If you care about our planet, following climate news can feel like a gut punch.
But under the radar, people are winning, with new discoveries and outside-the-box ideas for solving even the toughest climate change problems.
We found the visionaries. We want you to meet them.
Emmy-winning filmmaker and host Charles Loi tells their inspiring stories in ‘A Fighting Chance’.
It's the video podcast companion to the award-winning PBS documentary series, ‘Climate California.' In thoughtful conversations with leaders across science, politics, and culture, Charles bridges the hard realities of climate change with the optimism of new possibilities and creative solutions.
In a world facing climate crises seemingly everywhere, where can we find safety? We talk to award winning filmmaker and activist Josh Fox about his search for a solution to this daunting problem and his newest project The Welcome Table on HBO. And the solution he’s landed on might surprise you.
30 Sept 2026
Can AI Save Whales? | Callie Leiphardt and Rachel Rhodes of Whale Safe
Whale Safe uses cutting-edge technology to help protect whales from deadly ship strikes. They map whale presence and alert nearby ships, encouraging them to slow down. It shows us what we all can do to save biodiversity in the midst of our climate crisis. We talked to Callie Leiphardt and Rachel Rhodes about their love of whales and what we can learn about protecting all animals.
23 Sept 2026
Imagination Is Political - And It’s Just What Environmentalism Needs | Kim Stanley Robinson
Science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson’s book The Ministry for the Future is so grounded in reality it has the attention of think tanks, scientists, and activists inspiring ideas for innovation and policy. He talks about where his ideas came from and where he thinks humanity is going.
16 Sept 2026
What Happens Inside the World's Biggest Climate Negotiation - Lia Newman
Climate negotiator turned influencer Lia Newman spent years at the global climate conferences we only read about. She walked me through what it feels like to be inside the “room where it happens.” From negotiating on behalf of 330 million Americans to talking to them directly on social media, Lia shares why focusing on climate matters.
9 Sept 2026
Hank Green’s Secret To Getting Your Attention on Climate
Hank Green is obsessed with what people pay attention to. He has spent nearly two decades making videos about complicated things like biology, physics, or the history of the universe, so accessible and entertaining that you actually want to share them with your friends. He talks about what gets him passionate about the climate fight and the vital solutions to motivate people to make real change.
2 Sept 2026
Bill McKibben: Solar Is Now Cheaper Than Oil. That Changes Everything.
Bill McKibben wrote the first popular book on climate change, The End of Nature, and after nearly four decades in the climate fight, and seeing many of his most dire predictions come true, something is making him feel sunnier: solar. In his newest book, Here Comes the Sun, he shows how producing renewable energy is now actually cheaper than extracting fossil fuels. If politics gets out of the way, market forces can do the rest. Here’s how to get there.
30 Jun 2026
Jane Fonda is Unstoppable
Jane Fonda shares profound stories from her life of activism, entertainment, and new film GASLIT - where she follows the fracking supply chain on a road trip through Texan oil fields and Gulf Coast, meeting locals protecting communities from the predatory industries dominating the region.
For more on Gaslit: https://gaslitdoc.com/ (https://gaslitdoc.com/)
23 Jun 2026
How To Get A Green Job - Kristy Drutman
The climate movement has diversity and gatekeeping problems. Founder of Brown Girl Green and the Green Jobs Board, Kristy Drutman has a platform that connects over 150,000 job seekers with climate-focused employers. Every job, she says, can be a green job. You just have to know where to look.
10 Jun 2026
Have We Been Wrong About Plants All Along? - Paco Calvo and Anna Loi
Why do so many tree planting projects fail? Charles talks with Paco Calvo, head of the Minimal Intelligence Lab, and forest restoration expert Anna Loi, about treating plants as partners instead of as resources. It just might change how you see every living thing around you.
27 May 2026
Can Oil Workers Be Part of the Solution? - Norman Rogers
Oil workers are some of the fiercest opponents of climate policy but Norman Rogers, a refinery worker and labor organizer, is putting fossil fuel workers front and center in the climate movement. He reminds us that fossil fuel workers aren't the enemy of climate action - they're the people who build what comes next.
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You can learn more about A Fighting Chance at afightingchancepod.org and Climate California at climatecalifornia.org
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Want more environmental storytelling? Support NorCal Public Media’s Center for Environmental Reporting at norcalpublicmedia.org/donate
20 May 2026
How to Fight Big Oil and Win - Cesar Aguirre
Meet Cesar Aguirre, a community organizer who's fought Big Oil and won. Communities living near oil production risk breathing toxic air and drinking contaminated water. His team protected homes, schools, and hospitals from drilling by defeating a dangerous industry referendum in California. Cesar shows us what ground zero of the climate crisis is like - and it’s hidden in plain sight.
4 May 2026
How Blowing Up Dams & Setting Fires Saves Nature - The Yurok Tribe
Meet the Yurok Tribe of California. They’re behind the world’s largest dam removal project and huge advocates of cultural burns. Their work matters, because by reminding us of the history of water and fire, they’re helping us rewrite the future of the planet.
28 Apr 2026
Make America Green Again - Benji Backer
Most consider climate policy as a liberal viewpoint, but one conservative is leading the charge to take partisanship out of environmental politics. Meet Benji Backer, founder of Nature is Nonpartisan. In 2025, Benji landed a huge victory when President Trump issued an executive order called “Make America Beautiful Again”, establishing a council to conserve public lands, protect wildlife, and expand access to clean drinking water. This convo explores the partisan tensions pervading the climate movement - and how to overcome them.
Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe or follow! It really helps us spread the word.
You can learn more about A Fighting Chance at afightingchancepod.org and Climate California at climatecalifornia.org
Follow us or give us feedback!
Instagram: @norcalpublicmedia, @climate.california
YouTube: @northerncaliforniapublicmedia
TikTok: @norcalpublicmedia
Email: viewer@norcalpublicmedia.org (mailto:viewer@norcalpublicmedia.org)
Want more environmental storytelling? Support NorCal Public Media’s Center for Environmental Reporting at norcalpublicmedia.org/donate
22 Apr 2026
The New Green Gospel - William Morris
If we want to get any progress done on climate change, we have to persuade the people who deny it. Traditionally, one of the largest groups of deniers are Evangelical Protestants. Charles meets with William Morris at GreenFaith, an international collective that unites local religious groups of all faiths to protect the environment. They’ve led divestment campaigns, won oil setbacks, and they’re just getting started.
Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe or follow! It really helps us spread the word.
You can learn more about A Fighting Chance at afightingchancepod.org and Climate California at climatecalifornia.org
Follow us or give us feedback!
Instagram: @norcalpublicmedia, @climate.california
YouTube: @northerncaliforniapublicmedia
TikTok: @norcalpublicmedia
Email: viewer@norcalpublicmedia.org (mailto:viewer@norcalpublicmedia.org)
Want more environmental storytelling? Support NorCal Public Media’s Center for Environmental Reporting at norcalpublicmedia.org/donate
9 Apr 2026
Introducing A Fighting Chance
From NorCal Public Media, Emmy-winning filmmaker/host Charles Loi bridges the hard realities of climate change with the optimism of new possibilities and solutions, giving listeners renewed hope to hold onto. Subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.8 / 5
12 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
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