Climate One
Climate One
Climate One from The Commonwealth Club
Kate Marvel on Fear, Wonder, and Leaving NASA
53 minutes Posted Oct 16, 2026 at 7:13 am.
Intro
Kate Marvel on if leaving NASA was newsworthy 
Kate Marvel on why science should be publicly funded 
Kate Marvel on “emergency break” solution 
Kate Marvel on why feelings are a major topic in her book 
Kate Marvel on which emotion was hardest to write about
Kate Marvel on which emotion isn’t discussed enough
Kate Marvel on when she felt wonder 
Kate Marvel on how to talk about climate change
Kate Marvel on why it’s not too late 
Michael McPhaden on this year’s El Niño 
Michael McPhaden on the hurricane season 
Michael McPhaden on the Climate change and El Niño connection
Michael McPhaden on what people should look out for 
p.m., join Climate One and the Children & Nature Network for an evening with Richard Louv, the internationally bestselling author of Last Child in the Woods. Tickets available at climateone.org/events 
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Show notes
Climate scientist Kate Marvel made headlines this year when she publicly resigned from NASA, drawing coverage from Bloomberg to The New York Times. Marvel says her resignation wasn’t newsworthy on its own. What made it notable is that she was one of more than 10,000 Ph.D. scientists to leave the federal government during President Trump’s second term, part of what she calls a “mass nerd exodus.” 
She is now senior climate scientist at Project Drawdown and author of “Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet.” Marvel argues that scientists need to stop hiding their feelings behind the data. 
“When we pretend we don’t have emotions, that’s not making us more credible, because that’s lying,” she says. “You can feel a whole range of human emotions and still get the numbers right.”
Guests: 
Kate Marvel, Senior climate scientist, Project Drawdown; author, “Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet”
Michael McPhaden, Senior oceanographer, University of Washington
For show notes, transcripts, and related links, visit ClimateOne.org.
Highlights:
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On October 20 at 6 p.m. join us, in partnership with The Redford Center, for a screening of the short film In Earth We Trust, followed by a conversation with the filmmaker, the film’s central figure, and other faith leaders. Tickets available at climateone.org/events 
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