In 1995, Ben Santer authored one of the most important sentences in the history of climate science: “the balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate.” While one of the first statements to identify humans’ role in driving climate change, the vitriol that followed was personal and malicious, impacting both Santer’s career and family. “If you spend your entire career trying to advance understanding, you can't walk away from that understanding when someone criticizes it or criticizes you,” says Santer, now a scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Berkeley. With his research contingent upon government funding, Santer is concerned about the future of climate science under an administration that does not prioritize it. This piece is published in partnership with Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story. Guests: Ben Santer, Climate Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Related Links: At Hot Center of Debate On Global Warming (New York Times) Yes, humans are causing climate change. And we've known for 40 years. (Popular Science)

Can we beat the traffic by taking to the skies? Sailing over freeways in a flying car, commuting in minutes instead of hours, has long been the stuff of science fiction. But ambitious startups are on their way to making urban airborne mobility a reality.

From stadiums packed with energetic fans to food, beer, and waste, athletics can have a big carbon footprint. But could the core values of athletics — integrity, teamwork, and commitment — be the same values we need to tackle the climate challenge? Guests: Dusty Baker, Special Advisor, San Francisco Giants Roger McClendon, Executive Director, Green Sports Alliance Jim Thompson, Founder, Positive Coaching Alliance.

Carbon offsets have been called everything from a band-aid solution to “the best thing a consumer can do right now.” A new service even offers customers a monthly subscription to offset their carbon footprint. Meanwhile, offset providers are scrutinized for transparency, and purchasers are criticized for using them as a get-out-of-jail-free card. In the race to bring carbon emissions to zero, are offsets a legitimate tool, or a delusion that allows heavy emitters a way out of taking real action? What impact does purchasing offsets have on poorer communities?

Businessman, activist, and Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer says he’ll declare climate change a national emergency on Day One of his presidency. But is this the moment for another wealthy, white, male to run for president?

Achieving the goal of 100 percent clean power presents a host of challenges, from modernizing an aging electrical grid to transporting and storing the energy we produce. Do we have what it takes to make the transition from fossil fuels to renewables?

The California dream has been beckoning people west for over two hundred years. But making that dream come true for an ever-increasing population in the era of climate change has taken its toll on the landscape. Is the California dream coming to an end?

When it comes to solving climate change, where do we start? Eat less meat, improve family planning, cut down on flying, or switch to renewables? How do we best allocate resources, prioritize policies, and design economic tradeoffs as we move forward?

Where is the U.S. headed with political action on climate: Green New Deal, Green Real Deal, or no deal at all? Democratic Senator Ed Markey and Republican Representative Matt Gaetz discuss their respective proposals for climate action.

How do we go about feeding a planet that’s hotter, drier, and more crowded than ever? Join us for a conversation on how innovatio, agriculture, technology and traditional knowledge are coming together to sustain a planet of eight billion.

Cities around the world are bracing for a growth spurt. How do we redesign our cities to withstand the challenges of cars, climate change and rapid population growth? Can we build a Tomorrowland that is sustainable, livable and inclusive?

Who will win and lose as climate disruption impacts agriculture, employment, crime, storms and human mortality?

In his new book The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, David Wallace-Wells explores how climate change will impact not just the planet, but human lives. So If science and news headlines won’t propel us into climate action, will fear do the trick?

Produce, consume, discard; we all know the routine. Raw materials are extracted, produced into goods, and used – sometimes only once – before turning into waste. And maybe we think that recycling that Starbucks cup or Smartwater bottle is the best we can do for the planet. But that’s only one part of the story. Now, innovative companies are “going circular” by transforming how their products are designed, used, and remade. Can a circular economy salvage the climate and save the planet?

Democratic presidential hopefuls regularly mention, but rarely prioritize climate change. Washington Governor Jay Inslee is the only candidate making it his top priority. Can a climate-focused candidate nudge the Democratic platform toward bolder action?

We know that hopping on a plane is one of the worst things we can do for the climate. So how do we justify the environmental costs of travel? Three veterans of adventure and eco travel talk about seeing the world mindfully and responsibly.

A global surge in youth climate action is reverberating from the streets through the highest levels of government. But is it enough to influence the decisions of industry and fossil fuel interests, let alone the current presidential administration?

Former presidential advisor David Gergen on the Green New Deal, InsideClimate News reporter Marianne Lavelle on the latest climate action proposals, and Republican political strategist Lori Weigel on how conservation and conservatism can go hand-in-hand.

The Democrats’ proposed Green New Deal is shaking things up in Washington, and with more and more of their communities feeling the effects of climate change, Republican lawmakers find they ignore the topic at their peril. Is there such a thing as a bipartisan climate solution? Guests: Ryan Costello, Former U.S. Representative (R-PA) Christine Pelosi, Executive Committeewoman, Democratic National Committee Carlos Curbelo, Former U.S. Representative (R-FL)

From regulating the temperature of the planet to generating half of the oxygen we breathe, oceans are a vital part of sustaining life on Earth. Join us for a conversation exploring how oceans play a bigger role in climate than you may think.

Energy giant PG&E has admitted that faulty power lines lit the spark for California’s most deadly wildfire ever. The company now faces billions in liabilities and has declared bankruptcy. What’s next for PG&E – and for California’s energy future?

Why do environmental movements lack diversity, and why has it been so difficult for nonprofits to reach communities of color? We ask hip hop artist and activist Mystic, civil rights hero Rev. Gerald Durley, and civil rights lawyer Ingrid Brostrom.

In 2015, Greenpeace activists suspended themselves from a Portland bridge to protest an oil rig bound for the Arctic. Such extreme activism gets headlines, and sometimes results. But is radical civil disobedience the most effective weapon for change?

John Holdren, former Science Advisor to President Obama, and Gina McCarthy, former U.S. EPA Administrator, join host Greg Dalton for a special recording of the program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

From sushi to chicken wings to Texas barbecue, what is our appetite for animal protein doing to the climate? Could a new generation of meat alternatives, like the Impossible Burger, satisfy American appetites and reduce our impact on the planet?