Cultural Reparation: The Last-Mile Solution to Our Climate Crisis

Nation-states, corporations, cities and states are advancing break through climate and carbon emission policies, infrastructure investments, technologies and projects in order to stem the global climate crises. The strategies seek to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. There is also a growing emphasis, especially within the Biden Administration, to ensure that climate investments also address long-standing environmental, economic and social justice issues.

Unfortunately, research shows that the bold proclamations and efforts to green our buildings, our grid and energy source, our cars, our jobs and communities fall woefully short of meeting the goals of the Paris Accord, much less fix the growing loss of biodiversity and a severely compromised eco-system that will change life as we know it. A real climate breakthrough requires nothing short of a radical imagination and a profound cultural shift to get to the root cause of the climate crisis. Can we spur a new cultural revolution grounded in the prospects of joy and possibilities, as opposed to sacrifice and despair?

ABOUT DENISE FAIRCHILD
Dr. Denise Fairchild, a nationally recognized sustainable development practitioner and co-author of the book Energy Democracy, offers a national perspective on the numerous initiatives and challenges of cities, grassroots organizations and corporations to stem our climate crises, and will introduce her new Climate Breakthrough project designed to address the root problem: the cultural dimensions of the climate crises. Dr. Fairchild received her doctorate in urban planning from UCLA in 1987 and brings 40 years of community and national level work and insights into the complexities of working at the intersection of climate, economy and equity. For over twelve years she served as the inaugural President and CEO of Emerald Cities Collaborative – involving national and regional coalitions of community, business, labor and sustainable development organizations committed to building high road economies. In 2021 she received a $3 million Climate Breakthrough award, the largest global award given to an individual in the climate field, to advance transformative climate solutions.