Recap of the Fourth Annual Global Climate Restoration Forum
The Fourth Annual Global Climate Restoration is complete! This year’s Forum brought together world-class experts in youth climate activism, climate policy and advocacy, climate restoration solutions, and more. Participants commented that they learned from both the thoughtful presentations on the first day of the Forum and the engaging, interactive workshops on the second.
I am eager to find ways to end hunger, but one of the biggest threats to that dream is climate change. It is such a pleasure to attend webinars and workshops about activities that would combat climate change to achieve a more just and healthy planet. — anonymous participant
While previous Forums have focused on the “what” of climate restoration — defining the goal and explaining some of the greenhouse gas removal solutions — this year brought a renewed focus on the “how”. Equity, global engagement, and youth activism were at the forefront of this year’s Forum.
Panel on equity and justice in climate restoration
The most popular panel this year was Equity and Justice in Climate Restoration. While there is now widespread understanding about the importance of climate restoration and the innovation in the field of greenhouse gas removal (GGR), the importance of equity considerations in the development and implementation of climate restoration solutions is a new and growing topic in the field.
Panelists in the Equity and Justice panel outlined some signs of progress in the U.S. and abroad towards bringing equity to the forefront of climate action. They discussed commitments by the Biden administration, key resources that can guide our thinking about equity and reparations around climate action, and how to ensure that climate restoration projects are tailored to the needs of a community rather than rolled out with a one-size-fits-all approach.
“No two CDR projects will look the same if they’re adequately addressing the conditions to meet the needs of each community” — Quincy Childs, Science & Technology Policy Fellow, U.S. Department of Energy
“The climate crisis is the world’s biggest existential threat, but it also provides the world’s greatest opportunity for righting the wrongs of the past, if we do it in the right way” — Joe James, Founder & President, Agri-Tech Producers
Workshop on advancing R&D in ocean-based CDR
On the second day of the Forum, we explored a selection of topics in great depth through workshops. The most-attended workshop was Advancing R&D in Ocean-based CDR, facilitated by Sarah Mastroni and Nikhil Neelakantan from Ocean Visions.
Sarah and Nikhil led discussions about how to think about the social acceptability of ocean-based climate restoration solutions. In particular, conversations focused on how to balance the need for social acceptance with the need for swift and decisive action. Climate restoration is an urgent need, but solutions cannot be implemented without the knowledge and consent of relevant stakeholders. Due to the early stage of research into most ocean-based solutions, there is still a lot of work to be done in determining which solutions should be rolled out soonest and at what scale.
Missed it? Don’t worry!
This year’s Forum was unique because it rode on such incredible momentum from policy advancements, growing activism, exciting solution innovations, and more. All sessions of the Fourth Annual Global Climate Restoration Forum are available on-demand on YouTube. [Note: breakout rooms from the workshops are not included in recordings.]
