CEOs Lead on Climate progress

Social media has been alive with excitement about an open letter from 43 CEOs to the leaders of our national governments. They express in unequivocal terms that these governments should act swiftly to follow the scientific consensus, put a price on carbon, end deforestation and facilitate investment in low carbon energy and technologies.

I applaud these CEOs for taking this leadership position on climate change. It is an important strategic move by companies who understand what is at risk in their value chains, and have woken up to the fact governments need to act. But we need more.

This is not the first time that CEOs have signed on to communiques and letters of urgency. It’s an important step, but now I urge these CEOs to connect with people directly – speak to their employees, their customers and the public. Communicate that we are in the middle of the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced, but that we are up to the challenge if we work together and marshal our vast resources to stop the Tsunami headed our way.

I also urge these CEOs to stand up and take on the fossil fuel industry head on, and let that industry know that it isn’t business as usual anymore.

As Winston Churchill said. "Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things."

Washington, California, Oregon, Northeastern U.S. states and countries like China and Mexico, are taking significant action on climate change. With CEOs leading the charge across the United States and other nations, think about how much we can accomplish.

​Sarah Severn- Sarah Severn Consulting