05 September 2025
CLIMATE ONE: How Students and Teachers Are Talking About Climate
Commonwealth Club of California Podcast
About
Students are heading back to school, and in addition to all of the usual challenges of the school year, some children are carrying an extra weight: climate anxiety. Teachers are also swimming in tricky waters as conversations around the climate crisis — and renewable energy — become more polarized.
Yet there are educators who have worked to create resources for students and teachers, to help bring climate education into the classroom. The question is: How can schools, parents and teachers better help young people navigate the ideas and feelings around a warming planet?
Guests:
Margaret Wang-Aghania, Executive Director and Co-Founder, SubjectToClimate
Robin Cooper, Co-Founder and President, Climate Psychiatry Alliance
Melissa Lau, High School Environmental Science Teacher, Piedmont, Oklahoma
Leah Christenson, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; Vice President, Piedmont High School Green Team
Alyson Dennie, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; President Piedmont High School Green Team
This episode features a field piece by Mary Catherine O'Connor, who originally reported the story for KALW Public Media.
Highlights:
00:00 - Intro
3:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on her aha moment
5:42 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on how lessons get developed
12:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on teacher development
15:00 - Alyson Dennie and Leah Christenson on their climate related feelings
17:10 - Robin Cooper on how the emotions young people face because of climate
24:17 - Robin Cooper on how the moment the guides her thinking
26:52 - Robin Cooper on how to know if a young person is dealing with climate anxiety
33:34 - Mary Catherine O'Connor’s Piece on Electric Buses in Oakland
40:05 - Melissa Lau on the arctic trip that changed her life
44:33 - Melissa Lau on not being shy about teaching climate
48:35 - Melissa Lau on the importance of relationship building
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
***
Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.
Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yet there are educators who have worked to create resources for students and teachers, to help bring climate education into the classroom. The question is: How can schools, parents and teachers better help young people navigate the ideas and feelings around a warming planet?
Guests:
Margaret Wang-Aghania, Executive Director and Co-Founder, SubjectToClimate
Robin Cooper, Co-Founder and President, Climate Psychiatry Alliance
Melissa Lau, High School Environmental Science Teacher, Piedmont, Oklahoma
Leah Christenson, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; Vice President, Piedmont High School Green Team
Alyson Dennie, 2026 Piedmont High School Senior; President Piedmont High School Green Team
This episode features a field piece by Mary Catherine O'Connor, who originally reported the story for KALW Public Media.
Highlights:
00:00 - Intro
3:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on her aha moment
5:42 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on how lessons get developed
12:33 - Margaret Wang-Aghania on teacher development
15:00 - Alyson Dennie and Leah Christenson on their climate related feelings
17:10 - Robin Cooper on how the emotions young people face because of climate
24:17 - Robin Cooper on how the moment the guides her thinking
26:52 - Robin Cooper on how to know if a young person is dealing with climate anxiety
33:34 - Mary Catherine O'Connor’s Piece on Electric Buses in Oakland
40:05 - Melissa Lau on the arctic trip that changed her life
44:33 - Melissa Lau on not being shy about teaching climate
48:35 - Melissa Lau on the importance of relationship building
For show notes and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
***
Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today.
Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices