In the past few years, massive wildfires have devastated California, destroying thousands of homes and killing more than a hundred people. Experts say droughts and other conditions amplified by

In the past few years, massive wildfires have devastated California, destroying thousands of homes and killing more than a hundred people. Experts say droughts and other conditions amplified by climate change are one factor. But there is more to the story. "No matter what happens we have to hold PG&E, and whatever successor there is, accountable for negligent acts,” says Mark Toney of the Utility Reform Network. “PG&E was not put into bankruptcy by climate change,” he continues. “PG&E was put into bankruptcy through their own criminal negligence. And we’ve got to hold them accountable and come up with a way of stopping wildfires from happening in the first place. PG&E has admitted that faulty power lines, combined with drought conditions and dying trees worsened by climate change, lit the spark for California’s most deadly wildfire ever. But as far back as the 1990s, PG&E was ignoring the fire danger posed by aging equipment and overgrown trees. Not even hefty fines from the California Public Utilities Commission could get them to clean up their act. In 2000, “We fined them over hundred million dollars,” says Loretta Lynch, who was a commissioner with the CPUC at the time. “That was chump change to them. They continued to pocket necessary maintenance monies and profit from it while the system deteriorated.” In 2010, the San Bruno pipeline explosion killed eight people and injured dozens more; PG&E was later convicted of six felony counts. And last year’s Camp Fire, the deadliest, most destructive in California history, killed 85 people and decimated the town of Paradise. The company now faces a slew of lawsuits from fire victims. “Essentially what our lawsuit is demanding or asking for from PG&E is that the fire victims’ lives are made whole again,” says Patty Garrison, whose home was destroyed in the fire. “It’s just infuriating that that kind of negligence has decimated a town and is continuing to kill people.” This mounting series of transgressions has saddled California’s biggest utility into $30 billion in liabilities and propelled it into bankruptcy. Some have called for a government takeover, or a breakup of the power behemoth into smaller, community-run energy providers. What’s next for PG&E – and for California’s energy future? And in the second half of the show: Cycles of drought and rain have shaped California life since John Steinbeck’s writing seared the state’s water woes into national consciousness. Amplified by climate change, California and other western states now experience regular weather whiplash, careening between record drought and rainfall every few years. In his new book The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California, author Mark Arax reveals the tumultuous history behind the myth of abundance in the Golden State. LA Times reporter Diana Marcum and water expert Faith Kearns explore the complex intersections between drought, climate change, and life in rural California. Can a decades-old distribution system meet the water needs of the future? Will redirecting rivers, drilling deeper wells, and building higher dams quench California’s demand for water? How will the state's robust agricultural economy — one that produces two-thirds of the country’s produce and nuts year-round — survive the next record-breaking drought? A conversation about living the California dream in a drought-prone state. #letstalkclimate https://climateone.org/ PG&E Bankrupt 3:45 Strict Liability 6:33 California Power Outages 10:17 Land Of Dreams and Drought 13:56 Stories of Drought 11:46 How Much is Climate Contributing? 19:01 Dystopian Water War 21:55

...

On 8 April 2024, as part of WCEF Side Events 2024, CLG Europe’s Materials and Products Taskforce hosted a webinar titled ‘How the new EU institutions can kickstart the Circular Economy’. A

On 8 April 2024, as part of WCEF Side Events 2024, CLG Europe’s Materials and Products Taskforce hosted a webinar titled ‘How the new EU institutions can kickstart the Circular Economy’. A recent report from the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC) highlights that the EU has made very little progress in increasing the circular use of materials. ESABCC points out that the circular material use rate has been increasing very slowly in recent years; it went from 10.8% in 2010 to 11.7% in 2021. As mentioned in the report, the European Commission has announced its ambition to double the circular material use rate by 2030, but this would require a more than a tenfold increase in the recently observed average annual rate of change: from on average + 0.1 pp per year in 2017–2021 to on average + 1.3 pp per year in 2021–2030. According to the report, this would probably necessitate a combination of an increase in recycling and a decrease in the overall material demand. Leading up to the European elections, we anticipate a significant focus on circular economy in the coming five years. As a side event of the World Circular Economy Forum 2024 (WCEF 2024), this event delved into what role the circular economy should play in European politics and how the new institutions can promote greater circularity. The event convened a diverse array of speakers, encompassing scientific expertise, as well as perspectives from businesses and NGOs. This debate is ahead of the Taskforce for climate-neutral and circular materials and products (Materials and Products Taskforce) launching a report later in the year. This report will set the policy agenda for the EU's transition to circular economy, taking stock of the previous 5 years' progress and offering policy recommendations for the next 5 years. Speakers included: - Pieter-Willem Lemmens, Expert, European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC) - Claudia Bierth, European Public Affairs & Sustainability Manager, Ball Corporation - Céline Carré, Head of Public Affairs, Saint-Gobain - Caterina Rocca, Group Regulatory Affairs Director, ROCKWOOL - Edoardo Bodo, Environment Policy Officer, RREUSE - Diana Potjomkina, Project Manager, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership - Moderated by Martin Porter, Executive Chair, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership About the Taskforce for climate neutral and circular materials and products, CLG Europe The Taskforce for climate neutral and circular materials and products was created in September 2021 with the aim to drive forward policy discussions by bringing together a group of progressive businesses across sectors and value chains. The group brings together companies that are actively committed to using climate neutral and sustainable materials, and who want to work together to promote and support EU wide measures to decarbonise materials. Our key objective is to create an ecosystem that more rapidly shifts away from the energy and resource intensive production of materials to materials that are produced without using fossil fuels or emitting greenhouse gases (GHG) as by-products. The Materials & Products Taskforce is convened by CLG Europe, an influential and cross-sectoral group of European businesses collaborating to accelerate economy-wide action for a climate neutral economy. Our aim is to provide a forum to promote positive exchange between progressive European governments and businesses determined to support the development of a climate neutral and prosperous Europe.

