A People's Climate

Counterstream Media
  • 5.0 (6)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE

“A People’s Climate” is a new climate podcast by Counterstream Media and The Nation. Hosted by Shilpi Chhotray.  This isn’t climate talk as usual. This is environmental justice.  Over nine powerful episodes, we bring together activists, organizers, and movement leaders who are fighting on the frontlines. Every conversation reveals not only why the fight matters, but how communities are already putting solutions into practice and power back in the hands of the people.  The future we need is being built from the ground up. Not by corporations. Not by billionaires. By us. The people demanding justice, reclaiming power, and rebuilding what’s been broken. Presented by Counterstream Media and The Nation Powered by Wildseeds Fund Learn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

Episodes

  1. Ep. 9 - Reframing Resistance (Live from NYC Climate Week)

    11/29/2025

    Ep. 9 - Reframing Resistance (Live from NYC Climate Week)

    Bringing frontline stories into focus. For this special season finale, recorded live during NYC Climate Week, host Shilpi Chhotray convenes a powerful storytelling event with three frontline media makers: Chantel Comardelle, Alexandra Norris, and B. Preston Lyles. This is more than a conversation about films or campaigns — it’s an intimate window into the lived realities of climate and environmental injustice. From Indigenous land loss in Louisiana, to the ongoing fight against the petrochemical buildout in Cancer Alley, to exposing the violence of toxic prisons, this discussion centers the human stories too often sidelined in mainstream climate narratives. Our guests speak candidly about their experiences, what sustains them in the face of systemic harm, why frontline voices must lead solutions, and how storytelling itself becomes a vital tool of resistance, survival, and collective power. This live storytelling event was made possible in partnership with Dr. Margot Brown, Senior Vice President of Justice and Equity at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the Frontline Resource Institute. Special thanks to Chess Jakobs, Counterstream Media’s Impact Producer, who produced this event. Key Topics Frontline climate and environmental justice: Stories from communities directly impacted by the climate crisis  and extractive industries.Indigenous displacement: The Isle de Jean Charles Choctaw Nation and climate-driven migration.Sharon Lavigne’s fight against petrochemical expansion in Cancer AlleyToxic prisons: The intersection of mass incarceration, environmental harm, and systemic injustice.How spiritual grounding and faith sustains organizing. Using film and media to reclaim narratives and highlight underrepresented stories.Narrative power: How media shapes perception, policy, and the climate movement’s priorities.Resources Let No One Lose Heart Toxic Prisons Campaign Rise St. James Preserving Our Place Isle de Jean Charles Choctaw Nation Frontline Resource Institute Environmental Defense Fund Learn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

    30 min
  2. Ep. 8 - (Solar) Power to the People with Elizabeth Yeampierre

    11/15/2025

    Ep. 8 - (Solar) Power to the People with Elizabeth Yeampierre

    The path to climate justice is local. In this episode of A People’s Climate, host Shilpi Chhotray sits down with Elizabeth Yeampierre, veteran organizer and executive director of UPROSE, Brooklyn’s oldest Latino community-based organization, to explore how frontline communities are taking climate action into their own hands. In a capitalist world that prioritizes bigger, faster, and more, Elizabeth’s work takes a different path. Small, hyper-local solutions like a community-owned solar grid have huge impacts. Residents of Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, where UPROSE focuses its work, are seeing lower energy costs, good green jobs, and local ownership. All while creating a blueprint for other communities to follow. Elizabeth also takes us beyond the buzzwords of “green economy" and “clean energy” to show what a Just Transition really looks like. Mainstream environmental efforts often focus on the end goal: shifting to renewable energy. But they fail to ask “at what cost and to whom?” Elizabeth’s work ensures community members aren’t left behind. This episode is a masterclass in how grassroots power can transition us to a just future. Key Topics A Just Transition: Shifting to renewable energy while protecting workers and communities historically harmed by pollutionThe community-led renewable energy GRID ProjectResisting extractive economies and reclaiming industrial spaces without displacement or gentrification.The importance of building an intergenerational movementHow Trump-era policies have dismantled climate protections and undermined renewable energy incentivesHow disaster capitalism exploits crises and how community-led responses offer real solutionsResources UPROSE The GRID  Sunset Park Solar A new solar project in Brooklyn could offer a model for climate justice US Spending On Climate Damage Nears $1 Trillion Per Year The Shock Doctrine (Naomi Klein) Learn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

