3 Climate Mission Insights from a Global Gathering

We live in an era marked by existential challenges. Forces like climate change, political turmoil, tensions between nuclear powers, and disruptive new technologies are shaping individual lives and entire societies in increasingly profound and unpredictable ways.

Since it was founded by President Bill Clinton in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) has served as a forum for advancing the types of bold, balanced solutions that we will need to adeptly navigate this precarious stretch of history and come out of it stronger and more united than ever. Late last year I was fortunate enough to join more than 1,000 other problem solvers from across sectors to attend a CGI gathering in New York. The themes threaded throughout the event—particularly the emphasis on data and orientation toward action—were familiar to me from my role at Booz Allen, where I lead efforts that provide federal agencies with the technology and expertise they need to take on some of today’s most pressing challenges.

Here are three insights—and three big questions—that have remained on my mind since this meeting of minds between philanthropic, private, and public sector leaders from all over the world. 

Globe-spanning problems often interact and compound each other in complex ways that can be hard to comprehend, much less design for. One session that I attended illustrated this complexity by examining climate change’s outsized impacts on the health, development, and education of children living in vulnerable geographies. Solving for this will require solutions that cut across sectors—for example, working to improve the climate resiliency of electrical grids and communications networks helps with stable electricity and internet access, which correlates with better access to education and long-term prosperity. 

To build on this thinking, I invite you to join me in meditating on the question: When collaborating across sectors, what steps can we take to ensure that our solutions are balanced and unbiased in intention and impact?

While data continues to provide firmer foundations for all types of decision making, for many missions it can do much more. Climate intelligence programs, for example, when done right can advance science and enable new levels of resilient design, security, safety, and equity.

To guide my continued thinking on the subject, I’ve been asking myself: What will tomorrow’s data-enabled missions look like, and what can we do today to help realize them faster?

With this on my mind, I am constantly asking: How can we modify and reimagine public-private partnerships to better help government programs and agencies future-proof their missions and critical capabilities?  

All things considered, my ultimate takeaway from 2 days of sharing ideas and solutions for overcoming some of the greatest threats humanity has ever faced was this: Hope is stronger and more enduring than one might think. It finds a way to uplift and inspire us to impactful action even in the midst of some of the most daunting challenges imaginable.

A version of this post was originally shared on LinkedIn.