Join us tonight for State of the Bay’s inaugural “climate special.” We’ll hear about new and proposed climate legislation in California, discuss Bay Area cleantech startups and enjoy climate comedy.
First, we’ll talk with State Senator Josh Becker, representing the residents of California’s 13th Senate District, about climate legislation in California.
Then we’ll hear how Bay Area companies are innovating to create a cleaner, greener future for our state and beyond, even as some tech companies are choosing to move away from this region. Joining us will be Lora Kolodny, tech and climate reporter for CNBC, and Abe Yokell, managing partner and co-founder of Congruent Ventures.
And finally, we’ll laugh along with comedians Brad Einstein and Kyle Niemer, members of the inaugural climate comedy cohort created by Generation180 and the Center for Media & Social Impact. They’re goal is to inject humor into the climate change conversation.
What would you like to ask our guests? Post a comment here, tweet us @StateofBay, send an email to stateofthebay@kalw.org or leave a voicemail at (415) 580-0718.
Tune in tonight at 6pm PT on KALW 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live. You can also call 866-798-TALK with questions during the show.
California and other jurisdictions have been moving to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as a climate solution. Yet some pro-sprawl interests question whether this is necessary, given the advent of electric vehicles. It’s fair to ask: if all vehicles are “zero emission,” do we really need to care any more about how much driving we do, in terms of the climate impact?
The answer is unequivocally yes, and here are the top five reasons:
- Gas cars will be with us for a long time. As the California Air Resources Board noted in the 2022 scoping plan appendix, even with a goal to have only zero-emission vehicles sold in the state by 2035, approximately 30 percent of light-duty vehicles on the road in 2045 will still burn fossil fuels. The less of that we burn through reduced driving, the better.
- Clean electricity generation still has a carbon cost. Even if we move to 100% electric vehicles, that energy has to come from somewhere. And if it’s large-scale solar or wind facilities, they come with their own energy inputs to manufacture, as well as land use impacts to deploy. For example, some studies conservatively estimate it takes 10 acres of solar panels to generate one megawatt of electricity, an hour of which could potentially power about 3,500 driving miles collectively. Using that land for electricity and not food production, carbon sequestration, or open space comes with significant climate costs.
- Low-VMT development patterns reduce carbon pollution from buildings. As CARB noted, infill development (as opposed to sprawl served by publicly-subsidized highways) uses an estimated 10 to 20 percent less residential energy, due to smaller unit types, sizes, and locations — not to mention reduced water use from less outdoor irrigation requirements, which come with their own energy footprint to ship and treat the water.
- Reducing sprawl and VMT preserves open space and working lands as a carbon sink. To achieve carbon neutrality by mid century or sooner, we’re going to need to bury carbon. Natural and working lands are a key part of that equation, as they provide opportunities to bury carbon in soils through natural processes. Developing these lands instead for high VMT sprawl can permanently foreclose that opportunity.
- Electric vehicles come with their own carbon footprint and pollution costs. While dramatically better for the environment than fossil fuel-powered cars, EVs still require significant energy to manufacture, and their use on the road can create particulate matter pollution through wear on the tires and brakes and by kicking up particulate matter from the road. They also require large-scale mining of lithium, graphite and other minerals, which creates local environmental and energy impacts.
I could also mention non-climate reasons for wanting to reduce VMT, such as the equity benefits of building more housing closer to jobs and services in order to reduce transportation costs that disproportionately hurt low-income residents. But I’ll stick with the climate benefits for now.
Overall, we do need to electrify 100% of our transportation modes from a climate perspective. But we also need to simultaneously reduce the demand for transportation by building better and smarter communities in walkable, affordable, and transit-friendly areas.
Without that reduced driving, our climate goals will be much harder to achieve.
Climate change news is often quite depressing, with frequent stories on the science and ever-worsening impacts. What gets lost in this otherwise important coverage is the amazing and inspiring tales of innovation and solutions happening all around us, in every sector and walk of life.
That’s why Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE), in partnership with the UC Berkeley School of Journalism, launched the podcast Climate Break, which tells stories of climate solutions in less than two minutes. Climate Break features interviews with compelling scientists, innovators, organizers, and leaders discussing breakthroughs, new approaches, and examples of progress on climate change. And it’s almost entirely student run.
