The Big Rethink – Climate Action
Decarbonizing the Hard Way
May 19 | 9am PDT | 12pm EDT
Ready for an inconvenient truth? Images of clear waterways and clean skies provide a devastating glimpse into the extent to which business-as-usual human activity impacts the planet, but they don’t depict an effective response to climate change. Climate action at the order of magnitude necessary to stabilize the planet requires more so that we can have less: more behavioral change, investment into the zero-carbon transition, and protections for vulnerable populations to make sure that less pollution and inequality becomes the global norm. Doing so at a time when oil traders literally can’t give their contracts away may require more than just markets or incentives — what should a Green Bailout look like?
On this episode of The Big Rethink, we explore the opportunities provided by COVID-19 to set a precedent that accelerates global climate action. We’ll discuss why denser cities are more energy efficient, the chicken or egg dynamic between political will and clean energy technology, the importance of a unified global response, and why we need to prioritize the most vulnerable.
General Manager Urban, Tractebel-ENGIE Group
Wilks Family Director, The Ian L. McHarg Center for Urbanism + Ecology
Senior Vice President & Director, Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center
Director of Applied Research and Host, NewCities