The 29th United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, ended late and with a massive finance shortfall of pledged climate finance for countries in the Global South roughly $1 trillion less than what was sought Many delegates were already on flights home when the final agreement was reached while other nations like Papua New Guinea chose not to attend the conference altogether while over 1,700 fossil fuel industry lobbyists attended Figueres joins Mongabay’s podcast to speak about why the world’s governments seemingly cannot agree to move decisively on climate action In this frank conversation, Figueres says why – despite these frustrations and disappointments – she remains optimistic about the global effort to decarbonize economies and transport systems, citing recent advancements in the deployment of renewable energy and the power of everyday actions “I used to think that it was our collective responsibility to guarantee to future generations that they would have a perfect world we cannot guarantee to future generations that they’re going to have a perfect world.’ We cannot We can do our darndest and we can wake up every morning and make a choice and say ‘where am I going to put my energy today?’” she says Figueres is also the co-host of the popular podcast, Outrage + Optimism which features conversations and analysis about the climate crisis Banner image: Sunrise over the Pinipini river in the Peruvian Amazon Mike DiGirolamo is a host & associate producer for Mongabay based in Sydney. He co-hosts and edits the Mongabay Newscast. Find him on LinkedIn and Bluesky COP29 ends in $300 billion deal, widespread dismay — and eyes toward COP30 Top Mongabay podcast picks for 2024 Christiana Figueres: I think the problem here is and the one that I struggle against constantly is a view of the world that is black and white I don’t think we’re either of the two And I would invite anyone to give me an example of where we stand in one of the two extremes of anything in life It’s just way too simplistic to think like that I understand the mental temptation because it’s easier for brains to work like that Mike DiGirolamo (narration): Welcome to the Mongabay newscast Bringing you weekly conversations with experts Working on the front lines of conservation shining a light on some of the most pressing issues facing our planet and holding people in power to account Today on the Newscast we feature Christiana Figueres who you may know is one of the co-hosts of the popular podcast Figueres is also a former executive secretary of the UN framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) And she spent roughly six years helping to facilitate global negotiations On climate change policy culminating in the historic 2015 Paris agreement At the conclusion of last year’s cop 29 and Azerbaijan Many delegates left the conference in dismay at the $300 billion deal to fund climate initiatives in nations Which was far less than the 1.3 trillion that was initially sought News outlets pointed out the heavy influence of oil and gas lobbyists at the conference of which there were over 1700 of them in attendance And Azerbaijan’s own president calling oil and gas Suffice it to say the response to the conference from many delegates has been that a frustration Forget us herself along with roughly 20 climate experts wrote to the UN in November telling them that the cop process is no longer fit for purpose and a refocus on implementation and inclusion of global south countries Rachel Donald asks Figueres why things are the way they are and what exactly can be done about it What ensues is a conversation about optimism Rachel: We invited you here to talk about the COP process how it’s changed since you were the executive secretary of the UNFCCC leading the process that led to the Paris Agreement between 2010 and 2016 And I would like to begin by asking you a hard question Given average warming last year was above 1.5C Do you think the Paris agreement has failed but I think it is very important to be able to see the different components of a pretty complex context here One is the process and the structure that we have at COPS That’s the formal negotiation of agreements that represents one reality It’s a complex reality and perhaps internally contradictory What are all of the other levers of change what governments prescribed for the decarbonization of the global economy simply on the COP process which is an important and vital part of the reality So I think we have to see not the COP process but rather what has been the Paris effect on the global economy where are we moving in terms of the global economy perhaps we have more progress than we thought Rachel: Let’s get into that because we are seeing a huge rollout of renewable energy but certainly Europe has really stepped up at an attempt to decarbonize I’m recording this from Scotland which is looking at almost a hundred percent of its electricity produced by renewable energy renewable energy is still only about 3 percent of the global energy mix and fossil fuel production and extraction is rising every year Mike (narration): An important clarification here The share of global electricity generation that comes from renewable energy reached 30% for the first time in 2023 according to a report from the think tank And it’s projected to reach 35% this year this differs from global energy consumption And the figure for renewable energy there is 13.4% as of 2021 according to the research think tank Our World In Data Rachel made a small error here in quoting 3% That is more akin to the share of global energy consumption from just wind Christiana and Rachel will tease out the details on this a bit more Rachel: So maybe this will relate to what you were saying about internal contradictions with the negotiation process but why is it that countries are failing to really mandate legally the phasing out entirely of fossil fuels when we know that there’s such a dramatic cause of heating in the world Christiana: You are right that governments have yet to mandate a quick phase out of fossil fuels let’s look at what is happening in the real economy which is quite different than the political reality because you’re speaking there wind and solar have already risen to new highs reaching a share of 30 percent of electricity generation solar and wind generation has been growing 23 percent per year for the last five years because you spoke about that has already announced enough clean tech capacity to supply all of the demand in the global South we are starting from ground zero with respect to renewable energy and clean technologies and anything that starts from ground zero that needs to develop its own capacity to produce and supply into the market always has this let’s call it this S curve of penetration where there is a lot of investment that has to go in in the beginning We are at that point because just to take last year’s data Almost two times as much into renewable energy generation than we did into new fossil fuels So it is not correct that we are actually investing more into oil and gas We’re actually investing every year less and less they’re very vociferous because they know that they’re losing market share and they know that their technologies basically have an expiration date on the horizon and they are fighting to extend that expiration date as much as possible the other technologies are standing on their own and renewables are not just competitive but actually even more interesting as investment in most jurisdictions around the world that we’re starting from ground zero with renewables So we’re starting from ground zero and going up we tend to think of technological process in linear form Communications and in the AI and in the IT sector we understand that technology progresses both in its effectiveness and its efficiency and its cost effectiveness and in its penetration to the market It is exponential and that we have understood but we have yet to understand that energy generation is also on an exponential path and we know from the numbers that that is correct that we are actually increasing two X and then four X and eight X every year We just have to understand that that is the shape of the S curve and that there is no way that fossil fuels can continue to compete in the medium and long term because there is not that much innovation anymore in fossil fuels They have actually already extracted from the easy fields And there is frankly less and less social tolerance for for fossil fuel as electricity generation So all of this put together means we are beginning to see the advance of wind and