Climate Break

Berkeley Law
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Climate change is upon us. Fires, droughts, hurricanes, sea level rise, and melting ice caps are all part of our new normal. But something else is happening as well. Scientists, innovators, organizations, cities, companies, and citizens are taking action, making progress, and finding solutions. Climate Break brings you stories of climate progress and interviews with climate innovators from California and around the world, in under 2 minutes. Our solution-oriented, radio-ready shows are produced by students and climate law and policy experts at the University of California, Berkeley. Climate Break is a co-production of the Center for Law, Energy, and Environment at UC Berkeley Law and KALW 91.7 FM San Francisco Bay Area, in conjunction with the Berkeley School of Journalism. (For a transcript of the trailer, visit https://climatebreak.org/about-climate-break/)

  1. vor 12 Std.

    Recycling Solar Panels, with Pablo Dias

    The Global Transition As the global transition to clean energy accelerates, scaling solar infrastructure has emerged as one of the most critical pathways to achieving a net-zero future. However, this rapid buildout could bring an increasingly large amount of waste as solar panels reach their end of life. To avoid this, recycling offers a dual climate solution: it significantly reduces the greenhouse gas emissions associated with primary mining and provides a supply of pre-refined, low-carbon materials that can be used to make new panels.  The Role of Solar Panels Transitioning away from fossil fuels and achieving net-zero carbon emissions at a global scale requires rapid deployment of renewable technologies. For solar energy specifically, the amount of solar infrastructure needed on Earth to meet climate goals is about 16 times what has already been built. This buildout demands large quantities of raw materials, including glass, silica sand, silver, copper, and aluminum. While these resources are traditionally mined from the Earth, they can also be recovered directly from solar panels once they reach their end-of-life. Extracting and processing raw materials for solar panels through primary mining is resource-intensive, and recycling those materials significantly reduces the panels’ manufacturing emissions. Similarly, integrating recycled solar glass cullet into manufacturing lowers furnace operating temperatures, cutting energy consumption by 2.5% to 3% for every 10% of cullet added and reducing the overall energy and emissions needed to produce new glass. If solar panels are taken to traditional e-waste recycling facilities, these sites typically rely on bulk shredding, a process that destroys material purity and scatters valuable metals. In contrast, the solar recycling process from SOLARCYCLE uses a step-by-step “reverse manufacturing” sequence in which the company strips away the junction box, removes the aluminum frame, and isolates the specialized glass to recover up to 97% of a panel’s material value. Furthermore, because solar manufacturing has evolved to generate more energy using fewer materials, the elements recovered from decommissioned panels can be the basis to build newer, higher-efficiency arrays that generate even more clean power. The Impact on Energy and Raw Materials Solar panel recycling requires dramatically less energy input, potentially avoiding up to 95% of the CO2 emissions and 95% of the energy needed to mine and process raw aluminum for new solar panels. What’s more, this technology can recover up to 99% or more of key materials like glass and metals. Likewise, because this solution recovers critical resources like silver and copper from existing infrastructure, the technology can be used to mine materials from what has already been produced and collected rather than extracting new minerals from the Earth. This means the technology has the potential to eliminate up to 25% of manufacturing emissions for specialized solar glass, while diverting toxic chemicals like lead and cadmium away from landfills to protect environmental and human health. Challenges: Recyclability and Economics  Currently,  panels have not been designed for recyclability, making the process of separating their tightly sealed layers a technical challenge. Because solar manufacturers operate on very thin or negative profit margins, they have rarely prioritized design-for-recyclability features, leaving decades of panels that will need specialized, intensive processing when they decommission. Scaling this technology also presents operational challenges because, while recycling thousands of panels is manageable, processing the millions of units at scale will require tooling that a supporting industry cannot yet provide. Solar panel recycling currently struggles to compete economically with traditional waste disposal depending on local geography. In countries like the United States, landfill remains the cheaper option, creating a financial gap that can deter asset owners from recycling the panels. Moreover, the process cannot yet achieve a fully circular loop for all components. Certain materials, like thermoset plastics, are unrecyclable and must be diverted to waste-to-energy processes. Finally, the industry faces regulatory risks from “sham recycling”, where bad actors take upfront payments but fail to manage the materials properly, creating an environmental hazard by exposing toxic lead or cadmium to the soil. The Guest’s Take Pablo Dias sees solar panel recycling as an essential part of the energy transition. For him, this process closes the loop on a true circular economy by allowing discarded panels to be mined for valuable resources like aluminum, silver, and copper instead of extracting raw materials from the Earth. This is part of a broader vision for a waste-free solar industry, turning end-of-life solar panels into a tool to drastically reduce the industry’s emissions and eliminate the environmental and social risks of heavy metal leaching. About the Guest Dr. Pablo Dias is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of SOLARCYCLE, a recycling platform designed to build a circular economy for the solar industry.  Further Reading SOLARCYCLE Resources on Solar Panel Recycling (SOLARCYCLE) ScienceDirect: High yield, low cost, environmentally friendly process to recycle silicon solar panels: Technical, economic and environmental feasibility assessment Wiley Online Library: Recycling Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Modules Grist: What happens when solar panels wear out? Personal Website – Pablo Dias For a transcript of this episode, visit https://climatebreak.org/recycling-solar-panels-with-pablo-dias/