...

Fossil fuels and other conventional energy sources release many greenhouse gases that harm the environment. For this reason, there is global talk of the need for a transition towards the use of

Fossil fuels and other conventional energy sources release many greenhouse gases that harm the environment. For this reason, there is global talk of the need for a transition towards the use of cleaner energy sources and the development of technologies such as battery storage systems, and other cleaner sources of energy. However, for the creation of these energy sources, so-called “transition minerals” are necessary, the extraction of which increases the danger of new displacements and the dispossession of territories from Indigenous Peoples. The intention of this series is to inform and educate Indigenous Peoples about their right to free, prior and informed consent when it comes to minerals found on our lands and territories! Music "Burn your village to the ground", by The Halluci Nation, used with permission. “Whispers”, by Ziibiwan, used with permission. Image Mining in Bolivia Voices Diana Pastor, Maya K'iche', Cultural Survival Galina Angarova, Buryat, Cultural Survival Mariana Kiimi, Na Ñuu Sàvi/Mixtec, Cultural Survival Shaldon Ferris, Khoisan, Cultural Survival Jess Cherofsky, Cultural Survival

...

Mahina Paishon-Duarte is co-founder and chief executive officer of Waiwai Collective, a regenerative urban oasis, a kīpuka, for creatively growing community, culture, and commerce. As a social

Mahina Paishon-Duarte is co-founder and chief executive officer of Waiwai Collective, a regenerative urban oasis, a kīpuka, for creatively growing community, culture, and commerce. As a social entrepreneur who has also led several educational and cultural organizations, her vision and mission are one and the same––to catalyze positive, lasting change for Hawaiʻi in one generation. Mahina is the founding executive director of Paepae o Heʻeia, the first modern Hawaiian fishpond that created ground-breaking ʻāina-based education programming for students from preschool through postdoctoral levels. She is coauthor of the ʻĀina Aloha Economic Futures Declaration, taking action to bring to life a resilient economy through the core value of ʻāina aloha—a deep and abiding love for Hawaii’s communities and natural environments. Mahina Paishon-Duarte is co-founder and chief executive officer of Waiwai Collective, a regenerative urban oasis, a kīpuka, for creatively growing community, culture, and commerce. As a social entrepreneur who has also led several educational and cultural organizations, her vision and mission are one and the same––to catalyze positive, lasting change for Hawaiʻi in one generation. Mahina is the founding executive director of Paepae o Heʻeia, the first modern Hawaiian fishpond that created ground-breaking ʻāina-based education programming for students from preschool through post-doctoral levels. She is co-author of the ʻĀina Aloha Economic Futures Declaration, taking action to bring to life a resilient economy through the core value of ʻāina aloha—a deep and abiding love for Hawaiʻi’s communities and natural environments. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

...

Diana H. Wall, PhD, University Distinguished Professor and Professor of Biology at Colorado State University delivers the 2013 Tyler Prize Laureate Lecture at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Wall's lecture reflects on the importance of studying soil ecosystems to understanding climate change and a number of pressing environmental challenges and her work in Antarctica. Published on Apr 19, 2013

...

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed annually on October 17. This day seeks to promote understanding and dialogue between individuals experiencing poverty and the wider

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed annually on October 17. This day seeks to promote understanding and dialogue between individuals experiencing poverty and the wider community. In this radio program, we will hear from Diana Pastor (Maya Ki'che) and Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Sunuwar), who will discuss the effects of poverty on Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala and Nepal, respectively. Produced by Shaldon Ferris (Khoi/San) Voices: Diana Pastor (Maya K'iche) and Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Sunuwar) Music: "Indios Tilcara" by Chancha Via Circuito used with permission "Burn your village to the ground", by The Haluci Nation, used with permission.

...

...