solar that that will overtake fossil fuels Mike (narration): Hey listeners happy 2025 We have a big year ahead of us on the podcast but last year featured some really in-depth conversations that you don’t want to miss So I recommend if you’re a new listener or returning one that you catch up on the previous conversations we had in 2024 we’ve put together a list of our top episodes for you 13 in total which you can find linked in the show notes Of this episode or by clicking on my byline@mongabay.com and if you don’t want to miss any more conversations I recommend you subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts from Let’s get back to the conversation with Christiana Rachel: I’m always really interested in having these conversations because I think it really reveals just how complex the picture is and why it’s quite difficult for the public as well to really get a firm grasp on what is going on Because whether you take a look at the numbers in Europe or whether you look at them on a global scale it actually cuts a very different picture in Europe that you kindly highlighted because this is where I’m dialing in from But then when you look at that global scale and you see that renewable energy is only 3 percent of the current energy mix and that right now it’s only adding to energy generation rather than substituting that our economies are still growing It doesn’t really look like it’s substituting fossil fuels how much of the energy that we’re using is actually electricity versus transport fuel And you still see that fuel is the predominant fuel we don’t have enough words for all of this in the energy mix And then you think about the fact that renewable energy is only producing some of the electricity that we’re using and we still have to decarbonize everything And then you think about the deadlines that we’re on It seems like such an incredible feat that we have to pull off Christiana: I’m interested in your 3 percent where Christiana: You dropped…the world has already passed 30 percent of electricity– let’s just take a deep breath and understand the components of this So we’re already at 30 percent of electricity generation and we will go beyond that Mike (narration): Christiana may be exaggerating a bit here for emphasis by saying we were at 0% renewable electricity 10 years ago But her point is that the progress over the last decade has been very large the world has been producing at least 19% of its electricity renewably 20 years ago But that really changed over the past 10 years as both wind and solar have grown significantly now accounting for 13.4% of electricity generation Ember’s report says that this has slowed the growth of fossil fuels by two thirds in the past decade And solar power remains the fastest growing source of energy going on 19 years And we will pass that also very quickly of electricity when you say energy is because you are looking at electricity we have to understand that that is Absolutely Admittedly a sector that has not advanced as quickly as the as the electricity sector for sure But we also know that electrification of light vehicles is going up exponentially Electrification of even of heavy vehicles is going up exponentially It is a completely different technological path But there’s no way that you could argue that the automotive industry is investing more and more into fossil fuel cars The automotive industry has taken almost all models So what that actually means is that that penetration of the market they are producing more and more electric vehicles The market is demanding more and more electric vehicles So you have to see each sector for the path that it is following the path of transformation that it is following because they all have their different characteristics all of them are being submitted to decarbonize technologies Rachel: How do we ensure that some of these technologies that we’re depending on for decarbonization are actually going to achieve the goal rather than just be like a sustainable aviation fuel I think is a really The people within the aviation industry themselves are pretty open to be like it’s just a thing that we need to allow us to jump through certain hoops It’s definitely not going to be the future of whatever sustainability looks like There might be no way to do this industry sustainably because of the impact essentially of growing these biocrops and turning them into fuel and like the impact ecologically on the land So if we are turning to the market to lead us through this transition which also then suggests it’s a predominantly technological problem How do we ensure that they are meeting standards without incredibly stringent government regulation Christiana: If we had mandates of governments that provide strict expiration dates for different types of technologies Definitely one of the ones who are very much advocating for clear it doesn’t have anything to do with the COP process That is national domestic mandates to have expiration dates and Europe has it and we see that Europe has moved forward very quickly because Are we staying stuck because of the absence of ubiquitous mandates this is an imperfect world about everything in life And so what I think the challenge here is to realize that we are in a messy transition there are different levers of change that are pushing and pulling us forward into a cleaner world that yes would you A strong price on carbon that is universally applied Are we standing still in the absence of that or while all of that is being developed So can I say I am a totally undisciplined person Our reality is much more shades between extremes than it is the extremes About taking extreme positions and juxtaposing them and asking myself or anybody else choose between those two extremes My answer is we’re somewhere in between the important thing is understanding that we’re somewhere in between is what path are we following If the economy is moving in a direction toward more fossil fuels and more intensity of carbon in all aspects of the economy the economy is moving toward decarbonization sector by sector technology improvement by technology improvement So I just caution us against extreme choices This certainly isn’t a show where we tell anybody what to think or force that kind of binary But the reality is also that Antonio Guterres has said that this is a final warning for humanity that just this week a paper was published showing that the Arctic has become a carbon source rather than a carbon sink that the Amazon is on its tipping point that the Atlantic meridian ocean current which 10 years ago was looking at Maybe collapsing in 300 years is now looking at quite likely collapsing within the next 25 Mike (narration): Small note here and open letter to the Nordic council of ministers signed by 44 climate scientists this past October including Michael Mann of the university of Pennsylvania \ States that the last IPC assessment greatly underestimates the risk of it collapsing this century and the scientists state that the triggering of a tipping point happening in the next few decades Rachel: Things ecologically are getting worse And this is what I meant about the horizon of time that we have to work with the real human economy might be moving towards decarbonization getting worse because we are still emitting and we are still polluting and we have not made any moves putting a pause even while we get our grips of the situation And I’m curious as to why you think that hasn’t been done because you said that’s– This idea of like international mandates because we’ve had international treaties when it’s come to nuclear an international treaty to stop the use of CFCs because they were causing a hole in the ozone layer Why can we not see international mandates on expiration dates for fossil fuels at the COP process the comparison is the comparison of why aren’t elephant the size of ants or why aren’t ants the size of elephants And the reason why it was relatively simple to to fix and I hate that word is because it only was about one industry The industry that uses refrigeration and so that was pretty easy the fact is that we live in a society and in an economy that is Absolutely pervaded with fossil fuel it’s very different to finance a fossil fuel plant than it is a renewable energy plant because the renewable energy plants need upfront capital Fossil fuel plants need or fossil fuel fields and production needs capital up front and a lot of operating capital because the fields lose their capacity 6 percent a year So you have to continuously be digging more and more and more that is so much a part of our financial system