  2. 28. Juli

    Approaching Climate Change Through Tribal Stewardship, with Geneva EB Thompson

    What is TEK? As climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, traditional land and water management approaches are proving insufficient to protect ecosystems and communities. Restoring tribal stewardship by re-establishing Indigenous leadership, returning ancestral lands, and applying Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) offers a holistic climate solution. By working with nature through practices like cultural fires, wetland restoration, and natural carbon capture, tribal stewardship builds ecosystem resilience, reduces wildfire and flood risks, and enhances natural carbon sequestration across California.   How We Got Here Before European colonization, Native communities managed California’s ecosystems for millennia through practices rooted in place-based TEK. Settler colonialism displaced those communities and severed TEK from ecosystem management. In California, this included the criminalization of cultural burning practices and the non-ratification of 18 negotiated federal treaties in the 1850s, which broke promises to reserve 7.5 million acres of permanent tribal homelands. Decades of fire suppression and environmental degradation have left forests overgrown with dry biomass and ecosystems vulnerable to hazards such as severe wildfires, flooding, and biodiversity loss.   What Now? To begin addressing these historical wrongs and build climate resilience, in March of 2026 the California Natural Resources Agency launched a policy aimed at restoring meaningful tribal stewardship across at least 7.5 million acres of land and coastal waters. The policy outlines three pathways:  Ancestral land return — land acquisitions by Native communities through state grants and land trust partnerships, Co-Management and collaboration — shared or delegated decision-making power between tribal and non-tribal entities for joint conservation, and Durable tribal access — removal of legal and administrative barriers so Native cultural practitioners can access ancestral territories. Advantages The main advantage of tribal stewardship is its ability to proactively mitigate extreme climate risks and restore ecosystems. Low-intensity cultural burning clears out woody biomass and dry plant material, preventing severe fuel buildup and slowing down catastrophic wildfires. In water ecosystems, restoring native wetland species like tule beds slows down floodwaters, enhances groundwater infiltration, and stabilizes freshwater ecosystems. Similarly, restoration of coastal kelp forests protects critical natural carbon sinks while cooling ocean waters. Likewise, facilitating tribal stewardship can promote Indigenous-led initiatives such as clean energy microgrids, which can provide surrounding rural communities with emergency power, shelter, and resources during climate-induced disasters. Ultimately, grounding land return targets in historical treaty obligations takes concrete, tangible steps toward truth, healing, and repairing historical injustices committed against Native communities.   Drawbacks  A current constraint of implementing tribal stewardship at scale is the ongoing challenge of securing durable, long-term funding for land reacquisition and management, especially when relying on fluctuating state budget cycles or bond measures. Negotiating co-management agreements also presents deep administrative challenges, as navigating complex, siloed legal structures across federal, state, local, and private landowning entities requires significant time and institutional coordination. Additionally, given that landscapes have suffered from severe degradation and artificial fire suppression, safely reintroducing controlled cultural practices requires intensive labor, resources, and careful planning to avoid runaway risks in overgrown forests. Finally, non-tribal government entities often struggle to integrate traditional knowledge because they aren’t designed to blend Indigenous expertise with their laws and policies.    The Guest’s Take Geneva EB Thompson views tribal stewardship not only as a conservation strategy, but as an essential framework for climate resilience and environmental justice. For her, empowering tribes to steward land and water ecosystems creates a positive ripple effect that yields healthier, safer, and more resilient communities for all Californians. She emphasizes that all of California is ancestral Indigenous territory, and that centering Native leadership and place-based expertise in ecosystem management is vital for addressing interconnected climate hazards.   About the Guest Geneva EB Thompson is the Deputy Secretary for Tribal Affairs at the California Natural Resources Agency.    Further Reading California Natural Resources Agency – Tribal Stewardship Policy Sierra Club – Indigenous Co-Stewardship Policy & Guidance  Popular Science – How tribal co-managing movements are transforming the conservation of public lands Indigenous Land & Data Stewards Lab – Resource Hub  The Nature Conservancy – Partnering with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities National Park Service – Indigenous Fire Practices Shape Our Land For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/approaching-climate-change-through-tribal-stewardship-with-geneva-eb-thompson/

