Jane Goodall: Celebrating 90

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Environmental icon Jane Goodall is celebrating 90 years of life, and she’s not backing off of her passionate commitment to nature. The indefatigable Goodall is now focused on three intertwined crises: biodiversity loss, climate change, and environmental inequity. She has one important message for her audiences around the world: vote like your children’s lives depend on it — because they do.

Jane Goodall is joined by Rhett Butler, founder of Mongabay, a nonprofit media organization that delivers news and inspiration from nature's frontline via a network of more than 900 journalists in about 80 countries.

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Join Climate One Live Tomorrow

What if We Get It Right? With Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Bill McKibben, and Abigail Dillen

October 1, 2024 | 12:00 p.m.

It’s easy enough to look around and see signs of current climate destruction and future climate doom. But marine biologist, and co-founder of The All We Can Save Project, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson asks us instead to focus on the question, “What if we get it right?”?

Johnson, Third Act Founder Bill McKibben, and Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen have all dedicated their lives to saving all they can of this beautiful planet. In their different ways, through science, public education and legal action, they have been at the forefront of enacting solutions at the nexus of science, policy and justice. Conservation is an ongoing struggle. Johnson, McKibben and Dillen recognize that it will take all of us — not just scientists and lawyers, but farmers and financiers, architects and advocates, with all our diverse skills — to get us through to the other side of the present existential crisis.

Join Climate One Co-Host Ariana Brocious in what’s sure to be an inspiring, live conversation with Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Bill McKibben and Abigail Dillen.

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What We’re Reading This Week: California Sues ExxonMobil for Alleged Plastic Recycling Lies

The state of California sued ExxonMobil this week, alleging that the fossil fuel producer has spent decades deceiving the public about the recyclability of plastic. California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is also leading a lawsuit against ExxonMobil and four other fossil fuel producers for false advertising, said the company has known for decades that only 5 percent of plastic products can be recycled.

Plastic manufacturing is a major profit center for oil producers , and with the clean energy transition gaining momentum, there are concerns that companies like ExxonMobil are simply pivoting to more plastic production. Reusing the same plastic products, however, is typically not profitable, with the recycling process often costing more than making brand new plastic.?

ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel majors insist that reusing and recycling plastics eliminates the need for reduction in the material’s use. Some local and state governments are unconvinced. In the past decade New Jersey and California both required grocery stores to switch to using thicker, supposedly reusable plastic bags at checkout. Unfortunately, this approach backfired. Studies have shown that California’s ten year-old law resulted in more plastic by weight thrown away. In response, 91 nations and the state of California have passed complete bans on plastic bag use, and similar efforts are underway to mandate a change from plastic food packaging and utensils to compostable products. For more, check out the Climate One podcast Big Plastic: The New Big Oil.

PLUS:

• This Florida ‘ghost candidates’ scandal puts the entire utility sector on trial
• Green energy credits see growing Republican support?
• Climate change prompted these scientists to reinvent chocolate
• Major Ohio cities aim to cut building emissions with voluntary program

Connecting the Dots

Major tech companies like Microsoft claim that artificial intelligence will be instrumental in solving the climate crisis. Meanwhile, journalist Karen Hao recently revealed that Microsoft, a major backer of ChatGPT, is simultaneously selling its AI tools to fossil fuel companies like Chevron and Shell for the purpose of improving the process of finding new oil and gas deposits.

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT also require massive amounts of energy, with Microsoft’s latest environmental report showing a 29 percent increase in the corporation’s total emissions since 2020, leaving many wondering: Can AI and the planet coexist??

Climate One interviewed Hao, Gavin McCormick, Priya Bonti, and Amy McGovern earlier this year in search of an answer to one of the most important questions of our time. Listen now on your favorite podcast platform .

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Chart of the Week

Ocean temperatures explain the power of Hurricane Helene