This summer, the denial of climate change was overtaken by reality. It’s too hot! We can no longer ignore the fact that human beings are making the planet hotter, and that it is happening to all of us, now. Once the reality sinks in, the next question must be: What can we do about it?
We need leadership. And if elected officials and governments are failing to lead, then all of us, everyday citizens, must step up to take their place.
That’s why I’m so excited to be joining one thousand individuals this week from around the world at our Climate Reality leadership training in Northern California. Together with our Chairman, former Vice President Al Gore, we will be training them to share the reality of climate change as leaders who encourage their communities to take action.
These one thousand diverse, passionate, and extraordinary people will become the newest members of our Climate Reality Leadership Corps. And it’s clear we’ll learn as much from them as they learn from us.
Our Climate Leaders are volunteers who work all over the world to share the truth about climate change. They come from all walks of life — with expertise in government, science, business, medicine, and countless other fields. They are trusted messengers who collaborate with their peers to make climate change part of the daily conversation everywhere.
To date, our Climate Leaders have given presentations to a total audience of 7.3 million people. Our 3,500 trained Climate Leaders worldwide include people like Jeunesse Park, who lives in Johannesburg and founded the group Food & Trees for Africa. People like Dong Sik Lee, an environmentalist who worked in the financial industry in Seoul. And Paul Rippey, who has traveled the world to speak about climate change from Uganda to Ghana, and from India to Switzerland. And so many more.
Among their many other acts of leadership, Climate Leaders connect the dots between the extreme weather where we live and the global reality of a warming climate. They work to discredit the well-financed and professional deniers who, in the face of all evidence, continue to ignore the reality of this urgent crisis. They are on the front lines of the movement to call on our governments to reduce carbon pollution now.
And this week, we are training a thousand more of them. They come from 46 states and over 60 countries, and each of them has an important perspective on how to strengthen the climate movement.
Keep checking our blog this week as we share the unique stories and training experiences of our newest Climate Leaders. They will be sharing the insights we learn from this training on how to win the conversation on climate change — first in our own communities, then globally — as we move aggressively toward solutions. We can do no less.
David Robison
August 21st
Best of luck with your project, but this sounds bloody frightening. Are they all flying there? Will they be reducing emissions in their own lives or just ‘leading’? It sounds like a cult.
I fully believe in Man-made climate change, I don’t say this lightly, but the way this is written would be frightening to anyone who didn’t. You need to develop a lot more rhetorical skill, and maybe change your approach, and drop the Gore worship, in my humble opinion. That said – I genuinely hope you succeed in convincing the world. I’m already convinced, just in case you think I’m a troll or denialist.
Francisco Mendez
August 21st
How can one help?
Julian W.
August 22nd
Good question, Francisco Mendez!
Perhaps by finding out who the local/ nationally trained Climate Reality leader is, and then supporting them as much as possible. Helping set up local opportunities for them to speak, for example? Or fundraising, or sharing contacts to help them speak elsewhere around your land?
suzanne samuels
August 22nd
I’m a Climate Reality Project presenter in Sweden and would love to join the training online. Is this possible?
An inconvenient path | green pen
August 24th
[...] honor of the graduation of 1,000 new climate leaders in this week, I again watched the Academy award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth [...]
Diana Struthers
August 25th
I am 1 of the 1000 who attended The Climate Reality Leader Corp training in San Francisco this week. It was one of the most empowering and enlightening opportunities I have ever had the privilage to attend! Not only were the presenters amazing but also the audience. All ages, lifestyles, histories, countries and social status came togather as one; each learning from each other with open minds and hearts.
For me the hardest part will be presenting what I have now learned. Despite the challanges that face me I know I will succeed with the assistance of my peers and the Climate Reality Corp as well as the belief that this message must be heard! Diana
Andreas Andreopoulos
September 26th
Being one of the ‘freshmen’ of Climate Reality Leadership Corp I promise to do my best for connecting the dots, widen the conversation, corner the deniers, facilitate the unity of the Sustainable Development & Green Economy movement unity of action worldwide. Just have in mind. “my best” is very good…
Vickie Ferns
October 27th
To David,
I understand why this might sound militant or cult like but really they have no choice but to organise people to speak at what ever functions they can in their own countries to get people on board. I don’t think it is dangerous or threatening in any way. In New Zealand I haven’t heard people denying climate change and in fact the country has quite ‘green’ ideas which is why we’re not doing quite as well financially as Australia who are using their minerals etc. But hopefully in the future it will pay off with a healthy country although we will still be effected by some climate change.
This is an urgent matter especially for wildlife and third world countries, frankly the future is more frightening than a thousand people attending a conferance. I hope one day I may be able to contribute too in the fight against complacency and denial as sadly there are already people dying or suffering from the effects of floods,fires and drought but for me it’s the effect on wildlife that we should feel most ashamed of. Let’s hope you people can make a difference.