    25 min
  3. Ep. 7 - Seeds of Resistance with Vivien Sansour

    11/08/2025

    Ep. 7 - Seeds of Resistance with Vivien Sansour

    “If you want to support Palestine, get free.” In this episode of A People’s Climate, host Shilpi Chhotray sits down with Vivien Sansour, founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library, for a powerful conversation about resistance in the face of Israeli militarism, occupation, and ecological devastation. For two years, the world watched Israel’s genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing campaign across Palestine — including the annihilation of Palestinian land, contamination of water, and the carbon-intensive bombardment that has choked the air and scorched the soil. Entire food systems have been erased. And yet, so many environmentalists remain silent.  Vivien makes it clear that climate conversations cannot be separated from Western imperialism and genocide. From saving heirloom seeds to ancestral farming practices, Vivien shares how Palestinian farmers and land stewards are not only protecting the environment but also preserving culture, memory, and survival itself. Key Themes & Topics: The intersection of conservation, human rights, and food sovereigntyWhy protecting heirloom seeds is essential for culture, memory, and survivalIsraeli militarism and settler expansion in PalestineAncestral agricultural practices that date back tens of thousands of yearsThe long-standing destructive impact of industrialized agriculture on land and food systemsGlobal solidarity with Palestine  Resources Palestine Heirloom Seed LibraryTraveling KitchenSubversive Rebels by Vivien SansourPalestinian Land, Heritage, and Identity - Shilpi Chhotray in conversation with Rania BatriceLearn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

    31 min
  4. Ep. 6 - Memphis vs Musk with Representative Justin J. Pearson

    11/01/2025

    Ep. 6 - Memphis vs Musk with Representative Justin J. Pearson

    “No matter how many billions you have, you don't have enough to buy our lives.” Host Shilpi Chhotray is joined by Tennessee State Representative Justin J. Pearson, a fierce advocate taking on corporate power — from Big Oil to Big Tech. You may know him as one of the two Black representatives who was expelled for demanding gun reform on the House floor after The Covenant school shooting in Nashville. But long before becoming one of the youngest members of the Tennessee legislature, Rep. Pearson was on the frontlines in South Memphis, organizing against a crude oil pipeline that threatened his hometown. Now, in Rep. Pearson’s district, Elon Musk’s xAI project is expanding its empire with massive, unregulated data centers that pollute the air, threaten their water, and undermine hard-won environmental protections.  This conversation is about fighting against entrenched corruption, unchecked corporate and political power, and billionaires who put profit over people’s health and future. Key Topics Covered: Defeating the Valero / Plains All American Byhalia PipelineThe rise of Elon Musk’s xAI data center in Memphis and the environmental toll of artificial intelligenceMoney in politics: How corporate lobbying and billionaires shape elections and policyCivil disobedience: The role of protest, direct action, and speaking truth to powerKeeping people power alive in the face of corruption and broken systemsProximity to the fight: Understanding your local representatives, connecting local struggles to federal policies, and focusing energy where it can make the most impactResources Memphis Community Against PollutionRep. Justin J. Pearson’s Speech on the House floor before being expelled“How Long, Not Long” Martin Luther King Jr. speech after marching from Selma to MontgomeryNAACP and Advocacy Groups Appeal Permit for xAI’s South Memphis Data CenterLearn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

    37 min
  5. Ep. 5 - All Revolution Is Based On Land with Leah Penniman

    10/25/2025

    Ep. 5 - All Revolution Is Based On Land with Leah Penniman

    What the soil can teach us in the fight for climate justice. Solving the climate crisis isn’t about reinventing the wheel or the latest tech scheme — it can be as simple as growing food and building community.  Host Shilpi Chhotray chats with Leah Penniman, farmer, educator, and co-founder of Soul Fire Farm, about the intersection of land, food justice, and racial equity. Leah shares how Afro-Indigenous farming practices offer solutions to the climate crisis— but also serve as a tool for personal and community healing.  From the legacy of Black farmers in the U.S. to the ongoing exploitation of agricultural workers, this conversation reveals how land is not only the foundation of sustenance but the basis of revolution, independence, and justice. Key Topics Covered: Farming as a spiritual and ecological practice that reconnects humans to the earth.Pitfalls of industrial agriculture, from soil degradation, pesticide contamination, and contributions to the climate crisis Afro-Indigenous farming practices that sequester carbon, restore soil, and increase resilience to extreme weather.Land justice and reparations: Historical land theft, racialized wealth disparities, and efforts to build Black land commons.The Trump Administration's impact on Black Farmers and the agri-food industry.How modern food systems continue to exploit the most vulnerable, including undocumented farmworkers and incarcerated individuals, whose labor produces the food we eatResources Soul Fire FarmFarming While Black by Lean PennimanBlack Earth Wisdom by Leah PennimanAP investigation “Prisoners in the US are part of a hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands”Learn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