that that has actually been dug in and burned into our financial architecture changing the entire way that society and economy works we cannot under underestimate the magnitude of the transformation that we have already embarked on And it is one of the most exciting transformations that humankind has ever embarked on but it is the deepest and most complex transformation that we have ever embarked on That is not to say that I don’t share your concerns and your alarm bells we are not standing still because as we see these tipping points and it’s really important to understand these tipping points that make us all very nervous And I appreciate and thank you for being nervous I wish everyone were as nervous as you are I think that is really important to be aware of The positive tipping points that we are seeing in technology we’re seeing both of these at the same time We’re seeing the negative tipping points that we’re seeing in nature for sure and that I would call the ecological tipping points Let us not close our eyes to the fact that we’re seeing technological tipping points that are not proceeding as quickly as you and I want but harping on the fact that we are behind schedule is helpful to the extent that it leads us to the conclusion It is not helpful to the extent that it leads anybody to the conclusion of we are doomed The fact is that we are facing probably the most dramatic and deeply consequential choice one choice certainly is to simply sit back and and let those ecological tipping points take over and those who are either taking that position or those who decide that it’s too late to do that Or those who are indifferent to the tipping points that you have named and many others that we can name Indifference is the equivalent of turning your back on that reality none of those choices is a choice that I have made in my life And I hope that more and more people are going to make that choice of being courageous and saying we have the greatest threat that humanity has ever experienced I am not saying that there’s a guarantee of success I certainly know that there’s no way to fix climate change because there is already so much baked into the system I don’t want to paint a picture of perfection What I want to say is let us recognize where there is progress and let us put our energy in nurturing and cultivating that progress that’s the only option we have if we want to bend the curve of what we’re seeing right now and have any chance of living in a better world that’s the philosophical answer to your question of why can’t they take the mandates Because we have an industry that has been dominating the and they know that their life is actually a short or medium term life They know that they’re not going to continue into long term and they are fighting with everything they can they’re fighting in people’s imaginations that is such an extraordinary phrase Christiana I had so many questions for you and I had them split into talking about the kind of economy climate problem and then the optimism And I think that you have really beautifully merged them and created a network of thought between them in your last answer You obviously have optimism for the future and you’ve made the really compelling argument as to why it’s an important faculty for our future Christiana: So first let’s agree about what we talk about optimism it is something that I cultivate as a choice It is not ignoring what is happening in the Amazon It’s not ignoring what is happening in in It is not ignoring what is happening in the cryosphere Optimism for me is also not an irresponsible position of saying Optimism for me is much closer to conviction and determination It’s not the result of having achieved something because nobody can say we’ve actually achieved the answer that we were capable of giving to climate change just to name the four COPs that we’ve just had So we should actually celebrate our little wins more but that’s not what I’m talking about I’m not talking about the result of an achievement I’m talking about the input to the possibility of an achievement Do you think you’re ever going to hike to the top with that attitude And that is something that wakes me up at night also because I used to think that it was our collective responsibility to guarantee to future generations that they would have a perfect world I really look back at that and I go my God We cannot guarantee to future generations that they’re gonna have a perfect world We can do our darndest and we can wake up every morning and make a choice and say Where am I gonna put my energy today Am I going to put him into the doom and gloom pot I’m not saying that that’s not a choice I’m just saying it’s not my choice I make a deliberate choice every morning to say I’m going to dedicate my time my agency to collectively contribute to all of those efforts that are really sincerely trying to make us bend the curve where we have to I’m just gonna go and bake the chocolate cake I’ve heard this kind of polarization before where it’s either I have spent not nearly as many years in this field as you have but I personally have never met anybody who thinks The Doomers as they’re are tend to be qualified or people that go I don’t think anything that we can do is systematically going to change anything I just want there to be more than two options And those who choose to make a difference in their locality what this really comes down to is the lived experience of every single human being and other forms of life on this planet That is what we’re really talking about where it really counts is Are we actually moving toward making a difference in the experienced life Are we contributing to life on this planet Or are we contributing to destruction on this planet And if your contribution to life is to do it with your family Community bless you bless you because you’re making a difference in the quality of life of those people And those who want to work on the systemic and the global and the transformation bless you also but finally it comes down to our lived experience Rachel: Thank you so much for your time today Mike: I just really like the journey that you two went on in this conversation the aspect of kind of breaking down the binary when talking about major systemic problems was a really delightful exchange to watch between the two of you And it mirrors some of my own sentiments on how I feel about the situation as well but I really enjoyed listening to this a lot Rachel: I really enjoyed speaking with her There were moments where it felt almost difficult to navigate when you when you are speaking with somebody with whom you share so much of a world view and then perhaps differ on certain details I have a friend who calls it the vanity of small differences with somebody who has had so much success as well in that way sharing their worldview and building genuine effective policy around their worldview Had to have that conversation respectfully but also still be able to push at the edges and I was really grateful to her for being so willing to do that I also thought it was a really cool conversation but it sounded like she was validating your worries and was quite grateful for them and and even expressed a desire that more people share them But I think her sort of hammering home the point that optimism is a choice and a courageous one was something I think that probably more people need to hear And I liked how she defined what optimism actually means But rather a courageous decision to keep moving forward I thought that was pretty important to hear for people to listen to Cause I definitely get wrapped up in my own anxieties about the situation Rachel: I think what she was really effectively And I think the kind of optimism that turns people off in the climate movement is the very passive optimism or systems change can’t be that hard Because these kind of provide lots of excuses for not really doing the hard work of systemic change That optimism is not a mood that you put on to get through the day or to deceive yourself about the reality of our situation But rather it is a mindset which helps you take the next steps forward to doing the hard work I thought that her suggestion that we need to celebrate wins more because that also puts the wind In your sails you can apply this to a lot of things in your own personal life Rachel: Can I tell you a little anecdote from Colombia Because I’ve decided to quite rashly become a filmmaker having never made a single film in my life before And they talk about the fact that they were protesting essentially for about this fight’s been going on against this