  3. 21. Juli

    Green Tech Hubs: Scaling Climate Technology Startups

    Introduction to Green Tech Hubs Small green tech startups often possess groundbreaking ideas to combat climate issues, but lack the market resources, capital, and visibility to make large-scale impact. However, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) Green Tech Hub is taking initiative for a change. By creating connected workspaces and acting as a launchpad for startups, the hub fosters more collaborative and impactful climate innovation. Background A physical community of more than 230 companies with work stretching across new energy, smart cities, green buildings, and green fintech are changing the equation. The green tech hub co-locates companies with similar goals, facilitates business matchmaking, and offers hands-on training to attract investors. In this way, the global transition towards sustainable technology is accelerated through a joint effort.  Advantages The hub acts as a bridge between small companies’ operational struggles and their passion, ambition, and goals. By equipping green innovators with the network, visibility, and skills necessary to expand, green tech hubs help these startups overcome market challenges. Green tech hubs also promote businesses’ climate-friendly products for targeted marketing, especially overseas, connecting innovators with potential clients and investors. In addition, the mentorship program assists in product design to better suit the market. Globally, as green tech reaches the market, the hope is that it will replace climate-harming technology, taking advantage of the close proximity of innovators thereby promoting the transfer of knowledge. Across networks, founders can promote the best products to be implemented on a wide scale. Because Hong Kong is ranked as the #1 freest economy in the world and #2 for enterprise conditions, green tech hubs can benefit from this gateway for technological innovation and expansion with the right tools. These hubs are becoming increasingly crucial to a sustainable world as the urgency to address environmental degradation grows. Drawbacks and Critiques A potential drawback to green tech hubs is the fact it’s a public-private partnership between Hong Kong’s government and companies. Being tied to the government exposes the hubs to swings in government decisions, policies, and goals. Without proper design or understanding for the entrepreneurial process, governments struggle to balance their positions as catalysts with limited control in entrepreneurship. Some economists also argue against the model that green tech hubs possess: the “cluster,” where similar businesses are grouped together—especially for startups. New, small companies may thrive better within highly diverse environments, exposing innovators to different products, models, and fields, rather than being limited to counterparts of similar technologies and goals. The Guest’s Take For Mr. Howard Lee, green tech hubs are a way to change the equation—allowing small innovators to effectively combat climate issues with sufficient magnitude. To displace climate-harming technologies on a global scale, Mr. Lee emphasizes the importance of inspiration and creativity that results from collaboration among passionate changemakers. About the Guest Mr. Howard Lee is the associate director of Hong Kong’s green technology hub at Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, aiming to connect scientific and technological knowledge with stakeholders to accelerate green innovation. With a public-private partnership between the Hong Kong government and businesses/investors, Mr. Lee focuses on promoting climate-friendly companies through green tech hubs. Other Resources & Further Reading HKSTP Website: HKSTP.org InvestHK: Guide to Navigate the Green Tech Market Iir News: Green Tech Hubs: Sparking Sustainable Innovation Princeton University Press: Boulevard of Broken Dreams American Economic Association: Nursery Cities For a transcript of this episode, please visit [https://climatebreak.org/green-tech-hubs-scaling-climate-technology-startups/]

