Earth Day: We must invest in our planet now

‘Our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once,” Secretary-General António Guterres said as he introduced the latest report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The report documents the 1.1 degrees Celsius rise in global temperatures since the start of the industrial age, and warns that global warming could top threshold levels of 1.5 degrees Celsius in the next decade. And it does not mince words. The IPCC report spells out actions governments and policymakers need to take now to prevent the most catastrophic impacts of our climate emergency.

But what about the rest of us? What can individuals and businesses do?

As two women who lead global environmental organizations, mobilizing “everyone, everywhere all at once” is what we do. The group 1% for the Planet helps businesses around the globe contribute at least one percent of their annual revenue to environmental causes, facilitating more than $450 million in funding to environmental organizations since its launch in 2002. EARTHDAY.ORG is a year-round policy and activist organization in more than 190 countries that galvanizes over 1 billion people to action every Earth Day. This year’s Earth Day theme is Invest in our Planet.

It is critical — and doable — to take collective action now and invest in our planet and our future. Climate change could provide the best opportunity in human history to reinvent everything, and to create prosperity and equality for all.

Here are ways to invest in the future of our planet:

• Support smart green government investments in infrastructure, jobs, and communities. The U.S. government is investing and lending close to a trillion dollars in everything from roads and bridges to green technology to renewable energy to batteries. But more investment needs to be made in public transportation, in community design and in creating green jobs.

• Support companies that are innovating and inventing solutions to the climate crises and other environmental and social issues.

• Support climate literacy in our K-12 schools, universities, trade schools, and graduate schools. Science, entrepreneurism, and innovation should be at the heart of climate education and coupled with strong civic education.

• Use your voice and your vote to demand a better future. Local elected officials will respond to letters, phone calls, and visits.

• Invest smarter. We all can put our money to work in banks and investments that fund positive outcomes instead of systems that — literally — fuel growing emissions.

• Spend smarter for the Earth. As consumers, we need to demand real action from both business and government. From our food to our clothes to our homes, each spending decision we make sends a clear message to business.

• Support equity and climate justice. The climate crisis impacts everyone differently, and marginalized communities are hit the hardest by environmental consequences.

With these collective actions, we can change course and secure a future that is not clouded by uncertainty, devastation, and winners and losers.

Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet. Kathleen Rogers is president of EARTHDAY.ORG.