massive multinational mining company for 15 to 20 years what do we need in order to keep doing this fight effectively In order to keep protecting this territory that we love We need to be creating things The new systems and structures and ecology and agriculture And it’s been incredible to see how engaging with care and with love and with an optimism that they can have some autonomy and sovereignty in their territory That was what gave them the strength to keep engaging in that really hard fight very small group of Colombians going up against a huge company with a huge amount of resources Mike:  That is such and excellent anecdote but I think this just all speaks to what Christiana was saying and what and what you are seeing on the ground and that it is these can get bogged down a bit in the enormity of the problem and the negativity of it I don’t like to use the word negativity usually but I’m using it because it’s the only one I can think of If we get bogged down in the negativity of something it’s an active choice to look at the things that are working I’ve been thinking about this conversation with Christiana Us having this chat because I think it was yesterday when I was having a conversation with this Colombian group that I realized I might have changed my mind that my mindset is already starting to shift with regards to the kind of because part of what makes this amazing land that I’m in so incredible and beautiful and strong is its diversity There are five ecosystems within about a 2 And there’s also a very diverse ecosystem of these activists working together and collaborating on different things a massive mining project that’s going to destroy nature and face to face in conflict with the energy transition then that’s a very difficult conversation that we’re going to have to have the plurality of thought with regards to how to tackle this problem is critical this is something I’ve thought about and even written about and yet I realized that I hadn’t applied it to That isn’t destructive and violent and that works directly with the communities and the territories that they’re in And if we don’t have people like Christiana championing that possibility then essentially we give all of that room of imagination over to multinationals who will just continue to do it in their way Mike: I don’t even want to comment on that Mike: But I thought it was a really beautiful conversation I really did in a great way to start off 2025 I am feeling much more optimistic than I did last year Rachel: I’m really pleased to hear that Even though things are looking like they’re getting worse on the award that you won at the end of last year for an episode of this podcast and if listeners haven’t heard that episode I think that’s a great place to end it say good night to the beautiful forest you’re sitting in I’ll see you on the next conversation Rachel: I’ll see you on the next one seeks to bridge climate action with global healing The summit explores how addressing the climate crisis requires not only policies and technologies but also a shift in human consciousness In this conversation, Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican diplomat who led the negotiations for the 2015 Paris Agreement CEO of the Pocket Project and co-host of the summit Figueres shares her deeply personal perspective on optimism and the spiritual practice that sustains her leadership many people today feel that the time for optimism has passed and how do you define optimism in the context of climate change because so many people use the word in different ways and everybody obviously chooses to interpret the word in their own context ignoring the destruction that we’re witnessing and I’ll just sit here on the couch and delegate the responsibility deeply in-touch choice that we make to transform the pain into conviction and agency It is not the output of something that we have achieved—it is the input acknowledging the painful feelings that we all share I will pick myself up and turn up in the world with my full agency and my full commitment to this how do we foster collaboration rather than division The irony is that collaboration is the natural state of affairs Any ecosystem is the result of the most complex collaboration among many species because we are part of nature - not separate from it we have disassociated ourselves from nature we moved from being hunters and gatherers - deeply immersed in and dependent on nature - to sedentary human beings who intervened in nature wood - using and disposing without thinking about the consequences But I don’t think this extractive mentality is truly who we are So collaboration is not something we must force look deeply and question what is truly natural to us we realise that collaboration is not an external goal - it is who we really are you spoke about your disappointment in the fossil fuel industry As I said last year - and I’ve been very public about it - I am deeply disappointed by what the fossil fuel industry has chosen to do with their unprecedented profits since the invasion of Ukraine what is very interesting is to observe that despite the fact that the full fossil fuel industry continues to want to extract more and more fossil fuels we now have several confirmations that demand for fossil fuels is actually decreasing The burning of fossil fuels is now on a plateau and global greenhouse gas emissions have plateaued and will begin to decrease That is because clean sources of energy are so much more superior in performance Not only are they cheaper in most of the world but they continue to attract investment and improve efficiency while fossil fuel companies have already reached their maximum efficiency You’ve spoken about the role of meditation in your life and lead some of the most critical climate negotiations in history That’s when I discovered the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Engaged Buddhism which is about applying spiritual wisdom to everyday life my spiritual practice is not separate from my work It is not in parallel - it is the foundation especially those fighting for climate justice That’s why integrating a spiritual or meditative practice is not a luxury - it’s a necessity for sustained leadership Many people want to take action but don’t know where to start 2.Ask yourself: What’s the planetary consequence of this action You’ll find things that are life-giving - keep doing them You’ll also find things that aren’t - and that’s where you can start making small shifts We all contribute one grain of sand to the bigger picture is there anything else you’d like to share We all work and influence right where we are So I just invite everyone to just try it out for maybe even an hour Try out for just an hour to see: What am I doing right now And then decide: Do I really want to continue doing it like that I want to continue because this is actually having a positive life-giving consequence on the planet - good for you Image by Pexels I hereby confirm that I wish to receive FairPlanet's newsletter. I have read, understood and confirm FairPlanet's Privacy Policy. *.Spread the wordsRepublish articleBy copying the embed code below, you agree to adhere to our republishing guidelines.  Former United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres speaks during a debate at UN headquarters in New York Christiana Figueres is best known as one of the architects of the Paris Agreement the 2015 international treaty designed to keep global temperatures from rising well below two degrees.   In the years since the agreement was signed, this Costa Rican diplomat has become a powerful figure in the world of climate action and communication outside of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), co-hosting the popular podcast Outrage + Optimism and speaking around the world on the challenges and opportunities of addressing climate change.   She recently spoke with the Institute’s Oxford Climate Journalism Network a growing community of 700 journalists from more than 120 countries "Take complexity and communicate it with simplicity,” Figueres told our members I would argue that that is your most important job It is not about taking complexity and communicating it in a complex fashion because then the value added is very little The difficulty that you are putting your teeth into is how do you take complex issues and communicate them simply in a way that inspires people to take action and to assume responsibility Here are five takeaways from our conversation with Figueres from how to think about this year’s COP30 process and the challenges of communicating climate risks Figueres used a phrase in Spanish to describe the current state of action on climate change: “Vamos bien “This is a phrase in Spanish that means we're moving in the right direction both at the same time,” she explained.   