  4. 14. Juli

    Building Berkeley’s Clean Energy Campus, with Sally McGarrahan

    A Clean Energy Campus In July 2025, the University of California Board of Regents approved a plan to modernize UC Berkeley’s energy infrastructure by replacing its aged steam system with efficient, all-electric heating and cooling systems.  Today, 90% of Berkeley’s power comes from the combustion of natural gas at UC Berkeley’s costly and outdated fossil gas cogeneration plant. However, the plant is nearing the end of its life: it has less than a decade of life left, and is a source of frequent, costly, and disruptive repairs on campus (UC Berkeley Clean Energy Campus). In an effort to build a more sustainable future, the plan seeks to phase out fossil fuel use for powering, heating, and cooling campus buildings by 2035 or sooner. Advantages The plan is primarily funded by a capital investment from the State of California, and will be conducted in 3 phases. Phase 1, which will take place from mid-2026 through 2030, will electrify Berkeley’s heating and cooling plant, upgrade electrical infrastructure, improve thermal energy storage, distribute heated and chilled water through an underground system, and update the accessibility of landscaping and pathways on campus (UC Berkeley Clean Energy Campus). The plan not only predicts a 70% reduction in carbon emissions from campus buildings by 2028 and a 59% reduction in campus-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and promotion of energy resilience, but also promises to create new employment and training opportunities, distributing the benefits of clean energy across the campus and the local community (CEC First Phase Underway). The project’s primary priority is the establishment of an Electrified Heating and Cooling Plant (EHCP). The new system, rather than relying on steam and natural gas, will develop a fully functional clean energy microgrid. A major component of this includes a “new central electrified heating and cooling plant capable of serving more than 12 million square feet of building space,” located underneath a new recreational field (CEC First Phase Underway). The plant functions primarily through a “geothermal” mechanism: an underground heat exchange will distribute hot and chilled water throughout campus to heat and cool buildings (Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative).  UC Berkeley is not alone in its goals to phase out fossil fuels — both UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz — are making similar long-term plans for transitioning to renewable energy sources (University of California). Each of the individual campus’ goals align with the UC system’s new climate policy, which aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions across all ten campuses by 2045 (University of California).  Drawbacks While the plan would undoubtedly make strides in UC Berkeley’s plans to reduce their carbon footprint, its success is not guaranteed. Of the $700 million required to complete the plan, UC Berkeley has currently secured $270 million (Cal Alumni Association). In order to ensure the project is seen through, pressure on campus leadership and the State of California to maintain continued funding is critical. About our guest Sally McGarrahan oversees the Berkeley Clean Energy Campus Project at UC Berkeley’s Office of Facility Services. Before joining UC Berkeley, she held executive positions at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the City of San José, and the City of Oakland, where she managed large utility systems, capital programs, and public works departments. Resources November 2023 Update, CEC First Phase Underway Home, Clean Energy Campus UC Berkeley Clean Energy Campus Utility Improvement Project, Youtube UC Berkeley Goes All-Electric As Part of Ambitious Clean Energy Campus Plan, Cal Alumni Association UC Berkeley’s Clean Energy Campus – A Sequential Plan for Success, Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative Further Reading How three UC campuses are phasing out fossil fuel, University of California With major strides toward decarbonization, Brown to create sustainable thermal energy system, Brown University Campus-wide electrical upgrades will help Stanford achieve climate goals, Stanford Report

