the classroom. The question is: How can schools, parents and teachers better help young people navigate the ideas and feelings around a warming planet? 

Guests: 

Margaret Wang-Aghania, Executive Director and Co-Founder, SubjectToClimate

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

Melissa Lau, High School Environmental Science Teacher, Piedmont, Oklahoma

Leah Christenson, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; Vice President, Piedmont High School Green Team 

Alyson Dennie, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; President Piedmont High School Green Team

This episode features a field piece by Mary Catherine O'Connor, who originally reported the ⁠story⁠ for KALW Public Media. 

Highlights:

00:00 - Intro

3:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on her aha moment

5:42 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on how lessons get developed

12:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on teacher development

15:00 - Alyson Dennie and Leah Christenson on their climate related feelings

17:10 - Robin Cooper on how the emotions young people face because of climate

24:17 - Robin Cooper on how the moment the guides her thinking 

26:52 - Robin Cooper on how to know if a young person is dealing with climate anxiety

33:34 - Mary Catherine O'Connor’s Piece on Electric Buses in Oakland 

40:05 - Melissa Lau on the arctic trip that changed her life

44:33 - Melissa Lau on not being shy about teaching climate 

48:35 - Melissa Lau on the importance of relationship building

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

***

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According to one recent survey, Americans think about climate change more than abortion, immigration, or gun violence. And yet, while they care deeply about the issue, they don’t see it as a political issue. When asked by the Environmental Voter Project what actions should be taken to rein in climate disruption, those surveyed suggest taking small, personal steps, like recycling, over broader, political action, as they do with other top-of-mind issues. 

Where does this disconnect come from? And what will it take to shift the narrative from the personal to the political?

Guest:

Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder and Executive Director, Environmental Voter Project

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The climate doesn’t care where emissions cuts come from; what matters is that the world transitions to renewable energy quickly and cheaply. If it’s significantly cheaper to install solar panels in India than on a rooftop in California, then isn’t that where they should be built? Similarly, transferring money directly to local people with the greatest stake in preserving their land can have outsized impact in conservation. Where does a climate dollar go furthest? 

Guests:

Kinari Webb, Founder, Health in Harmony

Premal Shah, Founder, kiva.org, renewables.org 

Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder and Executive Director, Environmental Voter Project

Highlights:

00:00 – Intro

04:30 – Origins of Kinari Webb’s nonprofit Health in Harmony

09:00 – Rainforests as lungs and heart of the planet

12:00 – Radical listening to communities about what they need

15:00 – Positive outcomes from responding to community needs directly

18:00 – Webb’s near-death experience from a jellyfish sting

22:00 – Rainforest conservation as a giant climate lever

29:00 – Premal Shah describes how he came to create Kiva.org

32:00 – How Kiva.org works

35:30 – Thought experiment from moral philosopher Peter Singer

38:40 – Kiva tries to reframe stories of poverty as stories of entrepreneurship

41:00 – Applying crowdfunded microfinance model to renewable energy

46:00 – Idea of “effective altruism”

49:30 – Nathaniel Stinnett: we’ve been taught to blame ourselves for the climate crisis

53:00 – How to shift public actions to make climate more political 

For show notes and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/watch-and-listen/podcasts

***

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The Trump administration has taken aim at green energy, but one technology has largely been left untouched: batteries to store wind and solar electricity. California alone surpassed 13GW of battery storage last year, and Texas has become the fastest growing market for the technology. But producing batteries isn’t without its downsides, especially when it comes to mining the necessary raw materials. The upside is that those materials can be recycled and reused. If the recycling technology can reach scale and price targets, the environmental impact would drop significantly. And spent EV batteries could become a grid scale storage site even without breaking down the battery packs. How soon before renewables plus batteries can power our grid 24/7?

This episode features a reported piece by Camila Domonoske that was originally broadcast on NPR’s All Things Considered on July 10, 2024 

Guests: 

Julian Spector, Senior Reporter, Canary Media

David Klanecky, President, Cirba Solutions

Sheila Davis, EV Battery Waste Strategist, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives

4:08 - Julian Spector on what grid scale battery instillations look like

7:43 - Julian Spector on the success of battery deployment in 2024

14:14 - Julian Spector on the impacts of Trump’s new budget law 

20:06 - Julian Spector on the outlook for battery storage in the next decade 

24:09 - Reported piece on Ascend by Camila Domonoske

28:43 - David Klanecky on the battery recycling process

36:21 - David Klanecky on competing with China

41:45 - Sheila Davis on the biggest concerns about battery production 

44:56 - Sheila Davis on some of the risks posed by battery storage facilities

47:13 - Sheila Davis on the risk a battery recycling facility posed in New York
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.

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