You probably know orchids as the big, colorful flowers found in grocery stores and given as housewarming gifts. But those tropical beauties represent only a fraction of the estimated 25,000 orchid species worldwide. While their showy relatives fly off the shelves, North America’s more understated native orchids are disappearing in the wild. Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center are working to protect these orchids and their habitats, but first they need solve a surprisingly difficult problem: how to grow one.

The Golden State has staked much of its reputation on its green credentials, with state 

leaders touting its role on the leading edge of global and national climate progress. And California is a huge force. As the fifth largest economy in the world, it sets the tone for a lot of national U.S. policies. California’s influence is especially apparent when other states adopt its pollution standards. 

The state has been bullish on renewable energy, and its initiatives are starting to pay off. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently bragged that the state was running on 100% renewable energy for parts of 40 out of the last 48 days. California now has more than 10 gigawatts of battery storage on the grid. That means that renewable electricity can be banked for use when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. And ten gigawatts is roughly equal to ten nuclear power plants – and all that capacity was built in just six years. 

In spite of the doubts voiced by the fossil fuel industry and conservative leaders about whether California can meet its ambitious climate goals without wrecking the economy, the state continues to grow while reducing carbon emissions. 

“You can have a progressive government that has progressive taxation and protects workers in the environment and still thrive and in fact, that sometimes can help you thrive,” says California State Sen. Scott Wiener.

Still, revamping a huge economy built on fossil fuels is hard and complex, particularly given the state’s current budget shortfall. But climate adaptation and mitigation remain a top priority for state officials.  

“This is not a transition that's going to happen overnight. It's really about the trends and those trends aren't necessarily linear,” says Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board. 

The conversations in this episode were recorded in front of a live audience as part of San Francisco Climate Week. Climate One Co-host Greg Dalton led a series of events with state leaders exploring how California is trying to make good on its climate goals and address environmental injustice. 

Related Links:

California Environmental Justice Alliance

California Air Resources Board

In this age of global weirding where climate disruption has tumbled the Goldilocks effect into unruly surges of too much and too little water, the restoration of beavers offers ancient nature-based solutions to the tangle of challenges bedeviling human civilization. Droughts, floods, soil erosion, climate change, biodiversity loss - you name it, and beaver is on it. In this episode, Kate Lundquist and Brock Dolman of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center share their semi-aquatic journey to becoming Beaver Believers. They are part of a passionate global movement to bring back our rodent relatives who show us how to heal nature by working with nature

Coral reefs that have been degraded by human activity and climate change can be restored fast—in just four years.

How swimming pools could be heated with your data.

If extraterrestrials do try to make contact, whales could help us speak their language.

Flower power! Scientists find a novel way to clean rivers.