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We're back!!!

What I thought was just going to be a quick break for the summer as I planned a conference, ended up being more of an endeavor as I then had to deal with a fried hard drive, being laid off, and starting my own consulting company. Oh, also during this period, I went to NYC Climate Week.

This episode was recorded a few days after climate week. We were fortunate to be joined by two leaders who have helped push aggressive climate reforms in their states at the highest levels. NJDEP Commissioner Shawn Latourette and Former Commissioner of the NYSDEC (and currently Partner and Senior Policy Director at Foley Hoag LLP) Basil Seggos have led New Jersey and New York to being at the forefront of climate and EJ policies, and both men are regulars at NYC Climate Week and similar events around the country.

How do we judge progress and incremental gains in the face of a problem as encompassing as climate? Unfortunately, those who have contributed the least to the problem often bear a higher rate of climate impacts and have a lower capacity to respond. This is the ultimate risk evaluation in that the more the planet warms, the more likely it will be that we see increased flooding, droughts, heat waves, stronger storms, biodiversity loss, etc. Project Drawdown does a great job of walking through all of this and lately put out their Drawdown Explorer to help connect local people with applicable projects in their communities.

Ultimately, it will cost us far more the longer we wait to act, and if we wait, we will likely have less to protect. These are heavy topics, and it is always important to find hope, to highlight progress, and celebrate collaboration.

I hope you enjoy this discussion with Shawn and Basil, I know I did.