Sea Us Rise

Al Gore’s electrifying speech at COP29 is one of the standout moments for me. It was a powerful reminder of what’s at stake and a call for the ambition and accountability the world urgently needs. He reminds us that the stakes have never been higher and the time for decisive action is now. Key Takeaways from the Speech: ?? The Science is Undeniable: Decades-old climate predictions have proven correct, reinforcing the need to prioritise scientists over polluters. ?? Greenland’s Melting Ice: 30 million tonnes of ice are lost every hour, disrupting vital ocean currents. ?? Risk of System Collapse: Peer-reviewed studies warn of 2050 ecological system collapses if current trends continue. ?? Escalating Impacts: Climate disasters are now weekly occurrences, accelerating far beyond historical trends. ?? Fossil Fuel Dominance: Breaking the financial and political stranglehold of the fossil fuel industry is crucial for progress. ?? Climate Migration Crisis: Up to 1 billion climate migrants this century could destabilise global social and political systems. ?? Africa’s Solar Potential: Despite holding 60% of the world’s solar capacity, Africa faces huge barriers to capital, stalling its clean energy revolution. Few have contributed as much to climate action and environmental protection as Al Gore over the last few decades: ?? Pioneering Climate Advocacy: He spearheaded action as a U.S. Congressman and Senator in the 1980s. ?? Leading Author: His 1992 book, Earth in the Balance, outlined solutions that remain essential today. ?? Kyoto Protocol Champion: As Vice President, he was instrumental in securing the first global greenhouse gas reduction treaty. ?? His Pivotal Documentary: An Inconvenient Truth (2006) transformed climate awareness worldwide. ?? Nobel Laureate: Co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for catalysing global climate action. ?? Empowering Advocates: His Climate Reality Project has trained thousands of climate leaders worldwide. ?? Innovative Solutions: Through Climate TRACE, he uses AI to monitor and expose global emissions. For so many years Al Gore has sounded the alarm, championed bold solutions and inspired millions to act. Thank you Al, for your unwavering leadership and tireless commitment to protecting our shared planet for generations to come. ?? (Credit: Reuters)

John Morales, a trusted voice in weather and climate, knows the devastating impacts of the climate crisis—from stronger storms to rising sea levels and extreme heat. He’s seen the urgency for action firsthand and is stepping up to support The CLEO Institute’s work in implementing solutions and empowering communities. This #GiveMiamiDay, John is doubling your impact by matching donations up to $6,000 through his Champion page. It's not to late to give to protect the people and planet we love from the impacts of climate pollution. Click the link below: https://lnkd.in/gs96Abji

Hot on the heels of our Ogilvyland campaign, Ogilvy UK Vice-Chairman, TikTok star and behavioural science waistcoat Rory Sutherland joins the outstanding Cleaning Up podcast to answer the question many of us are asking -? ‘Is it ever ok to promote fossil fuels?’ https://lnkd.in/eu-2CEmU Others may come to this with more of an open mind. To my ears, Rory is incredibly evasive. Under Michael Liebreich's excellent questioning, Rory repeatedly blurs the distinction between the need to continue using some fossil fuels and the act of promoting them. He suggests that ad agencies merely ‘engage’ with fossil fuel companies when they promote them but that outsiders who question this work are ‘virtue signalling’. As the podcast continues, pinning Rory down becomes harder and his sentences often disguise who exactly he is referring to.?He defends the BP “And Not Or” campaign with the implication that advocates of the low carbon alternative (Or Not And?) are taking an "extremely dogmatic position which is completely untenable and impractical". He says someone in this debate is “the boy who cried wolf". Is that climate activists, scientists or clean tech investors? He seems to dance around the idea that Ogilvy's fossil fuel promotion is a necessary intervention to counter climate denial saying "when you create an imbalanced media diet it has completely unintended consequences where people start believing the opposite with dangerously high levels of credulity". As a final flourish, Rory puckishly asks Michael how confident he is in the science of climate change. "What's your percentage probability that the whole thing is misdirected? Do you hold a possibility that the entire CO2 emissions thing might be a misdirected effort? ... We need to ask that question … A knowledge of behavioural science would say it's emphatically not impossible". As a citizen, you can question climate change (in the same the way you can question cancer or dinosaurs). But as the Vice-Chairman of Ogilvy UK, one has to wonder if Rory’s heart is really in this fight to preserve a livable planet. I’m left with two thoughts. First, one is left wishing that Rory’s intellect and creativity were working flat out on the transition instead of obfuscating Ogilvy’s fossil fuel work. Secondly, I question Ogilvy’s long term corporate strategy. Here’s Rory, Ogilvy’s leading light, appearing on one of the most influential podcasts for the new economy. A show sponsored by Octopus Energy, KKR, the National Grid amongst others.? And instead of putting Ogilvy at the front of that transition, Rory is signalling to the market that Ogilvy has its heels dug deep in the past. Anyway, that’s my considered take on it all. Meanwhile, here’s me dressed as a squirrel outside Ogilvy's London HQ https://lnkd.in/eVBRrhnq