Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Humanity achieved the first reading of its own genetic heritage in the year 2000. That first genome cost $300 million. Today the price is approaching $1,000, initiating an era of personal genomics. We take you on a brief odyssey into the human genome, how it evolved, how genomes differ between people, and why this matters. We then look at where the field of genomics is going, especially in understanding cancer and other diseases, what is holding it back, and what can be done so that it achieves its potential to revolutionize our understanding of ourselves for the benefit of science and medicine.

In 2008 Tim Dechristopher heard Stanford professor Terry Root deliver a chilling lecture on the irreversible impacts of climate change. After her talk, Terry put her hand on Tim’s shoulder and said, “I am so sorry, but my generation failed yours.” Those words haunted Tim, and put him on a path to climate activism. He later infiltrated an auction for oil and gas leases on public lands in Utah near Canyonlands National Park. Once inside he was able to bid and actually won several auctions. When organizers realized he had no intention to pay, he was prosecuted and sent to prison for two years. He was released in 2013 and is on a three-year probation. Before his release, he was accepted to Harvard Divinity School where he is studying justice movements. Georgia Hirsty and other activists recently hung off a Portland bridge on ropes to protest an oil rig bound for the Arctic. Former Mobil Oil Executive VP Lou Alstadt said recently that such protests “upped the ante” on Shell’s decision to pull the plug on drilling in the Arctic. Brendon Steele believes working collaboratively on the inside of companies is a better way to influence their behavior than confrontation and villainization. Future 500 works closely with energy corporations to encourage more sustainable business practices. Is it more effective to work quietly on the inside of corporations or bang loudly on the outside? A discussion of what lessons climate activists can learn from history and where carbon advocacy is headed. Tim DeChristopher, Founder, Climate Disobedience Center Georgia Hirsty, National Warehouse Program Manager, Greenpeace Brendon Steele, Director of Stakeholder Engagement, Future 500

A two-part conversation about the present and future of atomic power in a hot and crowded world. David R. Baker, Energy Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Caroline Cochran, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Oklo Lucas Davis, Professor, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley Jessica Lovering, Director of Energy, The Breakthrough Institute Jose Reyes, Chief Technology Officer, NuScale Power Ray Rothrock, Partner Emeritus, Venrock

Carroll examines the principles that have guided the scientific revolution from Darwin and Einstein to the origins of life, consciousness and the universe. He explores how an avalanche of discoveries in the past few hundred years has changed our world and what really matters to us.

Set in magnificent Portofino, Italy, Jojo's latest focuses on la dolce vita, marriage Italian-style, millions and billions of laundered Euros, confiscated art and intrigue. Embedded in the novel is the true story of Countess Francesca Agusta, one of Europe's wealthiest women, whose mysterious death illuminates the truth that being one of the 1 percent can be deadly.

Companies and consumers alike increasingly rank sustainable practices, materials and missions as core to their values. Decisions around producing and purchasing often include assessing materials, manufacturing, supply chain practices and more, and it’s not just about the “made in” label on shirts anymore. Today, global brands hire chief sustainability officers, and fledgling designers source materials carefully from day one. Consumers do their research, and magazines and fashion blogs feature resources to help identify environmentally friendly products. How can businesses weave sustainability into the fabric of their enterprises from day one? What questions can consumers ask to encourage more environmentally friendly practices from the brands they love? Join INFORUM and a panel of fashion and retail entrepreneurs and experts for a deep dive into how the fashion industry and consumers are collectively moving the needle on sustainability.

Will a green economy be more equitable than the brown economy? As California transitions to renewable energy, the result will be green jobs, cleaner communities and lower carbon emissions. But will underserved communities get shafted again? The environmental justice community has been concerned that the state’s cap and trade program puts Brazilian rainforests over communities near refineries and factories. Will Sausalito and Vallejo get the same protection from rising seas and other impacts of a destabilized climate? A conversation about increasing equity while reducing carbon pollution. Manuel Pastor, Director, University of Southern California Program for Environmental and Regional Equity Vien Truong, National Director, Green for All Miya Yoshitani, Executive Director, Asia Pacific Environmental Network

Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz!

The global effects of climate disruption will have local impacts on the Bay Area. The political leaders of this region are already planning for a future with a new norm. Sam Liccardo, Mayor, San Jose Libby Schaaf, Mayor, Oakland

Are environmentalists afraid of stepping in cow dung? The documentary film Cowspiracy contends that large environmental groups are turning a blind eye to the harmful effects cattle have on ecosystems and human health. Environmentalists bristle at the charge and point to work promoting vegan and vegetarian diets and campaigns against factory farms and other excesses of the animal agriculture industry. The film, which was backed by Leonardo DiCaprio, presents “a sensationalist conspiracy where none exists,” according to Greenpeace executive Robin Oakley. However, a growing number of environmentalists are praising cows and claim they can be climate healers rather than the villains they are often made out to be. They contend that a cow’s methane-rich burps can be offset if cattle grazing patterns are carefully managed. The result, they say, can be pretty landscapes and healthy soil that stores both carbon and water. Is that just spin from cattle ranchers? Does Cowspiracy use green groups as a foil to make a sensational film to generate buzz? A conversation about the future of an American icon in the age of climate disruption. "Kip Anderson, Filmmaker, Cowspiracy and What the Health Nicolette Hahn Niman, Author, Defending Beef"