Writing in Alliance Magazine, Annmarie McQueen recounts a 'rare opportunity to hear from the broader environmental philanthropic community on how they are approaching the biggest issue of our time.’ Covering the themes of biodiversity loss, climate-friendly investing and shifting public opinion, the event convened a group of 20 guests at the Conduit in London.
"Without action to tackle climate change, we are heading towards a world where our ‘food system is in collapse, a billion or more people are on the move because their land is no longer habitable, and economies are in flux.’ Florence Miller, director of EFN, began by setting the scene for the night’s discussion, highlighting the urgent need for climate action to prevent this bleak future.
This is ‘not a world I’m willing for my children to grow up into’ Miller said, to everyone’s agreement. She then discussed what can be done to prevent this catastrophe with three main action points: stop burning fossil fuels, restore nature, and draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Philanthropy’s role in this will be significant. Government and market forces are not sufficient, but philanthropy ‘is the catalyst for both of those things.’ However, with only around 2 per cent of global philanthropy going to climate, there’s a lot of work to be done to ensure this happens."