  5. 7. Juli

    Rerun: Staying Safe in Extreme Heat, with Dr. David Sklar

    Impacts of Heat Waves on Human Health Across the United States, climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves. A heat wave is defined as a persistent period of high temperature days. Although unusually hot days are a natural part of day-to-day variations in weather, heat waves are becoming more common alongside the rapidly accelerating climate crisis. In major cities across the country, the number of heat waves has increased steadily, from two heat waves per year in the 1960s to six per year into the 2010s and 2020s. In the 1960s, the average heat wave was 2.0 degrees above the local 85th percentile threshold, while the average heat wave during the 2020s has been 2.5 degrees above the local threshold. Approximately 210 million Americans, or two thirds of the population, live in counties vulnerable to health threats from high temperatures. As temperatures increase, the number of heat-related illnesses, emergency room visits, and deaths simultaneously increase. As we head further into the 21st century, adaptive measures to protect human health from the effects of extreme heat waves will be necessary in the face of rising climate risk. Protecting yourself during extreme heat Over the past three decades, heat waves have been the leading cause of weather-related fatalities across the nation. In addition to rising heat-related illnesses and deaths, extreme heat can also worsen health outcomes from chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and acute kidney injury. Extreme temperatures compromise the body’s ability to regulate its internal temperature, resulting in illness, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia. Individuals living in densely populated cities are extremely vulnerable to the urban heat island effect, which exacerbates high heat temperatures as man made surfaces absorb sunlight during the day and radiate the stored energy at night as heat. Children, the elderly, people experiencing homelessness, low-income communities and individuals with pre-existing health conditions are at the greatest risk to the adverse effects of extreme heat. As temperatures continue to rise, it is necessary that individuals take on adaptive measures to protect themselves from the health risks posed by extreme heat.  Action can be taken on both a policy and an individual level. Local governments can take steps to help residents reduce their vulnerability to heat through heat management plans and vulnerability assessments. For example, officials can create early warning systems and urban cooling centers for individuals to find refuge. On an individual scale, when you need to go outside, taking preventive measures such as sun protection, hats, and umbrellas is vital to stay cool. Trying to stay inside as much as possible and finding refuge from the heat will help one avoid the risks of heatstroke. More educational initiatives will be vital in informing individuals on risk factors, symptoms, and treatment steps to keep people safe and informed. Benefits of protecting oneself during extreme heat  During periods of extreme heat, it is important to take proper care of yourself in order to mitigate the health effects that result from high temperatures such as dehydration, heat stroke, exhaustion, and slowed cognitive function. Taking extreme heat seriously is vital, as the effects of extreme temperatures can be as serious as sudden events like heart attack or stroke. Prolonged periods of heat and humidity make your body work extra hard to maintain a normal temperature, so taking such precautions is necessary to protect yourself and your loved ones. As extreme heat-related weather events become more common, becoming accustomed to the ways you can keep yourself safe is imperative in a warming world. More progress can be made If we fail to take adaptation measures on both an individual and policy level, we will be unprepared to respond to the impacts of extreme heat. As extreme heat rises in prevalence, more awareness on the ways to respond to increasingly high temperatures can help individuals adapt to such events. Currently, heat is already the weather phenomenon that kills the most people in the United States, so taking care of yourself, family, and neighbors during heat waves is essential to saving lives. For residents who do not have the resources or cooling systems in place to seek protection during a heat wave, the use of cooling centers in cities can provide short-term relief. Important to note, however, is that the increased use of cooling systems will heighten electricity costs due to increasing demand, thereby generating more greenhouse gas emissions from rising power generation. If leaks are to occur, concerns can also arise around the potential release of potent refrigerant gasses, which worsen climate change and damage the ozone layer. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle in that air conditioning is used to treat extreme temperatures, but effectively worsens the climate crisis in doing so. More innovative solutions will be necessary to curtail emissions while keeping individuals safe. Beyond individual actions during times of crisis, cities also need to help their residents respond to rising temperatures in the long-term by redesigning public spaces, planting trees to provide cooling, painting rooftops white to repel sunlight, and incorporating new cooling technologies in buildings and homes.  About our guest Dr. David Sklar is an Assistant Dean at the Arizona State University School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering, is a Professor at the ASU College of Health Solutions and works as an emergency physician. Former Editor in Chief of Academic Medicine, Dr. Sklar now works as a senior advisor in health policy and health professions education at ASU Health. Dr. Sklar works to increase awareness on mitigative steps individuals can take to decrease their health risks from extreme heat events. Resources Indiana University: Adaptation strategies for extreme heat and public health NRDC: Climate Change and Health: Extreme Heat EPA: Climate Change Indicators: Heat Waves WHO: Heat and Health NIH: Temperature-related Death and Illness Further Reading Penn State: Climate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans Arch Daily:How to Adapt Cities to Extreme Heat White House: Planning Tools for Combatting Extreme Heat For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/staying-safe-in-extreme-heat-with-dr-david-sklar/

