Two Stories That Prove Change Is Possible
From Climate One by Climate One from The Commonwealth Club
April 17, 2026 · 1h 1m
About this episode
The episode discusses two stories of successful environmental change, highlighting the efforts of Indigenous people and activists in California.
We are living through a time where big positive change seems unachievable, but there are two instances from the recent past that prove change is possible. For over a century, Indigenous people along the Klamath River fought to protect their way of life, and the salmon they depend on. Their persistence helped remove four dams and restore hundreds of miles of river. In Los Angeles, decades of science, activism, and policy turned toxic smog into cleaner air. Both stories reveal that progress takes persistence, coalition-building, and time. But when communities push and institutions respond, meaningful change is possible. Guests: Amy Bowers Cordalis, Yurok Tribe member, Author, The Water Remembers Ann Carlson, Professor of Environmental Law, UCLA; Author, Smog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air For show notes and related links, visit https://www.climateone.org/podcasts 00:00 – Intro 02:26 – Amy Bowers Cordalis on the river and salmon 06:63 – Amy Bowers Cordalis on Uncle Ray 12:53 – Amy Bowers Cordalis on witnessing the effects of the dams 16:04 – Amy Bowers Cordalis on the lowest salmon run 2218 – Amy Bowers Cordalis on getting to destroy the…
People in this episode
Guests: Amy Bowers Cordalis, Ann Carlson
Topics covered
- environmental change
- Indigenous rights
- air quality
- activism
- policy change
Keywords
- Klamath River
- salmon
- Los Angeles
- air pollution
- environmental law
- activism
- Indigenous people
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Yurok Tribe, UCLA
Places: Klamath River, Los Angeles
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