But she also argued that the world is also on an exponential curve trajectory of many of the climate solutions: last year also saw twice the level of investment into clean technology versus fossil fuels and falling prices in technologies like solar and electric batteries.  “I think of those two curves – the exponential curve of impacts and the exponential curve of solutions – as competing against each other we don't know when,” she said.   She said the decarbonisation of the global economy is now irreversible “with or without the craziness in the United States.”  “What is still not at the level [needed] is speed and scale,” she said With her organisation, Global Optimism, Figueres champions a theory of change that says that all change starts at a personal level. In an age where journalists are feeling a profound mental health impact due to their experiences covering climate change Figueres’ invitation comes as a possible way forward.   “We first have to look at our interior world to figure out where we are on this Because all of us carry that to a certain degree but most of us are not even aware of how it is blocking the impact that we could have in the work that we do,” she said.   Figueres offered the analogy of composting to understand this idea that has been at the top of its performance: a flower But then something happens (it’s half-eaten reaches the end of its natural life) and decomposes.  “Decomposition does not mean that it loses its potential for regeneration and that is the basis of composting,” she said but sometimes something happens out there: there's all this bad news “is to take that and change it around and be able to derive the power from the pain and precisely because of that pain and because of the anger I'm going back out and I'm going to fight the good fight.”  Figueres stressed that this requires a serious degree of mindfulness and understanding: but it is entirely possible: “It's the most transformational experience that we can have for ourselves and the best way that we can prepare ourselves to have more impact.”  Figueres supported involving fossil fuel companies in climate conversations: they had smart people deep pockets and an understanding of our energy systems Now she says that these companies have decided to block climate solutions.   “They have the possibility to be a part of the solution “As of Russia’s illegal invasion in the Ukraine They just abdicated their responsibility.”  So, how should journalists consider these companies? “They have to be covered from a deep sense of accountability,” she said, “holding them accountable for what they're doing, holding them accountable for the fact that they have known [about climate change] since 1960s We cannot afford to just give them an escape card at this point.”  she focuses on the silent role of fossil fuel companies in the new US administration “One of the root causes of what is happening is the pressure and the financial support from the fossil fuel industry,” she said “What is very interesting to me is that while they have their fingerprints all over this craziness that they have managed to hide themselves behind some pillar.”  Asked by a member of our climate network whether climate campaigners have lost connection and support from the public and why Figueres agreed and offered three possible reasons: because they offer data that is often not visible because they choose the “high horse of morality and preach to people and make them feel guilty or make them feel like they're not doing the right thing or blaming them” and because the message gets too complicated.   “The messengers on the other side [those seeking to slow efforts] have a very clear purpose and a very clear message: delay climate policy as long as possible “[while we] are trying to be true to what we know is true The complexity that we know to be true is not necessarily one that must be continually messaged because it loses people.”   but speak with simplicity,” she said.   sharply declining trust and rising news avoidance – as documented by the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report – means that journalists have to be proactive in reaching audiences with climate coverage.  “We have to be very creative and meet people where they are We cannot have the attitude of ‘If we will build it We have to actually go and find where they are and provide them with the information where they are.”  COP30 will take place in Belém, Brazil in November 2025. This year’s event will be a landmark conference, marking a crucial deadline for countries to submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) plans they present every five years with their efforts to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.   But the summit will also be a symbolic event hosted in a city often called the “gateway to the Amazon” – at a time when international politics on climate appears particularly divisive.  Figueres said there was a crucial difference between recent conferences hosted in “petro states” – the two previous COPs were hosted in Azerbaijan and the UAE – versus in a country that that is a country that really understands its responsibility but also its leadership worldwide,” she said Figueres cautioned that COP30 should not be framed as a make-or-break event “Let us not commit the sin that we commit every single year Christiana Figueres is currently the founding partner of Global Optimism and the vice-chair of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy she was a diplomat and served as executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 2010 to 2016 She has served as director of international cooperation for the Ministry of Planning; chief of staff to the minister of agriculture; and director of the Technical Secretariat of the Renewable Energy in the Americas (REIA) program of the OAS Figueres founded the Center for Sustainable Development in the Americas a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the participation of Latin American countries in the Climate Change Convention Figueres has represented Costa Rica as a negotiator of the UN Convention on Climate Change and has provided critical international strategy for achieving developing country support and approval of the Kyoto Protocol and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Figueres joined the Dialogue as a Member in 1995 The Dialogue is a hemispheric organization that builds networks of cooperation and action to advance democratic resilience and sustainable development across the Americas and enhance collaboration to unlock meaningful change in the Western Hemisphere Inter-American Dialogue1155 15th Street NW | Suite 800Washington, DC 20005P: +1-202-822-9002F: +1-202-822-9553 We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns A goal from midfield gave UE Figueres the victory which lifted the U19 youth category title after narrowly beating Deportivo Alavés (1-0) with the team from Empordà holding up very well in defense and their rival having more of the ball but without creating any clear chances to try to unbalance the score when there was only half a dozen minutes left Èric Torres saw the rival goalkeeper advance and tried his luck from midfield with a first-touch shot that ended up going into the back of the goal Despite losing the opening match against Villarreal CF they eliminated FC Sant Pere Pescador and Impactus Football consecutively on penalties before beating CF Les Franqueses and ESS in the subsequent rounds Copyright © 2025 MICFOOTBALL | Aviso legal y Política de privacidad is a Costa Rican diplomat recognized globally as a leader in climate change Figueres served as executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 2010–16 Following the Copenhagen conference in 2009 Figueres took the helm of international climate negotiations guiding the process toward a widely accepted regulatory framework Figueres presided over UNFCCC conferences in Cancun (2010) culminating in the landmark Paris Agreement that was signed on 22 April 2016 This legally binding international treaty on climate change was adopted by 196 countries at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris The US withdrew from the agreement in 2020 and announced its withdrawal again this year Figueres is celebrated as one of the architects of the Paris Agreement and has since become a prominent figure in climate action and communication outside