Al Gore trains 700 Climate Reality Leaders in Mexico City
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Mexico City (March 23, 2018) – From March 21-23, The Climate Reality Project and its Mexico branch, The Climate Reality Project – Mexico, together trained nearly 700 new climate activists in Mexico City during the organization’s 37th Climate Reality Leadership Corps training. [For photos of the training click here.]
Over the course of the three-day training, former US Vice President and Climate Reality Founder and Chairman Al Gore, renowned climate scientists, and communicators gave participants the knowledge and tools to build public awareness of the climate crisis and become leaders driving change. These new Climate Reality Leaders, ranging in age from 13 to 80, will be forces for climate action in their own communities, sharing information about the practical solutions at hand and how we can all make a difference today.
Climate Reality chose Mexico to host the training because the country has both seen the crisis firsthand and responded strongly with practical policies to fight it. As just a few examples of how the climate crisis has changed the country, Mexico now faces increasingly powerful storms, longer or more frequent droughts, dangerous floods, and other dire impacts. The good news, however, is that the nation is taking concrete steps to mitigate and combat these effects, with some of the highest levels of public support in the world for ambitious climate action.
“The enthusiasm and commitment demonstrated by our new class of Climate Reality Leaders makes me confident that Mexico will continue to be a global leader for climate action,” said Al Gore. “In today’s polarized world, this training has been a reminder that we are all united by the urgency of the climate crisis. Meeting and hearing from our neighbors in Mexico continues to give me hope that we can, and we will solve this challenge together.”
The training included presentations and remarks from some of the most preeminent climate voices in Mexico and around the world, including Climate Reality President and CEO Ken Berlin, Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera, Mexico City Secretary of the Environment Tanya Müller Garcia, and Dr. Mario Molina. Trainees heard from a slate of speakers about the climate impacts specific to Mexico, the country’s renewable energy future, and how local and national action is already driving meaningful emissions reductions and advancing energy efficiency.
“This training has been an exciting opportunity to hear about Mexico’s commitments to leading the climate fight,” said Climate Reality President and CEO Ken Berlin. “Mexico has already put into place critical foundations for ambitious climate action, and with the power of citizen activism to support these policies, the country will be an unstoppable global force for climate leadership.”
At the close of the training, Vice President Al Gore presented Climate Reality Leader Nayelli Hernández Crespo with the Green Ring Award, which recognizes an outstanding Climate Reality Leader who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to their work as an activist. Trained in Miami in 2015, Nayelli Hernández Crespo is the director of Cleantech Challenge Mexico, a platform for sustainable development. She has dedicated her career to promoting the green economy through empowering entrepreneurs around Mexico. Over the course of the training, she also acted as a mentor to a group of newly-minted Climate Reality Leaders.
“I am so honored to be the recipient of the Green Ring Award and to have played a part in training this incredible new group of Climate Reality Leaders,” said Hernández Crespo. “Our planet needs Climate Reality Leaders to continue to push for a transition to the clean energy economy, and I am endlessly inspired to continue my own work because of their unmatched dedication to the cause.”
During the training, Al Gore highlighted leaders and solutions on his new Instagram account: @algore.
Climate Reality has trained more than 14,000 activists representing 141 countries, and this is the second training Climate Reality has held in Mexico. Other recent trainings have been held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Greater Seattle, Washington; Denver, Colorado; Shenzhen, China; Manila, Philippines; Miami, Florida; Toronto, Canada; New Delhi, India; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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ABOUT THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT
Founded by Nobel Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore, The Climate Reality Project is working to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every level of society. With a global movement more than 5 million strong and a grassroots network of trained Climate Reality Leader activists, we are spreading the truth about the climate crisis and building popular support for clean energy solutions. For more information, visit www.climaterealityproject.org or follow us on Twitter at @ClimateReality.
Contact:
press@climatereality.com