Top headlines of Climate Week 2021

Our environmental team attended many Climate Week events, including Friday’s international climate strike, and watched (and engaged) with media headlines coming out from global leaders throughout the week. 

Here are the top headlines that caught our attention:

1. The tone for the week was set by the release of the latest IPCC Report, created by 750 authors, which concluded that 1.5C will be reached by 2040 in all scenarios, and if emissions aren’t slashed in the next few years, this will happen even earlier. The release of this report underscored the urgent need to act and reduce emissions.
2. The New York Times launched ticket sales to its Climate Hub – nine days of challenging, interactive events featuring thought leadership on climate action being held alongside COP26 this November. Taking place from Wednesday, November 3 to Thursday, November 1, the hub will explore the future of biodiversity, feature climate justice advocates, debate the role of democracy in climate action and help people to understand their personal e-commerce footprint. Get your ticket here for what promises to be an engaging, urgent and thought provoking event.  
3. There is a pressing need to incorporate justice and equity for everyone into both climate dialogue and action in a much greater way. Community-centred approaches can address root causes of climate change that disproportionately impact BIPOC folx and peoples living in the Global South, on local and greater scales. Many of these communities have the answers being sought: see the Seventh Generation Principle, derived from Haudenosaunee philosophy, which teaches that all decisions made today must result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future (source: Indigenous Corporate Training Inc.). Learn more about the intersection of climate and equity in this Climate Week webinar from Earthjustice, all about building a just climate future.
4. As climate week kicked-off, we saw organizations and governments across the globe demonstrate their commitments to reducing climate change. Notably, Jeff Bezoz, founder of Amazon, announced plans for $1 billion in conservation spending while the president of Brazil committed the country to carbon neutrality by 2050. With large corporations and organizations continuing to share their net-zero commitments, it will be critical to continue to watch for the resulting actions that will come to fruition in the coming days, months and years. 
5. With climate week wrapping up, we saw many individuals, organizations and government bodies come together in the fight against climate change. A unique partnership to highlight was the 100+ beauty and wellness brands joining together to encourage advocacy for climate policy through CodeRedClimate. This was developed by Versed, Youth To The People and Call4Climate, to call on government bodies and policy makers through open letters to encourage the change of corporate policies to better serve our planet. Companies such as e.l.f Cosmetics, Milk Makeup, Summer Fridays, and many more who are a part of this $500 million industry, pledged their support to corporate climate advocacy.
6. Youth strikers are large contributors during climate week. As the world continues to experience extreme weather and its impacts, youth strikers globally have been credited with raising increased awareness on the climate emergency. However, as young climate activists such as Vanessa Nakate become more visible, the disproportionate impacts of climate change on the Global South and the lack of accountability from Global North countries becomes apparent. During the Youth4Climate Summit, Nakate raised an important point regarding the devastating impacts of climate change on Africa, “which is ironic given that Africa is the lowest emitter of CO2 emissions of any continent except Antarctica.” As talks and actions on climate change continue to progress, integrating a climate justice lens and tackling systemic racism in climate change should be of paramount importance if change is to be realized. 

Our environmental team specializes in many sectors, ranging from decarbonization to clean energy to conservation and climate justice. If you’re interested in making your own headlines, get in touch with our environmental team at water@yulupr.com.