Over the past two years, we have recorded interviews with climate leaders like former California governor Jerry Brown and Arizona governor (and former Homeland Security secretary) Janet Napolitano, youth activists protesting fossil fuels, corporate leaders pushing for proactive climate lobbying, and entrepreneurs building clean energy facilities in tribal communities and retrofitting internal combustion engine vehicles in Egypt into electric models, among many other solutions.
And as of this year, a new episode of the podcast airs every Thursday on NPR-affiliate KALW 91.7 FM in San Francisco, offering listeners “climate solutions in a hurry.” In fact, you can tune in or stream live today at 7:19am and 3:48pm PT to hear our newest episode. We hope to expand to more radio stations soon.
For more on the podcast and its origins, Berkeley Law News profiled me and CLEE Project Climate Director Ken Alex, who had the idea for the program. Ken also serves as the show’s executive producer, along with CLEE senior climate fellow Chandra Middleton, who supervises the student team that helps produce the clips and draft additional information on each topic on our website.
So if you’re looking for inspiring solutions to address the climate crisis in less than two minutes, subscribe to Climate Break today on our website or wherever you get your podcasts!
Tonight on State of the Bay, we’ll interview Josh Koehn, senior reporter for the The San Francisco Standard, on the scandal plaguing San Francisco’s homeless services.
Then we’ll chat with Michael Coren, Climate Coach columnist for The Washington Post, about how to live lighter on the planet. Bring us your questions about anything from cloth diapers to green funerals!
Finally, we’ll hear from Joslyn Rose Lyons, director of the documentary film Stand, on the price paid by an NBA player for not standing for the national anthem.
What would you like to ask our guests? Post a comment here, tweet us @StateofBay, send an email to stateofthebay@kalw.org or leave a voicemail at (415) 580-0718.
Tune in tonight at 6pm PT on KALW 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live. You can also call 866-798-TALK with questions during the show.
Tonight on State of the Bay, I’ll be hosting Jessica Wolfrom, environmental reporter for the San Francisco Examiner, for an update on San Francisco’s climate action plan. As my colleagues at CLEE analyzed in a report last year, the city may need up to $22 billion to meet its climate goals.
Then we’ll uncover the mystery and history of Alcatraz: the prisoners, protests, escapes and more. We’ll be joined by John Martini, author, historian and former Park Ranger on Alcatraz Island, and Karley Nugent, current Park Ranger on Alcatraz.
Finally, we’ll hear about another great bay area gem: The Pacific Pinball museum in Alameda, with Larry Zartarian, president of the Pacific Pinball museum.
What would you like to ask our guests? Post a comment here, tweet us @StateofBay, send an email to stateofthebay@kalw.org or leave a voicemail at (415) 580-0718.
Tune in tonight at 6pm PT on KALW 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live. You can also call 866-798-TALK with questions during the show.
Last week the news blew up (no pun intended) that a commissioner on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission floated the idea of a potential ban on gas cooktops in kitchens. The issue is that these cooktops are increasingly linked to unsafe levels of indoor air pollution and childhood asthma.
However, despite an outcry from right-wing news organizations and various politicians, there is no movement afoot for the government to seize your gas range. If anything, the debate in states like California is about ending ratepayer subsidies for gas hook-ups to new construction and eventually to existing neighborhoods, rather than paying to upgrade them. Eventually, all-electric buildings will be the norm and offer consumers better, more efficient appliances that aren’t putting their health at risk.
Most of the technology to move to all-electric buildings is essentially invisible to us on a daily basis, such as your hot water heater, furnace, etc. But the kitchen cooktop is a deeply personal issue for some people, especially those wedded to cooking with gas.
Fortunately, a far superior technology exists for cooking: the magnetic induction range. I spoke to NPR’s Marketplace this week to discuss the technology, its pros and cons, and the logistical challenges for customers looking to install one. Hopefully this discussion is helpful for anyone interested in purchasing one, or at least getting to the bottom of what was a fake debate about a real issue.
I’ll be guest hosting today’s Your Call’s Media Roundtable, where we’ll talk about what the midterm election means for President Biden’s climate and clean energy agenda, including investments in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable and sustainable.
This topic is especially timely given the runoff election victory this week for Georgia senator Raphael Warnock, plus Arizona senator Krysten Sinema’s announcement this morning that she’s leaving the Democratic party.