the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change co-hosting the popular podcast Outrage + Optimism and speaking globally on the challenges and opportunities of addressing climate change Transforming tragic circumstances into hope and optimism through a meeting with the Buddha Just as she entered one of the most important periods of her diplomatic career a major shock in her former marriage brought significant upheaval to Figueres’ life She had dedicated herself to instilling strong values and principles in her family and after 25 years she had what she considered an ideal marriage and family which she would call a “picture book marriage” or “picture book family.” However an unexpected revelation from her ex-husband shattered their relationship particularly as she was simultaneously leading negotiations for the Paris Agreement This chaotic period proved exceptionally challenging Figueres chose to conceal her suffering from colleagues She inspired her team to collaborate with dedication and enthusiasm to achieve their goals for the global public good Figueres was leading a dual life: a nocturnal reality steeped in sorrow and a daily reality defined by professionalism and international high stakes it became increasingly difficult to reconcile her professional identity with her authentic The emotional burden felt increasingly insurmountable Figueres was guided to the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022) the revered Vietnamese Zen teacher and a pioneer of engaged Buddhism Figueres embarked on an unfamiliar journey entering a monastery in Waldbrol without any preconceived notions or ideas about Buddhism This monastery was once a mental institution with 700 patients and had at one time been occupied by the Hitler Youth with minds redirected toward cultivating bodhicitta and benefiting all beings Figueres became deeply involved with the Plum Village tradition which focuses on the application of mindfulness in everyday activities She gained significant insights into her suffering and instead of avoiding or suppressing her grief ultimately regaining control over her circumstances Applying the Buddhist teachings in personal and professional settings The Buddhist teachings learned from the Plum Village tradition not only transformed Figueres’s personal life but also enhanced her professional endeavors she now believes that achieving the Paris Agreement would have been considerably more challenging without guidance and insights gained from the Buddhist teachings Figueres discussed the impact of these teachings on her work: because the truths that I was learning apply to me as an individual but also apply to everyone else collectively And I honestly think that if I had not had that guidance and those teachings I don’t know how we would ever have gotten the Paris Agreement Figueres credits Thich Nhat Hanh’s wisdom for playing a pivotal role in helping her develop the strength and compassion that was critical to forge ahead with the unprecedented deal at the Paris Agreement She has noted: “I don’t think I would have had the inner stamina the depth of the inspiration if I had not been accompanied by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh,” (Huffpost) Having discovered Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings Figueres found them instrumental in maintaining her agency and spirits She noted that they provided her with the inner stamina and commitment required for seeing through this milestone in a multilateral She also expressed conviction that these teachings could benefit others leading her to offer retreats that provide a supportive environment for colleagues Figueres sensed a profound sense of duty among the staff: that they were called to alter the course of the climate crisis and biodiversity crises for future generations This self-imposed obligation made the task extremely challenging as many variables remained beyond their control the power of the Buddhist teachings revealed that humans represent a small aspect of a vast Understanding the distinction between the small differences one can make through daily labor and the ultimate reality influenced by other forces provided her with significant clarity and even comfort Figueres emphasizes that transforming systems must begin internally Recognizing that climate change is anthropogenic she highlights that phenomena such as unregulated capitalism and overconsumption are unique to humanity This insight encourages reflection on the importance of acknowledging personal contributions to climate change Figueres has reflected often on the intense emotions generated by the climate crisis She also has shared thoughts on how we can transform universally experienced pain Transformation does not involve ignoring or suppressing emotions the challenge lies in purposefully harnessing these feelings and channelling them into constructive action in the world as she articulates that her spiritual practice is not separate from her work: “For me It is not in parallel—it is the foundation especially those advocating for climate justice Embracing a spiritual or meditative practice is crucial for sustainable leadership This emphasis on personal wellbeing enables leaders to face challenges with resilience and clarity developing a more effective and compassionate approach to their work All Authors >> var _ctct_m = "e13686134fe4ed809d4f346e45779db5"; Be sure you have your GPS enabled and try again Show all news, opinion, videos and press releases matching → Former United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres has expressed confidence in Brazil as host of this year’s United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) talks, despite the Latin American nation’s oil expansion plans There is a “substantial difference in intention and integrity” between a COP presidency that comes out of a petrostate and one that represents a country that is home to the Amazon rainforest known as the largest green lung in the world Figueres said in an online press briefing held by the Oxford Climate Journalism Network on Thursday “That is not something that is going to happen in Brazil and that’s why I think it is really important where COPs take place.” COP30 will be hosted by a responsible government with one of the highest performing foreign services in the world and a presidency with long years of experience in multilateral diplomacy putting the conference in “very good hands” Christiana Figueres speaks to journalists from the Oxford Climate Journalism Network in an online press briefing on 27 March 2025 COP30 president-designate André Aranha Corrêa do Lago is a veteran climate diplomat who has served as Brazil’s chief negotiator in global climate talks unlike previous climate summit presidencies helmed by oil and gas executives has raised hopes that this year’s conference will be free from the shadow of fossil fuels after the last two were held in major oil-producing countries But Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been contradicting his climate leadership stance ahead of COP30 by signaling that he wants to extract more climate-warming oil in the Amazon He has argued that funds could finance the country’s transition to green energy Apart from oil drilling, tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest has been cut through to build a highway in preparation for the COP30 summit in the Brazilian city of Belém The highway aims to ease traffic to the city composed of dozens of world leaders and hundreds of the biggest companies and nonprofits The Amazon plays a crucial role in absorbing carbon for the world and as a home to high biodiversity, and the forest clearance to build the road has drawn scrutiny for contradicting the very purpose of a climate summit Your support helps to strengthen independent journalism which is critically needed to guide business and policy development for positive impact Unlock unlimited access to our content and members-only perks Sucesores de Hermanos López continue to look at market trends and adopt the latest technology and practices to maintain award-winning quality a fam­ily with nearly 200 years in the olive oil busi­ness won three Gold Awards at the 2025 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition attrib­utes its suc­cess to pro­duc­ing high-qual­ity extra vir­gin olive oil and con­trol­ling the entire pro­duc­tion process despite fac­ing chal­lenges such as labor short­ages and fluc­tu­at­ing mar­ket prices After nearly 200 years in the olive oil busi­ness, the fam­ily behind Sucesores de Hermanos López has become mas­ters of pro­duc­ing award-win­ning extra