Christiana Figueres: What I’m outraged and optimistic about this week

Dear Listener,?

On last week’s episode of Outrage + Optimism I talked about what’s really keeping me up at night - and it isn't just the climate. I was in full-on outrage.?

In this week’s episode I find refuge in the amazing country that is my home, Costa Rica. Finding one’s centre of calm amidst the storms raging all around us is of paramount importance now, and Costa Rica is where I often find mine. This is true especially at sunrise, when I like to walk - quietly - on the beach by my house.?

Let’s remember: the world is far bigger than the U.S. Some nations, like my home, Costa Rica, understand that decarbonizing the economy and investing in nature is essential for its citizens to thrive and prosper. There are many benefits to such a strategy, with profit being one of them.?

Many years ago my father, a young farmer - angry at the ruling right-wing government for refusing to hand over power following an election - rallied a voluntary army of farmers and the intelligentsia to defend democracy. Together they led a very successful revolution and he became the founding father of the Second Republic of Costa Rica.?

The first two things my father did after the revolution were: (1) disband his own army and ask all his soldiers to turn in their weapons and return to their fields or books; and (2) outlaw the government army.?

Today, Costa Rica is one of a tiny handful of countries without an army. Instead, over the past few decades, we’ve been investing the money that would have gone to training soldiers and buying weapons into education and nature restoration. In this week’s episode, I discuss with Tom and Paul how that happened, what’s worked, and whether such radical politics could succeed in today’s world - where the old unions we’ve become accustomed to are beginning to crack.

OUTRAGE + OPTIMISM ON THE CALENDAR

THIS WEEK:?Inside Costa Rica’s Climate Fight: Can the nation hold on to its green ideas?

We explore Costa Rica’s remarkable history and constitutionally guaranteed environmental safeguards, as well as my personal connection to Costa Rica’s politics through my late father, former President José Figueres Ferrer. We ask: How does a nation transform its forest coverage from 21% to 60% in half a century? What are the policies that can place nature at the very heart of political thinking? I’m also lucky enough to speak with former President Luis Guillermo Solís on the populist Trump-like measures implemented by the current administration, including plans for a regressive return to fossil fuels. Will the government go through with it? Find out wherever you get your podcasts Thursday, Feb 20th.?

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:?Beyond Trump: The new frontlines for climate action.

In last week’s episode, Tom, Paul and I got into what the future of climate action might look like. We unpacked some of the alternative ‘levers of change’ for tackling the climate crisis, including the utilisation of technology; our interaction with the worlds of business and finance; mass engagement with the public at large; climate litigation that moves the debate into the courtroom; and the role of young people – not just as campaigners, but also as corporate advisors. We discussed whether these approaches can help bypass increasing obstructionism in the fight for climate justice. Available on all podcast platforms.

BE PART OF IT

I'm delighted to announce we are hosting an event at The Conduit Club in London on the 22nd March and we’d like to invite you, our wonderful listeners, to join us. We’ll have just been to see the West End play Kyoto, an incredible dramatisation of the 1997 Climate Summit, and will be hosting an evening of thought-provoking conversations with key insiders who were in the room at this negotiation, plus activists and thought leaders who can help us think about how we shape the next chapter of climate action. This will be an evening of powerful conversation, bold ideas and as ever, stubborn and determined optimism. For more information and the chance to attend click here.

NEED SOME INSPIRATION?

This chart from RMI, which we recently covered on the podcast, shows how, despite what we are hearing in the newspapers most days, the energy system is being disrupted by the exponential forces of renewables, electrification, and efficiency.

Meanwhile, here’s what one of our listeners had to say recently about my call to model being the center of calm. Dr Jacqueline Kerr , said:

With thanks to Dr Kerr and to all of you who take the time to comment on these posts.

And thank you so much for reading our newsletter,

With optimism,

Christiana

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