Reflections on the Way to the Climate Change Summit

I am boarding a plane to Copenhagen, heading to the United Nations Climate Change Conference that has captivated the world’s attention.

As I packed my bags for the Danish winter, my thoughts fixated on how we bridge the gap between the priorities of the Copenhagen negotiations and the very real perils facing the world’s most vulnerable populations.

I do this work for reasons that are very personal. I do it so that sometime soon, parents in my hometown won't have to choose between oil refinery jobs and the health of their families. I do it because I have watched fishermen in South Africa face incredible obstacles, including food shortages, because of climate change. I do it because I want to see more people of color play a critical role in creating opportunity in green industry as business owners. I do it because I understand that it is our families who pay the consequences of global warming in a boom and bust economy.

I do it because I know the same solution to our climate crisis can be the solution to poverty.