Shortly after arriving at the Oval Office, President Joe Biden signed a number of executive orders. The third of these restored the United States to the Paris Agreement. This recommitment to global climate action leadership is historic, necessary, and a great benefit to the US and the world. The climate crisis is complex, operates across … Continue reading Biden Brings US Back to Paris
President Biden lays out the stakes & calls for a grieving, divided nation to work together, saying “My whole soul is in this.” After four years of chaos, corruption, lies, and ultimately an armed insurrection, people across the United States and around the world have been counting down the hours and minutes until the powers … Continue reading The Poetry of Public Service
What happened today at the US Capitol was an armed, paramilitary attack on the United States Congress. It was not a protest; it was not a riot. Armed militants used weapons to overwhelm Capitol security and carried out actions well described by federal law as part of a seditious conspiracy. Their intention, openly stated during … Continue reading Coup attempt at US Capitol must be punished with all force of law
Postponement of COP26 provides opportunity for deep collaborative work to achieve a more resilient & prosperous future. On Wednesday, April 1, 2020, the UN Climate Change secretariat and the UK Government—which holds the COP26 Presidency—announced the annual UN climate negotiations will be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. The conference—which will be the largest … Continue reading Time for Co-Creating a Resilient Future
COP25 Closing Statement from the Citizens’ Climate delegation The future of humankind will be shaped and defined by how well we manage our relationship to the climate system. Nations that move too slowly are ensuring they will face higher costs, expanded vulnerability, and reduced benefit from international cooperation. The Citizens’ Climate delegation came into the … Continue reading Courage to Explore — The Road to COP26
COP25 Strategy Brief from Citizens’ Climate Education, the Engage4Climate Network and Resilience Intel The time between the COP25 (opening today in Madrid) and the COP26 (next November in Glasgow) constitutes an unprecedented moment for creative collaboration in the improvement of human experience and outcomes. During that time, 195 nations must upgrade their Nationally Determined Contributions … Continue reading COP25 Mandate: The Geopolitics of Mutual Empowerment
The Paris Agreement establishes a foundation for responsible collaboration among nations, to achieve the speed and scale of innovation needed to avoid climate disaster. This is no small thing: Before 2015, no such detailed planet-wide collaborative process had ever been conceived, much less agreed. Then 193 nations agreed to pursue the Sustainable Development Goals and … Continue reading Paris Agreement withdrawal is senseless & wasteful
System-scale innovation does not have to be all-consuming revolution or a shock to the system. The most effective system-scale innovations start from small but significant improvements in policy, technology or practice, then cascade through practical connections to lived experience and everyday decision-making. These cascade effects gain traction by making critical improvements possible at every stage. … Continue reading How SB50 can Help Achieve the Climate-Smart Future
During the 2018 United Nations Climate Change negotiations (the COP24), co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change presented the latest scientific findings about what would happen if the world warms by 1.5ºC on average above pre-industrial levels. It was a special plenary session, meaning every nation was represented, as well as every international agency, … Continue reading The Day the World Stood Still
The COP24 in Katowice, Poland, was an opportunity to design and activate a global process to secure human liberty and prosperity. While it was not a meeting to solve all problems at once or to end climate change today, the defined outcome — the Katowice Climate Package [PDF] — provides some clear guidelines for nations … Continue reading Katowice sets standards for accelerated climate action
The Poet Economist 