Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This page may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. There is no additional cost to you whatsoever.
The local weather has already warmed by a median of 1.1 levels Celsius. The catastrophic penalties of local weather change are throughout us. Should maintaining international warming to “solely” 1.5 levels Celsius actually be our collective local weather aim?
At the Foundation for Climate Restoration (F4CR), we imagine {that a} aim ought to symbolize an achievement we’d be pleased with. Climate restoration will deliver ranges of carbon dioxide and different greenhouse gasses within the ambiance again to pre-industrial ranges. F4CR’s Fourth Annual Global Climate Restoration Forum occurred on September 13-14, 2022. In a collection of panels and workshops, consultants, group advocates, innovators, and lecturers got here collectively to focus on the thrilling progress of local weather restoration over the previous yr.
While earlier Forums have targeted on the “what” of local weather restoration — defining the aim and explaining a few of the greenhouse fuel removing options — this yr introduced a renewed give attention to the “how.” Equity, international engagement, and youth activism have been on the forefront of this yr’s Forum.
Equity and Justice in Climate Restoration
In our fairness and justice panel — essentially the most broadly attended of the Forum — audio system mentioned commitments made by the Biden administration, together with key assets that may information our fascinated about fairness and reparations round local weather motion and the way to make sure that local weather restoration tasks are tailor-made to the wants of a group somewhat than rolled out with a one-size-fits-all strategy.
“The local weather disaster is the world’s largest existential risk, but it surely additionally supplies the world’s biggest alternative for righting the wrongs of the previous, if we do it in the proper manner,” mentioned Joe James, Founder & President of Agri-Tech Producers.
Why You Should Watch
Equity and justice are rather more than buzzwords. They needs to be integral to each single environmental mission at present within the works. This session introduced collectively a various set of voices from totally different industries and totally different elements of the world. An essential step in being an efficient local weather advocate in 2022 is changing into accustomed to these ideas and centering fairness in your work. Watch it here.
Equity Extra Credit
In the fairness workshop led by Delaney Pues, F4CR’s Director of Solutions, Equity & Stewardship, attendees realized how various kinds of justice will be included in local weather restoration, and labored collectively to research environmental case research with an eye fixed towards fairness. Watch the workshop here.
Climate Restoration Is Young
What do Liberia, Indonesia, and India have in widespread? There are numerous appropriate solutions to that query, however as you’ll study from this session, these international locations are dwelling to the winners of our inaugural Youth Climate Innovator Awards. The Forum session on younger individuals main local weather restoration introduced spectacular lineups of audio system from many corners of the globe. In addition to these three international locations, we additionally function local weather restoration lovers from Nigeria, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Why You Should Watch
It’s not usually that you just get to listen to the voices of younger local weather activists from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America in a 30-minute program. These younger leaders are blazing the path towards local weather restoration, they usually’re not going to cease till we get there! Watch them here.
Climate Restoration Is Global
The aim of local weather restoration is to return concentrations of greenhouse gases within the ambiance to pre-industrial ranges. This is not any small aim, and it’ll require modifications huge and small in all elements of the world. Climate restoration insurance policies are accelerating at a formidable stage on the native, state, and nationwide stage. Many local weather restoration insurance policies within the US have already garnered bipartisan help.
Why You Should Watch
Different elements of the world have distinct roles to play in attaining a restored local weather. In this session, you’ll hear from audio system who’re doing local weather restoration advocacy within the Global North — together with the United States and numerous European international locations — in addition to the Global South, together with Brazil, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Uganda. Watch it here.
Extra Credit: Transform Your Democracy
The advocacy workshop, Training for Transformational Democracy, was led by Mark Reynolds, former govt director of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, which now has a whole bunch of lively chapters in dozens of nations. Watch it here.
Going Deep on the Ocean
The most-attended workshop of this yr’s Forum was Advancing R&D in Ocean-based CDR (carbon dioxide removing) facilitated by Sarah Mastroni and Nikhil Neelakantan from Ocean Visions. Planet Earth’s floor is 71% lined by water. The oceans have at all times performed a major function in regulating atmospheric greenhouse fuel ranges.
Why You Should Watch
In this workshop, we targeted on the right way to stability the necessity to construct social acceptance of ocean-based carbon removing tasks with the necessity for swift and decisive motion. Climate restoration is an pressing want, however options can’t be carried out with out the data and consent of related stakeholders. Due to the early stage of analysis into most ocean-based options, there’s nonetheless a variety of work to be accomplished in figuring out which options needs to be rolled out soonest and at what scale. Watch the workshop here.
Watch On Demand
This yr’s local weather restoration Forum was distinctive as a result of it rode on such unbelievable momentum from coverage developments, rising activism, thrilling answer improvements, and extra. The Forum makes it clear that not solely would local weather restoration create a future we will be pleased with, however it is usually a aim that’s achievable. All periods of the Fourth Annual Global Climate Restoration Forum are available on demand on YouTube.
About the Author
Rick Wayman is the CEO of the Foundation for Climate Restoration, the nonprofit working to revive the local weather. Prior to his function on the Foundation, he served because the CEO of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, the place his staff obtained the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for his or her collaboration and work with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. Rick has devoted his profession to fixing a spread of social challenges, and he’s honored to now lead the efforts to safeguard the local weather for future generations.