    36 min
  6. Ep. 4 - The Water Remembers with Amy Bowers Cordalis

    10/18/2025

    Ep. 4 - The Water Remembers with Amy Bowers Cordalis

    The largest dam removal in U.S. history. For the first time in over a century, the Klamath River flows free again—thanks to the vision, courage, and determination of the Yurok Tribe.  In this episode of A People’s Climate, Shilpi Chhotray interviews Amy Bowers Cordalis, a member of the Yurok Tribe and leader in the largest dam removal project in U.S. history.  From devastating fish kills and lost salmon runs to confronting corporations and navigating the law, Amy shares a story of environmental restoration, Indigenous sovereignty, and the power of nature-based solutions.  This is a story of rivers, resistance, and the multi-layered fight—legal, political, and cultural—to heal the land and its people. Key Topics Largest dam removal in U.S. historyIndigenous-led environmental restoration and sovereigntyRights of Nature and legal personhood for ecosystemsMulti-generational activism and cultural preservationClimate justice and regenerative nature-based solutionsResources to Explore The Water Remembers by Amy Bowers Cordalis  (Bookshop) (Amazon)Yurok Tribe Celebrates 50-year Anniversary of Mattz v. ArnettCredits Presented by Counterstream Media and The Nation Powered by Wildseeds Fund Host: Shilpi Chhotray Executive Producer: Mindy Ramaker Engineer: Dennis Maxwell Project Manager: Marianella Nuñez Additional Research: Sarah Morgan Learn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

    31 min
  7. Ep 3 - It’s Never A Strategy To Remain Quiet with Nick Tilsen

    10/11/2025

    Ep 3 - It’s Never A Strategy To Remain Quiet with Nick Tilsen

    A call for big, bad, bold courage. What does true climate action look like when it’s rooted in sovereignty, resistance, and liberation?  In this powerful episode of A People’s Climate, Shilpi Chhotray sits down with Nick Tilsen—Oglala Lakota land defender and CEO of NDN Collective—to unpack the meaning of LandBack, the historic fight for the Black Hills, the release of political prisoner Leonard Peltier, and the deep ties between Indigenous struggles and Palestinian resistance.  From direct action at Mount Rushmore to building legal strategies against unjust laws, this conversation is a call for big, bad bold courage. Key Topics The LandBack movement as a critical climate solutionNick Tilsen’s arrest at the 2020 Mount Rushmore action in defense of sacred lands and climate justiceThe release of Leonard Peltier after nearly 50 years in prison and its importance for today’s activistsParallels between Indigenous resistance and the struggle for Palestinian liberationLegal strategies to defend environmental movements against criminalizationPracticing liberation in daily life and building a future rooted in justiceResources to Explore NDN CollectiveNick Tilsen’s Podcast: LandBack for The PeopleLandBackThe Fallout From The Greenpeace Verdict (The Nation)Credits Presented by Counterstream Media and The Nation Powered by Wildseeds Fund Host: Shilpi Chhotray Executive Producer: Mindy Ramaker Engineer: Francisco Núñez-Capriles Project Manager: Marianella Núñez Additional Research: Marianella Núñez Learn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

    29 min
  8. Ep 2 - Mass Movements with Patrisse Cullors

    10/04/2025

    Ep 2 - Mass Movements with Patrisse Cullors

    In this episode of A People’s Climate, host Shilpi Chhotray sits down with Patrisse Cullors, author, educator, artist, and abolitionist who you may also know as the co-founder of Black Lives Matter. They explore the deep connections between racial justice, environmental justice, and the fight for a more just and caring world.  From her childhood experiences in Los Angeles to organizing around police brutality, climate justice, and cultural work, Patrisse shares why her vision is rooted in care, creativity, and nonviolent action.  Together, they unpack what it means to build coalitions across movements, resist systemic violence, and imagine a future beyond just survival. Key Topics How racial justice and climate justice are deeply interconnectedThe role of abolition in addressing systemic violence and environmental harmNonviolent direct action as both a strategy and philosophy for changeThe science of organizingCoalition-building across movements and communitiesCop CityAbolition Aesthetics and art as resistanceResources to Explore Patrisse Cullors DEI ManifestoPatrisse Cullors WebsiteDignity and Power NowLearn more about Cop City in the Shilpi Chhotray hosted “People over Plastic” podcast episode: The Hot Seat.Learn more about Cancer Alley in the Shilpi Chhotray hosted  “People over Plastic” podcast episode: Secret SauceCredits Presented by Counterstream Media and The Nation Powered by Wildseeds Fund Host: Shilpi Chhotray Executive Producer: Mindy Ramaker Engineer: Dennis Maxwell Project Manager: Marianella Nuñez Additional Research: Sarah Morgan Learn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