Joining us will be:
- Marianne Lavelle, award winning reporter covering environment, science, law, and business for InsideClimate News
- Jason Mark, editor of Sierra and the author of Satellites in the High Country: Searching for the Wild in the Age of Man
Then at 10:30am PT, we discuss two cases in front of the Supreme Court this week that could have major impacts on LGBTQ rights and federal election rules. The case 303 Creative v. Elenis involves a challenge by a Colorado website designer to a state law that bars public-facing businesses from discriminating against gay people or announcing their intent to do so. The designer, Lorie Smith, argues that subjecting her to the law would violate her right to free speech. The justices also considered Moore v. Harper, a case that would give state lawmakers unfettered power to set rules for voting and elections, without state constitutional limits.
Joining us to analyze the potential impact of these two cases will be Mark Joseph Stern, a senior writer covering courts and the law for Slate Magazine. Mark has covered the U.S. Supreme Court, federal appellate and district courts, and state and local courts since 2013.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
I’m guest hosting Your Call’s One Planet Series today, where we’ll discuss the state of the Colorado River under severe drought conditions. 40 million people depend on the river, as one of the most important water sources of freshwater in the country. But its flows have decreased 20 percent in the last 30 years. Joining us to discuss its current conditions and potential future will be Alex Hager, water and environment reporter covering the Colorado River basin for KUNC.
Then later in the program, we’ll cover the mini-art exhibit Kelp! currently running at 836M gallery in North Beach in San Francisco. It brings attention to one of the most beautiful and often overlooked ocean flora in northern California. Joining us will be:
- Josie Iselin, fine art photographer, and author of The Curious World of Seaweed
- Tristin Anoush McHugh, ecologist, kelp forest restoration practitioner, and the Kelp Project Director with The Nature Conservancy
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
Today I’m doing double duty on KALW 91.7 FM San Francisco Bay Area. First, at 10am PT, I’ll be guest hosting Your Call’s One Planet Series, where we’ll discuss ConocoPhillips’ massive oil and gas Willow Project in Alaska’s fragile western Arctic. Joining us will be Adam Federman, investigative reporter and a reporting fellow with Type Investigations, and the author of Fasting and Feasting: The Life of Visionary Food Writer Patience Gray.
Then in the second half of the program, we’ll cover the Biden administration’s recent $1.1 billion lifeline to California’s last nuclear power plant at Diablo Canyon. Sammy Roth, climate and energy reporter at the Los Angeles Times and writer of the weekly Boiling Point newsletter, will explain the situation.
Then on State of the Bay at 6pm PT, my co-host Grace Won will interview me over my recent trip to Egypt for the just-concluded UN climate conference. I’ll explain what happened at the conference and provide some analysis on what it means for the climate fight. Then later in the program you’ll hear Grace’s interview with former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson about her efforts to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT for Your Call and then again at 6pm PT for State of the Bay. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
It’s another double shot today of me hosting shows on KALW 91.7 FM San Francisco Bay Area. First, at 10am PT, I’ll be guest hosting Your Call’s One Planet Series, where we’ll discuss the viability of carbon capture technology in combating climate change. Carbon capture and storage is the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide from polluting sources and storing it deep in the ground.
The just-passed (but not yet signed) Inflation Reduction Act includes a change in a crucial tax credit for the carbon capture industry—increasing the government subsidy for capturing CO2 from polluting sources from $50 to $85 per metric ton.
Some environmentalists call these carbon capture subsidies a handout to the oil industry and a distraction from urgently needed actions. How effective is this technology? Joining us to discuss are:
Tony Briscoe, environmental reporter with the Los Angeles Times
Naomi Oreskes, Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University.
Then we’ll cover the socio-environmental impacts of lithium mining to produce electric vehicles. Joining us will be Jennifer Krill, executive director of Earthworks, a nonprofit organization committed to protecting communities from the adverse impacts of oil and gas and mineral extraction.
Second, later today on State of the Bay at 6pm PT, we’ll cover the latest in San Francisco’s housing saga, as the state threatens to take over land use planning for the City. Plus we’ll discuss the rise of autoimmune disorders and learn about California’s youth governor’s race, covered in a new documentary.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT for Your Call and then again at 6pm PT for State of the Bay. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