  6. 1. Juli

    Backing Climate Champions in Local Elections, with Caroline Spears

    What is Climate Cabinet? Most climate advocates focus their energy on Washington– but often, real change happens closer to home. Climate Cabinet, founded by Caroline Spears, is dedicated to backing and electing climate champions at the state and local level, where the work of cutting emissions, lowering energy costs, and building clean transportation largely gets done. Focusing Locally  While presidential races and Senate battles dominate national attention, decisions about electricity grids, transit systems, housing density, and building codes are being made day-to-day by city councils, county boards, state legislatures, and utility commissions.  Climate Cabinet describes their approach as “Moneyball for Climate”-- borrowing the analytics term made famous in baseball, where data is used to find undervalued players with outsized potential. Applied to politics, it means identifying overlooked races where a relatively small investment can shift climate policy. Candidate selection is non-partisan in practice. Rather than relying on party affiliation, Climate Cabinet examines candidate’s voting records, looking at how candidates have acted when major issues came before their city council, county board, or state legislature. They then back promising candidates early, providing financial support and policy expertise to help them build a winning campaign. One of the most surprising– and consequential– offices Climate Cabinet focuses on is the utility commission. In select states, these commissioners are elected directly by voters, giving the public a rare and often overlooked say in how electricity is generated and priced.  How it Makes a Difference  State and local elections are often decided by thin margins and operate on small budgets compared to federal races. So unlike at the federal level, volunteer hours, early endorsements, and targeted outreach can be incredibly effective at building support for specific candidates. Climate Cabinet’s win rate reflects this– according to Spears, the organization has won 62% of its top priority races, spanning municipal, county, and state offices.  And because state and local officials are often closer to the problems their constituents face, the case for climate action is often easier to make. A state legislator can point to lower electricity bills from renewable energy, a city council member can garner support for more efficient bus service, a utility commissioner can push for faster grid buildout. Climate action, then, becomes a direct way to lower electricity bills, improve air quality, and expand transit access.  Challenges With hundreds of thousands of elected positions across the country, even a well-resourced organization can only engage in a fraction of the races that matter. Spears also notes the difficulty of cutting through the noise in a fractured media environment. Many of Climate Cabinet’s candidates are running for offices most voters don’t think about, such as state budget committees and utility boards– making voter outreach and name recognition an uphill battle even in favorable districts. The political environment itself remains a structural barrier. Running for office at any level has become more difficult, with political violence on the rise and entrenched interests– fossil fuel companies and real estate developers, to name a few– actively working to block climate-friendly candidates.  Spears’ View For Spears, the goal is to build a political environment in which supporting clean energy, affordable housing near transit, and zero-carbon transportation is the natural, low-resistance choice for any elected official.  She’s also clear-eyed about what motivates the best candidates she works with: a real commitment to their communities, not necessarily ambition for higher office. Spears is particularly focused on transportation– the largest single source of climate pollution in the U.S.-- and on finding candidates who understand that the path to zero-carbon transit looks different in each state, requiring local leadership to deliver. About Our Guest Caroline Spears is the founder and Executive Director of Climate Cabinet, an organization that makes local climate policy solutions actionable for policymakers. She earned her B.S. and M.S. in Atmosphere and Energy Engineering from Stanford University. Before founding Climate Cabinet, she worked in solar energy.  Other Resources & Further Reading Climate Cabinet website: Climate Cabinet The Chisholm Legacy Project: Demystifying and Democratizing Public Utility Commissions The Guardian: Inside the climate group working everywhere but DC: ‘You can still have huge wins’  Caroline Spears biography: Caroline Spears For a transcript please visit, climatebreak.org/backing-climate-champions-in-local-elections-with-caroline-spears/

