Leadership Starts Now

Dear Stubborn Optimist,

As London Climate Action Week kicked off on Monday, billions of people around the world were suffering from searing temperatures. From tourists in Greece and pilgrims in Saudi Arabia to farm workers in the US and labourers in India, people are dying and falling sick from climate-induced heat. Last week more than 1,400 high temperature records were recorded around the world.?

But companies and governments are still finding it too hard to meet their emissions reductions and other related goals, and many are backtracking on their commitments. The Financial Times reported on this last week , naming some of the major companies who have “skipped over their promise to improve“ or “dropped or missed goals to cut emissions or to shrink ties with the most polluting sectors”.?

The enduring meme of the “this is fine” dog comes to mind. Of course companies have plenty of excuses for dropping their climate goals, citing among other things “a failure of standard-setting and clear regulation, insufficient government support, and delays in the rollout of new technologies”. In the end everybody can and does make their own valid argument for what they have not been able to do. We are therefore back to a simple assessment :in the face of a clear and indisputable global threat, and so much short term complacency and adversity, how capable? are business and other leaders of courage and leadership?

The atmosphere can’t wait. And despite electoral uncertainty in key countries going to the polls soon, survey after survey shows people want climate action now. The most recent from IPSOS, looking at attitudes to political and economic transformation across the G20, shows that 71% believe that the world needs to take action immediately, within the next decade to reduce carbon emissions across all sectors of the economy.

No wonder then that so many of us celebrated the U.K. Supreme Court win of Sarah Finch , on behalf of her local community, against the fossil fuel industry. Last week the court ruled that planners reviewing well-drilling permits in the U.K. must consider the greenhouse gas emissions from burning the extracted oil, which until now had not been part of any approval process.????

The result in this case is a clear reminder that the power of individuals and small groups of people to make a major difference to the future of the world should not be underestimated.?

OUTRAGE + OPTIMISM ON THE CALENDAR:?

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This week: We’re recording live from London Climate Action Week at the Mission 2025? launch at the Guildhall on Thursday with guests Andrew Steer (Bezos Earth Fund), Adair Turner (ETC), Isabelle Noero (Earthrise), Hein Schumacher (Unilever), Tamsin Ballard (PRI), Karen Pflug (INGKA Group) and Nigar Arpadarai (COP29 Champion). Tune in to hear their conversation about how to act on climate with speed and scale, and why real leadership must start now. Wherever you get your podcasts on SaturdayJune 29th. Read more about Mission 2025 here.

On Thursday 27th, we’re releasing an episode of The Great Turning podcast with Joanna Macy and Jessica Serrante looking at how to connect with the great possibilities that still exist for us even in these precarious times. Tune in for Love, laughter, heartbreak and the Work That Reconnects.?

Next week and the week after: Our season starts drawing to a close. Join the hosts for their end of season reflections and a wrap up of all the outrage and all the optimism over the past few months, wherever you get your podcasts on Thursday, July 4th. Then the hosts will be back one last time the following week to share their reflections on outcomes of the UK and French elections and a look ahead? to what’s coming next on Outrage + Optimism!?

Over the Summer: Our team is taking a well earned break before returning to the airwaves in September. We encourage you to dive into our back catalogue in July and August which includes everything from a Deep Time meditation , to analysis on the best theories of change to change the world , and our relationship with Nature . We’re also preparing a few listener journeys (collections of episodes) for you to enjoy, so stay tuned to our social media channels for details on those.

If you like this ‘dose of Outrage + Optimism’ and haven’t already, do sign up to our full bi-weekly email newsletter to make sure you’re not just informed about the climate crisis, but also inspired to be part of the changes we all need to make.

In this week's email newsletter you’ll find:

?? Thought leadership: find out about the new #Mission2025 high-ambition coalition to support governments to lead boldly on climate

?? Unite behind the science: Climate stripes are making a cultural impression

?? Tips from the team: what to watch, listen and learn from this week

Thank you for reading our newsletter.

With stubborn optimism,

The Outrage + Optimism team.

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