Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

The reframing of cigarette smoke as a public health issue was a turning point in the tobacco wars. Can the same happen with climate change? Rising temperatures are implicated in recent health risks from the Zika virus to the algae blooms creating toxic soup in the Great Lakes and Pacific Ocean. Outdoor workers and poor people are especially at risk from severe heat, mosquitoes and illnesses that thrive in warmer conditions. Already, the atmosphere has warmed about one degree celsius from pre-industrial times. That doesn’t sound like much but one degree can have a big impact on the planet and people. And we are on a path to temperature increases of at least two degrees. What is the outlook for public health in a warming world? Is California and the Bay Area prepared to deal with the medical impacts of a hot and crowded world? Join us for a conversation about how burning fossil fuels could impact your personal well being and what you can do to protect yourself. Rachel Morello-Frosch, Professor, University of California, Berkeley Linda Rudolph, Director, Center for Climate Change and Health, Public Health Institute

Learn more helpful dos and don’ts from the man who has worked with everyone, including Bill Gates, Arianna Huffington, social activists, and Nobel Prize Winners.

We will discuss how doctors, teachers and parents are framing climate change as a children’s issue. The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement saying children’s health will be disproportionately affected by climate. The California Parent-Teacher Association is raising its voice about carbon risk and the Boy Scouts are teaching kids about sustainability. We’ll explore how educators and students increasingly are making climate a youth issue. Giana Amador, Research Analyst, Center for Carbon Removal Minda Berbeco, Programs and Policy Director, National Center for Science Education Ryan Condensa, Action Fellow, Alliance for Climate Education Luis Martinez, Student Activist Alexander Zwissler, Principal, Einstellung Labs"

Following the successful Paris climate talks, nations are crafting policies to mitigate global warming. Building sustainable economics that provide a high quality of life for everyone is a challenge that must be accomplished in a few decades. Join our distinguished panel from the University of California Berkeley in a discussion of how to live meaningfully in a healthy, sustainable, and equitable global economy.

What would their exit mean for the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United States and the world? Join our expert panel to examine the economic, political and social attitudes of UK voters toward the European Union. What are the possible consequences of a victorious “remain” or “leave” vote on the British government, economy, immigration policy, as well as the referendum’s likely effects on the EU and international community?

“ He says, “The Constitution is supposed to be what will save us, rather than what it really is: the source of many of our ills.… It gives Wyoming the same number of votes as California, which has 70 times the population of the Cowboy State. It offers the president the power to overrule both houses of Congress on legislation he disagrees with on political grounds. Also problematic is the appointment of Supreme Court judges for life. Adding insult to injury, the United States Constitution is the most difficult to amend or update of any constitution currently existing in the world today… Is this a recipe for a republic that reflects the needs and wants of today's Americans?” Professor Levinson will address whether present generations can rethink their constitutional arrangements; how much effort we should exert to preserve America’s traditional culture; and whether The Federalist’s arguments even suggest the desirability of world government.

A two-term mayor of San Francisco, legendary speaker of the California State Assembly, and widely regarded as one of the most influential African-American politicians of the late 20th century, Brown has been at the center of California politics, government and civic life for an astonishing four decades.

When the U.S. government discusses drone strikes publicly, the implicit message from the Obama administration has been characterized as "trust, but don’t verify." The Intercept called this into question when it obtained a cache of secret slides that provide a window into the inner workings of the U.S. military’s kill/capture operations in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. These documents raise serious questions about the central role that assassination plays in counterterrorism policy.

This program is an update from our previous Food Addiction program; all panelists will offer updated information. Addiction is about brains, not just about behaviors. We all have the brain reward circuitry that makes food rewarding; it’s a survival mechanism. In a healthy brain, these rewards have feedback mechanisms for satiety or "enough." For some, the circuitry becomes dysfunctional such that the message becomes "more." Michael Prager, author of Fat Boy Thin Man, will begin the discussion telling his very personal story of recognizing and then seeking treatment for his food addiction. Leading researchers and clinicians will discuss many aspects of this important topic.

This program is an update from our previous Food Addiction program; all panelists will offer updated information. Addiction is about brains, not just about behaviors. We all have the brain reward circuitry that makes food rewarding; it’s a survival mechanism. In a healthy brain, these rewards have feedback mechanisms for satiety or "enough." For some, the circuitry becomes dysfunctional such that the message becomes "more." Michael Prager, author of Fat Boy Thin Man, will begin the discussion telling his very personal story of recognizing and then seeking treatment for his food addiction. Leading researchers and clinicians will discuss many aspects of this important topic.