In Focus: Climate

Climate change isn’t just one thing; it is a series of challenges that touches every aspect of life on this planet. It is a uniquely human issue and will take a superhuman effort to keep us from global catastrophe. Fortunately, there are a number of brilliant thinkers, energetic doers, and unencumbered inventors working on solutions. Their combined and directed efforts are showing us a hopeful path forward.

The Aspen Institute’s programs reflect an astounding diversity of focus and purpose, much of it touching on the health of our planet and the welfare of the humans that inhabit it. We’re proud to showcase some of that here and at Aspen Ideas: Climate, an annual climate-solutions event taking place in Miami Beach from May 9-12, 2022. Join the conversation.

Labor and the Economy

Humanity has gotten a good peek at the real costs of the climate crisis. As atmospheric carbon levels, a product of the industrial age, rose, so did global standards of living. Indeed, it’s this correlation that first led to climate change denial, and then to delays in addressing it. In the short term, saving the planet just didn’t make much business sense to some.

The good news is we’ve also discovered that a clean economy can be a robust economy—one that leads to better jobs, stronger infrastructure, and lower energy costs. The balance sheet has been upended, which is good news for our unbalanced environment and our unstable economy in the long term.

    Youth and Education

    Those most impacted by climate change will be the ones who have to deal with it for the longest: our youth. Though some say they feel hopeless, everywhere we turn, we see determined and forward-looking young people making differences at every scale, from working within their communities to harnessing local knowledge to creating global movements. Education, too, plays a role in how young people understand the changing environment. Even as schools work to produce the climate leaders of tomorrow, they can also become centers of climate consciousness.

      Public Health and Safety

      As the planet gets sicker, so do humans. Extreme temperatures are hard on our bodies, and food and water insecurity threaten billions of people around the globe. Entire regions of the world could become uninhabitable due to drought and floods, and new diseases will emerge as humans push into wild places in search of resources.

      Climate change has affected worker safety, not only for those who are working on the front lines of the crisis, but also for employees in sectors that haven’t yet faced the new reality. This is a lot for everyday humans to contend with, and the specter of climate change is high on the list of causes of our mental health crisis.

        Communities

        It’s strange how a “global catastrophe” always seems to be happening somewhere else. We see satellite images of disappearing rainforests, shocking images of wildfires, and extra-high tides lapping at the feet of high rises. But “global” includes your backyard, and we don’t mean that metaphorically.

        Climate refugees (from abroad, from the coasts, from the fires and storms) will create housing shortages in every community. Supply chains will be disrupted. Even the most rural communities will need to plan for resilience, and they’ll tap into a tradition of self-reliant innovation to do it.