  7. 24. Juni

    Advancing Climate Solutions Through Legal Action, with Rob Bonta

    Introduction California Attorney General Rob Bonta has established himself to be one of California’s leading legal advocates for climate accountability. Through lawsuits against big fossil fuel companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, BP, and ConocoPhillips, Bonta alleges that the industry misled the public about the climate impacts of their products. As federal environmental protections face increasing challenges, he has also led legal efforts against actions by the Trump administration that California argues undermine clean energy, environmental safeguards, and climate progress. Background States such as California have turned to litigation as a way to preserve environmental protections and advance climate action.Many of these efforts are led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose office is currently involved in 67 lawsuits, including several focused on environmental and climate issues. Transportation remains California's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for roughly half of the state's total emissions. In response, California adopted aggressive vehicle-emissions standards and zero-emission vehicle requirements. These standards were enabled through waivers granted under the federal Clean Air Act. Recent efforts by Congress to overturn or weaken these authorities have triggered new legal battles over the future of vehicle emissions regulation at the state level. The Supreme Court's 2007 decision in Massachusetts v. EPA held that greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. The ruling ultimately led to the EPA's Endangerment Finding, the scientific and legal determination that greenhouse gas emissions harm public health and welfare. That finding became the basis for federal greenhouse-gas regulations across multiple sectors, but notably provided an avenue for transportation regulations. The Trump administration's efforts to rescind the Endangerment Finding and eliminate vehicle-emissions standards represents one of the most significant climate-policy reversals in decades. California is suing to stop the rescission. Beyond regulatory disputes, California has also pursued accountability from fossil fuel companies. In ongoing litigation against major oil producers, including ExxonMobil and Shell, the state alleges that companies misled the public for decades about the climate risks associated with fossil fuel use while continuing to promote products that contributed to rising emissions.  Advantages Litigation gives states the power to hold the federal government and companies responsible for violations of the law. By bringing cases against the federal government, states can challenge actions they believe violate environmental laws and ensure that agencies follow existing legal requirements. Lawsuits also serve as an important component of the United States' system of checks and balances, allowing courts to review government decisions and determine whether they comply with the law. Drawbacks Despite its potential benefits, litigation is often a slow and uncertain path to climate action. Court cases can take months or even years to reach a final resolution, particularly when they involve appeals that move through multiple levels of the judicial system. Critics also argue that major climate decisions are better addressed through elected legislatures than through the courts. While lawsuits can enforce existing laws, they cannot always provide the comprehensive policy solutions needed to reduce emissions at the scale required to address climate change. Bonta’s Take Attorney General Rob Bonta views litigation as one of California's most effective tools for advancing climate action and protecting environmental regulations. He argues that the courts provide a venue where disputes can be evaluated based on evidence, legal precedent, and statutory authority rather than political considerations. Through lawsuits against federal actions and fossil fuel companies, Bonta hopes to give Californians a voice in legal decisions that could affect the state's environmental future. Bonta emphasizes that his office's role is not to pursue political objectives, but to uphold the law and the Constitution. According to Bonta, decisions about which cases to bring are guided by facts, legal analysis, and the state's responsibility to protect its residents. He argues that when government agencies or private companies violate environmental laws or mislead the public, the legal system provides an important mechanism for accountability. About our guest Sworn in as California’s 34th Attorney General in 2021, Rob Bonta has become a leading legal advocate for California residents. As the head of the nation’s largest state Department of Justice, he oversees efforts to protect consumers, defend civil rights, and enforce environmental laws. With a 80% case win rate in court Bonta continues to work hard to be the heart of California’s legal justice. For a transcript, please visit climatebreak.org/advancing-climate-solutions-through-legal-action-with-rob-bonta/

