KQED's Forum

California’s fourth largest hydroelectric plant, Hyatt Powerplant at Lake Oroville, has been shut down due to lack of water for the first time in its nearly 60 year history. This after water levels sank to 24% of the lake’s capacity, in what the Department of Water Resources attributed to “climate-induced drought.” We discuss the effects of California’s drought on the power supply and what steps the state is taking to make up for the loss of water and hydroelectric power.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden announced an executive order last week that aims to make half of all new vehicles sold electric by 2030. The move is part of Biden’s larger plan for taking action on the climate crisis and has the backing of U.S. automakers. Not a legally binding mandate and more of a voluntary pledge, it remains to be seen how much progress will ultimately be made in helping lower greenhouse gas emissions. California set its own goal for electric vehicles earlier this year when Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all sales of new gas-powered vehicles in the state phased out by 2035. Many Democrats urged Biden to pursue a similar order, which is closer to those adopted by other countries, but he resisted. We’ll learn more about Biden’s executive order and what impact California’s own policies and growing electric vehicle industry will have on the national plan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new report this week from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change presents a brutal picture of the devastation already caused by human-created climate change. It is a dire warning about a worsening future without swift, dramatic action to reduce warming. To slow down the pace of climate change, the report says, we need to stop emitting carbon dioxide altogether and dramatically reduce other greenhouse gas emissions. Most of this we’ve known for a long time. But what will it actually take to make the change? In this hour we talk about actionable political, social and technological solutions to climate change.  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While 63% of Californians are now vaccinated against COVID-19, in many parts of the state health officials are struggling with how to convince those who are reluctant. Forum looks at the varied reasons for vaccine hesitancy by training a spotlight on Fresno county, where less than half of residents are fully vaccinated. We check in with residents about how they’re making vaccine decisions and talk with health officials about what they’re doing to change minds, address concerns and improve access.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Dixie Fire, which has ravaged hundreds of thousands of acres in Northern California and leveled the town of Greenville, has become the second largest fire in state history. Of the ten fires with the widest acreage devastation in recorded California history, seven have taken place in the past three years. On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Siskiyou, Nevada and Plumas Counties. We provide the latest updates on Northern California’s fires, how the state is responding and what lies ahead.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scientists project that Bay Area sea levels are likely to rise as much as seven feet by the end of this century, directly affecting the millions of people in homes and commercial spaces along the water. In response, cities across the region are grappling with how to afford the cost of defending their shorelines.  As Facebook and Google’s tech campuses expand even further into these vulnerable areas, calls are growing for the tech industry to provide more funding for building defenses. We discuss who should pay to protect Bay Area land from rising seas.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deadlines inspire a range of reactions. For some, blood runs cold at the mere mention. Others claim their best work comes about when running against the clock — or they so they say as they procrastinate into the night. And still for others, a due date is a mere suggestion. We’ll explore the psychology that shapes our attitudes toward deadlines, as well as how industries focused on maximizing time and productivity can make matters worse for everyone. We want to hear how you tackle deadlines — just don’t wait until the last minute to tell us.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the Oakland Museum of California’s new exhibition “Mothership: Voyage into Afrofuturism,” artists of all mediums imagine the world through a Black cultural lens. As such, “Afrofuturism” is represented in many different visuals, sounds and ideas throughout the exhibition, with one striking quote printed on a wall stating, “In Afrofuturism, science, magic, and the divine feminine are interconnected.” And for fans of funk group Parliament, you can even be “beamed up” by a replica of the mothership that was a mainstay of their live performances. We’ll talk with the show’s curators and one of the participating artists about the exhibition, which highlights author Octavia E. Butler, jazz musician Sun Ra, filmmaker Khalil Joseph and more.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"A tocsin that Americans then chose to ignore, its warnings remain strikingly relevant today." That's how New Yorker staff Jelani Cobb writer characterizes the landmark 1968 Kerner Commission report that analyzed the systemic racism that led to a dozen urban uprisings between 1964 and 1967. We'll talk to Cobb about "The Essential Kerner Commission Report" which re-examines and re-contextualizes its recommendations in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police. And we'll talk to Cobb about his new HBO documentary series "Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union" and how the former president shaped our national discourse on race.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Courtney Martin thought long and hard about where to send her budding kindergartener to school, deciding between private school or the neighborhood public school designated as “failing” by its test scores. The Oakland-based writer chronicles the experience in her new book, “Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially Divided America From My Daughter’s School.” In choosing to send her white child to a majority-Black school, Martin comes to better understand the racial segregation still present within U.S. schools, and she analyzes why so many self-described progressive white parents still favor private schools. Martin joins us to share her thoughts on why supporting public education benefits us all.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices