Future Imperfect

How do young people determine that climate change is a problem that affects them, personally? What kinds of actions do they take, both individually and in community with others? And how do they describe the future they hope for? This episode explores how people make the transition from being concerned about climate change to taking action.

In California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment, San Diego County is its own region. In the south it borders Mexico. Its western edge is 70 miles of Pacific coast, lined with beaches and cliffs. To the east is mountainous desert. This part of the state is home to about 3.4 million people – projected to grow to 4 million by 2050 and most of them live in the western part of the county. This episode looks at San Diego's climate future, which includes sea-level rise, plus a whole lot more.

In California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment, the Los Angeles region includes Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange Counties, plus parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. 18 million people live here – almost half the population of California. How will climate change affect this part of the state? You'll hear from five young people in the region. Their experiences will help you understand Los Angeles' climate future.

What is climate change? What’s causing it? What will it mean for the world as a whole? And what does it mean to “fight” climate change? This first episode takes a look at the big picture. It also introduces our core three concepts: climate change mitigation, adaptation to climate change, and climate justice.

Welcome to Future Imperfect!

This podcast is dedicated to exploring how climate change will affect individuals and communities across California. You’ll learn about the predictions in California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment and you’ll hear how those predicted changes could play out in your day-to-day future and what you can do to work toward a good climate future, rather than a catastrophe. All the episodes are tied together by three important concepts: climate change mitigation, adaptation to climate change, and climate justice.

Episodes feature the voices of young people, activists, and people working in state, local, and tribal governments. Nancy Freitas, a climate scientist studying at UC Berkeley, brings a scientific lens to each episode. She helps break down the scientific concepts we discuss. And finally, there’s me, the host, guiding you through this exploration of the future. I’m a former high school social studies teacher, so my focus is on how these physical changes will affect our human communities.

California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment breaks down California into nine geographic regions. Over the next few months, I’ll be releasing episodes about each of these regions. There will also be episodes to help you take action, focused on individual actions, activism, and involvement with local government. Finally, there will be episodes about big topics that tie the state together across regions: water, fire, and agriculture.

Each episode will also come with links to lots of follow-up resources and (for teachers) a few focus questions.

Finally, a huge thank you all the people who generously shared their personal and professional stories and knowledge during the tumultuous year of 2020. I’m extremely grateful to you.