Can Philanthropy Save the World? Money and the Climate Crisis.
with Isabella Noero, Farhana Yamin, Cassie Robinson, and Dominique Souris (chair).
By 2050, up to 250 million people (nearly four times the population of France) are projected to be displaced by rising sea levels, floods, famine, drought, hurricanes, desertification and devastated ecosystems. Indigenous Peoples, people of colour, women and children in the Global South are disproportionately at higher risk and are already having to adapt, often with the future of their communities and ways of life at stake. As the climate changes, people and societies will need to respond more often to extreme and stressful weather events, and will need to strengthen their ability to contend with frequent disruptions.
Climate currently represents just a fraction of philanthropic giving; more donors are needed to fund grassroots solutions, research, invest in new technologies, support policy, help communities transition sustainably, protect landscapes and more. Urgent, collective action is required to slash emissions and enhance the resilience of communities. If the role of philanthropy is to actively build new economic systems that transfer the management and control of financial resources away from institutions and towards communities that have been impacted by wealth accumulation in the extractive economy, how can philanthropy fund movement building for climate justice and a just transition in order to achieve this?