MAKE OUR PLANET GREAT AGAIN? Leaders, moguls, celebrities, activists and more descend on the French capital today to mark the second anniversary of the Paris climate agreement. There will be plenty of photo ops and inspirational rhetoric, but French President Emmanuel Macron hopes the One Planet Summit will add financial meat to the bones of the landmark accord. Expect new and expanding coalitions and initiatives, particularly aimed at shoring up financial aid, peaking emissions, ditching coal and helping countries already coping with the effects of climate change.In a Monday interview with CBS News, Macron said Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris accord actually boosted momentum for climate action and slammed the U.S. withdrawal. "It's extremely aggressive to decide on its own just to leave, and no way to push the others to renegotiate because one decided to leave the floor," the French president said. "I'm sorry to say that. It doesn't fly."Opening the funding spigots: Nearly 1,200 companies aim to align their emissions reduction plans with the Paris agreement by 2019, and 118 have committed to get all of their electricity from renewables (enough demand to power Ukraine), the We Mean Business Coalition announced today. In addition, 54 global companies from different industries put out a joint call on Monday for framework conditions that lay the foundation for a pathway toward limiting the temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius. Domestically, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation said Monday that it will donate $600 million over a five-year period from 2018 to 2023 to nonprofits working on climate change solutions. And former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg will announce that 237 companies, with a combined market capitalization of over $6.3 trillion, have committed to voluntary recommendations on climate disclosures.
Naturally, this warmed my heart to hear the beautiful words of 'green investment' -- which entails incorporating 'climate risk' into their investment portfolios. Renewable energy is the best alternative to mitigate the risk of climate change. I clicked on the links provided in the e-mail and found former New York Billionaire Mayer Michael Bloomberg speaking on stage about the state of the world. One quote that stood out from Michael Bloomberg regarding climate change is as follows:
If we cannot measure it, then we cannot manage it...
Awesome. President Macron of France called on nations to ensure that large players (corporations and governments) call out entities who are not engaged in divestment toward 'green energy'. Over the last couple of days, the participants of the summit have come up with '12 commitments' -- which were unveiled on Dec. 12, 2017 -- representing the needed steps forward toward a renewable future.
Here is the video of the 4 hour Plenary Session filled with great commitments and needed actions on various parts of the world:
In attendance from the United States along with former Mayor Michael Bloomberg were innovators in philanthropy -- Bill Gates and Arnold Schwarzenegger -- who are driving investment into the future of the renewable energy world. Major philanthropists such as Bill Gates and Arnold Schwarzenegger have the power and influence to get further momentum from large investors like Sir Richard Branson -- who already has an initiative aimed at reducing our carbon footprint called "Carbon War Room". The Carbon War Room is a nonprofit organization aimed at shifting future investments toward renewable energy or cleaner energy away from fossil fuels in hopes of reducing the worlds overall 'carbon footprint'. Here is an excerpt from the website 'Virgin Unite':
Carbon War Room was co-founded in 2009 by Richard Branson and a team of like-minded entrepreneurs wanting to speed up the adoption of market-based solutions to climate change.In December 2014, Carbon War Room (CWR) merged with the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) – a US-based NGO, dedicated to transforming global energy use to create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future –and together, they work across all energy sectors to accelerate the energy transition and reduce carbon emissions.RMI brought more than 30 years of thinking, analytical rigor and breakthrough insight, while CWR brought over five years of entrepreneurial action. Together RMI-CWR engages businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs to make a cost-effective shift from fossil fuels to renewables.
The initiatives and environmental areas spanned by the Carbon War Room are wide as stated on the 'Wikipedia' page:
CWR has various initiatives in operation including Shipping Efficiency, Green Capital, Renewable Jet Fuels and Smart Island Economies.[4]The focus of CWR includes these major environmental areas: Agriculture, Energy Supply, Forestry, Industry, Buildings, Transport and Waste Management.
Success with all of these initiatives is already on the horizon.
The take home message from the conference in Paris was that money is being gathered in the form of momentum to fund a transition from fossil fuels to a green energy future in the years to come. The transition is already taking place by market forces as highlighted in a video from a recent article in 'CNN' titled "France's Macron announces first 'Make our Planet Great Again' winners" shown below (which is less than 2 minutes in length):
As stated in the video, the United States will have the opportunity to re-engage with the Paris Agreement at any time. Especially, since the levels of greenhouse gas emission reductions are completely arbitrary and chosen by the respective nation at any given time. What is important for the world given that the United States President has announced the U.S. withdrawal is to have these various conferences convene and hear commitments being voiced to reinforce the marketplace - i.e. investors both on Wall Street and Silicon Valley.
Earlier posts which can be found below highlight the reality that there exists real dollar investments for sustainable energy (green energy, clean energy, etc.). The reality just needs to percolate to the entire world over time. Given the resistance is diminishing over time, the market forces will undoubtedly continue (slowly) to drive our investments toward a cleaner energy future. Education is a key factor in spreading the word among the citizens of the world of this reality. Over time, each person will come to realize the transition toward cleaner energy as a friend rather than a threat. Change takes time.
Related Blog Posts:
Environmental Entrepreneurs Weigh In On Repealing The Clean Power Plan
Trump Administration's Enthusiasm For Coal Energy At Bonn (Germany) Is Met With Disappointment
Paris Climate Agreement Is A Start Toward The Renewable Energy Future
World Goes Left, While Trump Leads Right - On Climate - Why?
Trump Goes Right On Paris Agreement, Part Of U.S. And World Head Left
President Trump's Understanding of the Paris Agreement
What Is Going To Be Discussed At The G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany?
A Good Start: Republicans Accept Climate Change As Real
There Is No Climate Debate -- Scientific Facts Have Settled The Issue?
How Is Our Environment (Climate, etc.) Becoming Politicized?
Republicans Endorse Carbon Tax For Climate Change? Wow
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