vir­gin olive oil The Andalusian pro­ducer earned three Gold Awards at the 2025 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition for a trio of organic mono­va­ri­etals: Morellana Picual “This is reward­ing; it’s a recog­ni­tion of a job well done,” said Antonio López Figueres and Andrea López Vericat man­ag­ing direc­tors and share­hold­ers of Sucesores de Hermanos López pro­duc­ing high-qual­ity extra vir­gin olive oil is the most impor­tant thing and win­ning such awards con­firms the level of qual­ity we achieve year after year,” they added Sucesores de Hermanos López has won 24 World Olive Oil Competition awards Nestled in the Luque munic­i­pal­ity of Córdoba province at the foot of the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park the farm was estab­lished in the mid-19th cen­tury “The his­tory of Sucesores de Hermanos López goes back to 1840,” López Figueres and López Vericat said the López fam­ily built an agri­cul­tural legacy that cul­mi­nated in 1919 with the estab­lish­ment of an olive oil mill.” That mill was equipped with the most advanced tech­nol­ogy of its time includ­ing hydraulic presses and con­i­cal stones In sev­eral Mediterranean olive-grow­ing regions, con­i­cal stones replaced tra­di­tional wheel-shaped grinders as they offered a larger grind­ing sur­face and higher pro­duc­tiv­ity “The con­sol­i­da­tion of the estate was car­ried out by broth­ers Antonio and Vicente López Jiménez who expanded the busi­ness until the found­ing of Sucesores de Hermanos López S.A the com­pany already had 600 hectares of tra­di­tional olive groves,” he added ​“They were mostly rain-fed — an area that has barely changed since the 1950s and still pro­vides the fruit for our extra vir­gin olive oils.” The com­pany has always remained under fam­ily man­age­ment the old mill was replaced by a two-phase con­tin­u­ous sys­tem “That’s when the com­pany made a firm com­mit­ment to com­mer­cial­iz­ing its prod­ucts,” López Figueres and López Vericat said the com­pany attrib­utes the high qual­ity of its pro­duc­tion to its abil­ity to con­trol the entire process the Córdoba-based pro­ducer man­ages about 120,000 olive trees “The fam­ily estate is under­go­ing con­stant ren­o­va­tion to adapt to mod­ern har­vest­ing mod­els and to reduce costs,” López Figueres and López Vericat said “Since the ter­rain is a lim­it­ing fac­tor our groves are roughly split 50 – 50 between tra­di­tional and inten­sive sys­tems.” the tra­di­tional groves are more chal­leng­ing to main­tain espe­cially since they require inten­sive man­ual labor “The 2024/25 sea­son has been com­pli­cated in this regard It’s hard to find peo­ple will­ing to work in agri­cul­ture a wide­spread issue and a major chal­lenge for us,” López Figueres said “It’s also increas­ingly dif­fi­cult to find spe­cial­ized work­ers for key tasks like prun­ing which is essen­tial to tree care,” he added pro­duc­tion costs in tra­di­tional olive farm­ing are sig­nif­i­cantly higher than in super-inten­sive sys­tems because many tasks can­not be mech­a­nized “That means costs can even dou­ble or triple com­pared to super-inten­sive groves,” López Figueres and López Vericat said a sig­nif­i­cant por­tion of the estate’s olive oil pro­duc­tion is organic “We began organic pro­duc­tion 15 years ago to meet the demands and expec­ta­tions of our cus­tomers,” López Figueres and López Vericat said our farm­ing prac­tices have always been envi­ron­men­tally respect­ful.” “The biggest chal­lenges of organic farm­ing com­pared to con­ven­tional include higher pro­duc­tion costs due to addi­tional tasks such as man­ual weed­ing as well as lower yields per hectare,” they added mar­ket dynam­ics and higher prices for organic olive oil do not fully com­pen­sate for the increased costs where non-trace­able extra vir­gin olive oils might be passed off as organic,” López Figueres and López Vericat said ​“This increas­ingly affects the price gap between organic and con­ven­tional oils.” the past two har­vests were dis­ap­point­ing for the com­pany as they were for most pro­duc­ers in Spain “We felt the impact,” López Figueres and López Vericat said this has pre­vented us from mak­ing major invest­ments.”  we make small improve­ments and invest­ments every year that allow us to keep pro­gress­ing both in the fields and at the mill,” they added The chal­leng­ing con­di­tions of the last two sea­sons have affected olive oil prices on the mar­ket and influ­enced pro­duc­tion strate­gies for many com­pa­nies This influ­enced our deci­sions and we’ve had to adapt,” López Figueres and López Vericat said with an aver­age yield and the poten­tial for a good 2025/26 har­vest prices are drop­ping sig­nif­i­cantly,” they added it’s impor­tant that prices don’t fall back to pre­vi­ous lev­els We need to give value to our extra vir­gin olive oil rea­son­able prices at ori­gin,” López Figueres and López Vericat warned echo­ing recent con­cerns raised by sev­eral regional pro­duc­ers’ orga­ni­za­tions the 2024/25 sea­son has been mete­o­ro­log­i­cally favor­able for Sucesores de Hermanos López which was much needed after years of drought,” López Figueres and López Vericat said ​“We’re now wait­ing for a good spring in terms of tem­per­a­tures to allow for good flow­er­ing the 2025/26 sea­son is expected to be a good one.”  The com­pany sells its olive oils in var­i­ous for­mats, includ­ing bot­tles and bag-in-box Consumer atti­tudes on what for­mat to choose are still evolv­ing The bag-in-box is the newest and has the least demand,” López Figueres and López Vericat said Bag-in-box pro­tects olive oil from oxy­gen con­t­a­m­i­na­tion dur­ing use and shields it from light expo­sure International con­sumers receive it bet­ter than domes­tic ones,” López Figueres and López Vericat said rais­ing con­sumer aware­ness remains a very chal­leng­ing task eco­nomic fac­tors take prece­dence for con­sumers It’s hard and slow work to edu­cate them about the ben­e­fits of extra vir­gin olive oil,” López Figueres and López Vericat said more should be done to improve mar­ket con­trol and con­sumer con­fi­dence “Tighter mar­ket con­trols by the author­i­ties would help ensure that what’s being sold as extra vir­gin olive oil truly meets the stan­dard,” López Figueres and López Vericat said com­bined with reports of wide­spread fraud in extra vir­gin olive oil mar­ket­ing makes it hard for peo­ple to under­stand and appre­ci­ate the true value of these olive oils,” they added One way to increase aware­ness is through oleo­tourism a strat­egy the com­pany has long embraced “We offer tourist apart­ments right in the Subbética Natural Park and we encour­age peo­ple to visit,” López Figueres and López Vericat said ​“Olive oil tourism is a great way to help peo­ple under­stand how won­der­ful extra vir­gin olive oil is made.” there are chal­lenges and oppor­tu­ni­ties,” they con­cluded ​“What mat­ters most is to keep mov­ing for­ward and adapt to change.” More articles on:  , , Officials in Spain Optimistic Ahead of Harvest as Prices Remain Elevated Spain is expected to produce between 1.4 and 1.5 million tons of olive oil in the 2024/25 crop year after a wet winter and mild spring favored a bumper crop Researchers Introduce AI Tool to Help Olive Farmers Predict Harvest Timing Using machine learning to analyze a range of data points from model farms researchers were able to predict the timing of the olive harvest with 90 percent accuracy Trials and Triumphs of Organic Farming in Andalusia The fifth-generation family behind Luque Ecológico believes organic farming produces flavorful extra virgin olive oil protects the environment and mitigates the impacts of drought App Uses AI to Identify Top-Ranked Olive Oils The Olive Oil Times World Ranking can identify award-winning olive oils by analyzing thousands of images and data points Terroir, Organic Farming Yield Award-Winning Results for Sicilian Farmer The producers behind Agrigento-based Naru attribute their World Competition success to sustainably-grown local olive varieties World Olive Oil Competition Southern Division Underway This year's awards carry exceptional weight in light of the widespread harvest shortfalls experienced by numerous countries across the hemisphere Celebrated Sicilian Farmer Preserves Traditional Landscapes, Cultivars The producers behind Agrestis have won five World Competition Gold Awards for the endemic Tonda Iblea monovarietal cultivated in Sicily’s southern mountains Spanish Growers Eye Indian Market for Table Olives A report emphasizes catering to local consumer preferences to capitalize on India's rapidly expanding economy and demand for healthy foods. First published: November 11, 2024 03:59 PM Figueres observed two significant anniversaries during this weekend: the 50th anniversary of the Dalí Theatre-Museum's opening and the 50th anniversary of the creation of Playmobil, one of the world's most beloved toy brands. This was the seventh Playmobil Fair in Figueres, and it incorporated a surreal theme in honor of renowned artist, Salvador Dalí.  