    38 min
  9. Ep 1 - An Unreasonable Woman with Diane Wilson

    09/27/2025

    Ep 1 - An Unreasonable Woman with Diane Wilson

    One woman’s fight against one of the most powerful chemical companies in the world. In this episode of A People’s Climate, Shilpi Chhotray sits down with Diane Wilson, a fourth-generation shrimper and relentless environmental activist, to explore her decades-long fight against Formosa Plastics—a $250 billion petrochemical giant polluting the Texas Gulf Coast.  From hunger strikes to scaling the White House fence, Diane’s unwavering activism has not only won a historic $50 million settlement, but transformed her community’s fisheries and galvanized citizen-led environmental justice.  Her story is a masterclass in persistence, civil disobedience, and the power of ordinary people to create extraordinary change. Key Topics Diane Wilson’s activism against Formosa Plastics The historic $50 million settlement and community-led ecological restorationCitizen science and nurdle collection as evidence in legal actionThe power of civil disobedienceCo-founding CODEPINK and the Texas Jail ProjectParallels between environmental and anti-war activismThe ongoing fight against corporate polluters and systemic injustice Resources to Explore Diane WilsonNurdle PatrolCODEPINKTexas Jail Project Credits Presented by Counterstream Media and The Nation Powered by Wildseeds Fund Host: Shilpi Chhotray Executive Producer: Mindy Ramaker Engineer: Francisco Núñez-Capriles Project Manager: Marianella Nuñez and Sarah Morgan Additional Research: Sarah Morgan Learn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

    29 min

  10. SEASON 1 TRAILER

    A People's Climate - Trailer

    This isn’t climate talk as usual. This is environmental justice. A new climate podcast by Counterstream Media and The Nation. Hosted by Shilpi Chhotray and powered by Wildseeds Fund.  The climate crisis is here—and the solutions being pushed? They’re failing. Tech gimmicks, shallow policy fixes, and corporate greenwashing won’t save us. What will? People power.  The communities on the frontlines are fighting for their lives and our future. They’re the ones with real solutions—not just for the 1%, but for everyone. Host Shilpi Chhotray has spent nearly a decade alongside these communities. Her guests have gone toe-to-toe with the biggest polluters on the planet, built movements in the millions, and restored entire ecosystems. The future we need is being built from the ground up. Not by corporations. Not by billionaires. By us. The people demanding justice, reclaiming power, and rebuilding what’s been broken. - - - - - - - - - - Over nine powerful episodes, we bring together activists, organizers, and movement leaders who are fighting on the frontlines. These are climate conversations about real, grassroots action that puts power back in the hands of the people.   Every conversation reveals not only why the fight matters, but how communities are already putting solutions into practice, offering roadmaps for change. Guests include: Diane Wilson, Patrisse Cullors, Nick Tilsen, Amy Bowers Cordalis, Leah Penniman, Representative Justin J. Pearson, Vivien Sansour, and Elizabeth Yeampierre. Learn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

    2 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

“A People’s Climate” is a new climate podcast by Counterstream Media and The Nation. Hosted by Shilpi Chhotray.  This isn’t climate talk as usual. This is environmental justice.  Over nine powerful episodes, we bring together activists, organizers, and movement leaders who are fighting on the frontlines. Every conversation reveals not only why the fight matters, but how communities are already putting solutions into practice and power back in the hands of the people.  The future we need is being built from the ground up. Not by corporations. Not by billionaires. By us. The people demanding justice, reclaiming power, and rebuilding what’s been broken. Presented by Counterstream Media and The Nation Powered by Wildseeds Fund Learn more at apeoplesclimate.org We want to hear from you! Email us at hello@apeoplesclimate.org and let us know your thoughts. Love what you hear? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps others discover the show. Find us instagram: @counterstream_media

Information

  • Creator
    Counterstream Media
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Counterstream Media
  • Show Website
    A People's Climate

You Might Also Like