  8. 10. Juni

    Zero-Energy Cooling, with Martin Zhu

    Introduction to the Solution Keeping buildings cool is becoming one of our fastest growing and energy-intensive challenges. A startup based in Hong Kong pioneers for an answer already existing in nature– the outer layer of a tiny ant that survives one of the hottest places on Earth. Dr. Martin Zhu and his co-founder mimicked the heat-repelling biology of the Saharan silver ant to develop cooling technology that remains electricity-free. Background: From the Saharan Silver Ant to Zero-Energy Cooling Cooling maintains around 10% of global electricity demand. In the hottest regions, cooling can account for over 70% of peak electricity demand.  The biological inspiration behind i2Cool’s technology, the Saharan silver ant, has evolved to be a solution in the transition to zero-energy cooling. The ant endures desert heat through its surface hairs with a distinctive structure that reflects solar energy and emits body heat as radiation in a specific wavelength range. This wavelength passes through the atmosphere into outer space, effectively cooling the ant without any energy input.  The team replicates this using engineered nanoparticles embedded in various materials, like paint coatings, window films, ceramics, and textiles. The i2Cool’s research team integrated this heat transfer principle to produce a multi-component and multi-scale solution, efficient in solar reflectivity and mid-infared emissivity of up to 95%. Advantages The most significant advantage of passive radiative cooling is that it requires no energy input, unlike traditional air conditioning. This technology can reduce surface temperature up to 42 ℃ and save air conditioning energy consumption by up to 40%. In addition, since this solution is passive, requiring no electricity to run, the technology can be used off-grid or in energy-poor areas. This means the technology has the potential to democratize access to cooling in the regions of the world that need it most, but currently have the least access. Drawbacks and Critiques A constraint of passive radiative cooling is that the material may need to be redesigned for different climates, as Dr. Zhu acknowledges. Temperature swings and humidity in different regions require different nanoparticle structures, which is costly to implement and adjust for. This may be fine in areas near the equator where cooling demand is relatively consistent, but in seasonal climates like Russia, Canada, or the U.S., radiative cooling solutions run the risk of overcooling.  Another drawback could be the varying and longer payback times from saved energy costs that has the potential to deter building owners from using the technology. For example, vehicle payback is under six months, while building applications take two to three years. This has the potential to deter building owners from using the technology.  The Guest's Take Dr. Martin Zhu sees zero-energy cooling as a powerful tool to reduce the global need for air conditioning, rather than an outright replacement. For him, this technology democratizes access to cooling while innovatively requiring no ongoing energy. This is a part of a broader vision for climate equity, sustainably leveraging technology as a means of supporting marginalized communities. About the Guest Dr. Martin Zhu is the Co-Founder and CEO of i2Cool, a company specializing in electricity-free cooling technology. He focuses on commercializing passive radiative cooling technology, reaching more than 30 countries. Other Resources & Further Reading i2Cool Company Website: i2Cool IEA: The Future of Cooling IEA: Keeping cool in a hotter world is using more energy, making efficiency more important than ever ScienceDirect: Flexible passive radiative cooling inspired by Saharan silver ants National Library of Medicine: Biomimetic Cooling Dr. Martin Zhu Biography: Prof. ZHU Martin For a transcript, please visit climatebreak.org/zero-energy-cooling-with-martin-zhu/

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Climate change is upon us. Fires, droughts, hurricanes, sea level rise, and melting ice caps are all part of our new normal. But something else is happening as well. Scientists, innovators, organizations, cities, companies, and citizens are taking action, making progress, and finding solutions. Climate Break brings you stories of climate progress and interviews with climate innovators from California and around the world, in under 2 minutes. Our solution-oriented, radio-ready shows are produced by students and climate law and policy experts at the University of California, Berkeley. Climate Break is a co-production of the Center for Law, Energy, and Environment at UC Berkeley Law and KALW 91.7 FM San Francisco Bay Area, in conjunction with the Berkeley School of Journalism. (For a transcript of the trailer, visit https://climatebreak.org/about-climate-break/)

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