There are many reasons we as humans should work to achieve net-zero emissions. One of those reasons is to improve the lives of individuals who occupy planet earth. Today on the show we learn from an expert who has a different way to move the world closer to net-zero, one that focuses on environmental justice and the role of being a global citizen.
Is it fair that less developed countries who have emitted negligible emissions should be the most impacted by climate change including rising sea levels, more frequent and forceful tropical storms, and then not be given funding to adopt to the new climate they have to face?
To answer these question and more I’m speaking with Andrea Johnson, Executive Director of Green Empowerment, Green Empowerment’s mission is to bring renewable energy and clean water to rural communities globally. The heart of Green Empowerment’s model is authentic partnership. They collaborate with in-country organizations that know the local language and culture and have a long-term commitment to the region. Following their partners lead, they design systems that are built and maintained by the communities themselves and they focus heavily on training, providing technical expertise to community members and partner staff to build lasting capacity.
We discuss Andrea's journey from NASA to The Peace Corps to Green Empowerment, how she worked to launch the first payment for ecosystems services – paying landowners to protect their forests – and how Green Empowerment is bringing the world closer to net-zero emissions by identifying indigenous leaders and methodologies that enable access to zero-carbon energy and clean water.
You can learn more about Green Empowerment on their website, https://greenempowerment.org/.
Season two is powered by Climate People. If you are a software developer or recruiter looking to get into climate tech, Climate People is the best place to start. You can reach Brendan Anderson, CEO of Climate People, at brendan@climatepeople.com.
Keep up with the show by following The Net Zero Life on Twitter and Instagram (@thenetzerolife).
You can also get in touch at www.thenetzerolife.com or via email at nathan@thenetzerolife.com.
#41 Regenerating Nature Through Capital with Manuel Pinuela of Cultivo
#40 Sustainable Food and Refrigeration with Manik Suri, Founder and CEO of Therma
#39 Reporting on the Climate Space with Akshat Rathi of Bloomberg Green
#38 Rating Carbon Markets with Ted Christie Miller, Head of Carbon removal at BeZero Carbon
#37 Energy Innovation Towards Net Zero with Bryan Trudel Co-founder of Avatar Innovations
#36 Climate Science 101 for the Consumer with Dr. Kimberly Nicholas, Author of Under The Sky We Make
#35 Renewable Drinking Water with Neil Grimmer, Brand President of Source Global
#34 Financing a Net Zero Future and Carbon Recycling with Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech
#33 Seven Practical Steps to Save the Planet with Justin Gillis and Hal Harvey, authors of The Big Fix
Introducing: The Net Zero Life Season 4
#32 Investing in a Net Zero Future with Louis Schick, Director of Investments at Clean Energy Ventures
#31 The True Impact of Renewable Energy, with Laura Zapata, CEO and Co-founder of Clearloop
#30 Reversing Climate Change through Podcasts with Ross Kenyon, Co-Founder of Nori and Host of the Reversing Climate Change Podcast
#29 Creating New Markets to Achieve Net Zero with Elena Schmidt, Executive Director at The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB)
#28 The Sustainable Possibilities of Crypto with Jonathan Rackoff, ex Coinbase, Obama White House and EPA
#27 Discovering Your Inner Environmentalist with Mark Tercek, Former CEO of The Nature Conservancy
#26 Grand Challenges with Apoorv Sinha and Madison Savilow of Carbon Upcycling, winners of the Carbon X-Prize X-Factor Award
#25 Why Net Zero Starts with the Grid with Rob Gramlich, Founder and President of Grid Strategies LLC
#24 Sustainable Corporate Governance with Diana Birkett Rakow, SVP Alaska Airlines
#23 Hacking Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis with Gavin McCormick, Executive Director of WattTime
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