Some Playmobil figures during the Figueres exhibition / Ariadna Reche "We’ve managed to combine both anniversaries and create a unique fair featuring scenes that incorporate Dalinian inspired designs," acccording to the president of the Clicks Girona organizing association, Eduard Àngel.   The event attracted hundreds of visitors who explored ten themed dioramas - 3D figurine mini scenes - that were on display. Visitors even got to find hidden elements within the displays using QR codes.  Of the dioramas, many were inspired by themes like the Tour de France cycling race, the Roman Empire, and an inverted zoo with humans in cages.  Some of the scenes had Dalí inspired elements, like the inner courtyard of the Dalí Theatre-Museum and scenes from his paintings.  Further more, two Playmobil figures honoring Dalí were displayed at the nearby Toy Museum and Dalí's Birthplace.  Alongside the diorama displays, there were contests, scavenger hunts and raffles for adults and children alike, and all entry fee proceeds were given to El Dofí, a center for people with functional diversity.  Get the day's biggest stories right to your phone v1.1.0. Copyright © 2025. Powered by EBANTIC. All rights reserved. @flickch / Unsplash View Tours The Teatro Museo is the main Dalí museum in Spain On the outside it’s covered in yellow pieces of the local bread with white eggs on the roof and golden statues Dalí wanted this museum to be a surrealist journey through his bizarre world The museum houses one of the best Dalí collections of art in the world but also three-dimensional installations and sculptures © federicoghedini / Pixabay Right next to the Dalí Theatre Museum is the Dalí Jewels Collection a permanent exhibition housed in a purpose-built two-storey building It showcases an extensive collection of jewellery made by the artist between 1941 and 1970 and also features 39 gold jewels and precious stones of the Owen Cheatham collection Visitors will also be able to see 27 drawings and paintings that Salvador Dalí made for the jewels’ designs © Zarateman / WikiCommons The Toy Museum of Catalonia is a great place to take the kids on your exploration of Figueres The museum covers three floors and houses an extensive collection On the ground floor you’ll find the information desk temporary exhibits as well as spaces for the little ones to draw and colour Head up to the first floor to discover all about the games of ancient times which is a direct antecedent of chess and dates back to 3000BC kids of all ages will delight in the miniature railway built by Andreu Costa Pedro (Barcelona © Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava Pirineu de Girona / WikiCommons Museu De L’Empordà houses one of the most outstanding collections of art in the region however its collection dates back to the end of the 19th century It is currently housed in a building constructed in 1971 as a museum of archeology but today mainly focuses on art with a few archeology collections Artists whose work is featured here include Sorolla Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy Museu de la Tècnica de l’Empordà Museum © Marcin Wichary / Flickr As the name suggests The Technology Museum of Empordà focuses on technology and exhibits more than 3,000 mechanical antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries from the first sewing machines (1830) to unique typewriters Look out for the stunning Morez Comptoise clocks and the 1908 Hispano-Suiza car It’s one of the finest collections of tools on display in Catalonia © AlbertJB / WikiCommons Salvador Dalí’s birth house can be found on Monturiol Street in Figueres It’s not a museum or a particular attraction but it’s great to see if you’re interested to know where the famous artist grew up Combine this with a trip to the Dalí-Theatre Museum © Enfo / WikiCommons Figueres’ Castle of Sant Ferran is located on a hill to the side of the city It’s an old fortification dating back to the 18th century and is surrounded by bastions The castle covers an area of ​​32 hectares with a perimeter of 3,120 metres In its time it had the capacity to hold 4,000 men making it one of the largest fortresses in Europe You can visit this magnificent construction by yourself or on a guided tour © Luidger / WikiCommons The Church of Sant Pere is one of the oldest and most important churches in Figueres It dates back to the 10th and 11th centuries and was originally Romanesque but Gothic elements were added at later dates You can also still see part of the old city wall attached to the foot of the bell tower © Esme Fox / Culture Trip When you’re in Figueres don’t miss a visit to the Duran Hotel & Restaurant where Salvador Dalí himself used to hang out Visit the hotel’s restaurant on the ground floor which has an attached wine cellar and is decorated in a traditional style with old wooden rafters Here you’ll find the cellar paying homage to Dalí filled with photos of him with various celebrities At the heart of the small town of Figueres sits the town’s Rambla a long pedestrianised street lined with shops and restaurants It’s a lot more relaxed and chilled than the more famous Rambla in Barcelona and is less touristy too Here you can experience the true essence of a local Rambla See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Autumn See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in July See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in June Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in December See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in October Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in November Architecture Spain’s Most Impressive Bullrings See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Summer Guides & Tips How to Spend the Perfect 24 Hours in Santander Guides & Tips How to Attend a Bullfight in Spain See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in September Food & Drink The 5 Best Food Markets in Madrid US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd ShareThe Dalí Theatre-Museum: 50 years of the Surrealist’s last great artworkSome 35 million people have made the trek to the small town of Figueres in north-east Spain — Dalí’s birthplace — since the artist created a museum there devoted to his own genius Under the auspices of the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation the extraordinary landmark building offers ‘a journey inside the artist’s brain’ Salvador Dalí in the courtyard of the future theatre-museum in Figueres Salvador Dalí was feverishly occupied by what many regard as his last great artwork in the Catalonia region of north-east Spain Dalí took complete charge of the design the layout and the choice of exhibits — such that the resulting venue was a Dalinian Gesamtkunstwerk ‘Other worlds exist,’ he said with typical hyperbole ‘but these other worlds reside… precisely at the centre of the dome of the Dalí Museum.’ The dome to which he was referring is the huge glass geodesic one that crowns the building he brought into being The Dalí Theatre-Museum opened on 28 September 1974 and has been wowing visitors ever since Few will forget the Burgundy-red exterior walls dotted with sculptures of geometrically arranged bread rolls and topped by sculptures of giant eggs The exterior of the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres with its sculpted bread rolls and giant eggs the works include Rainy Taxi (a Cadillac whose mannequin driver and passenger experience an in-car downpour) and Face of Mae West Which Can Be Used as an Apartment (a trompe-l’oeil room in which two paintings two fireplaces and a sofa form the face of the eponymous film star) Some 35 million people have visited the museum — not bad given that the population of Figueres is just 48,000 the King of Spain recently oversaw a ceremony marking the museum’s 50th anniversary ‘The artist himself may no longer physically be with us,’ says Fèlix Roca, general director of the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation his impact is still felt — certainly if you judge by the crowds that have visited the museum for five decades.’ Salvador Dalí on a high scaffold completing the ceiling of the Palace of the Wind in the Dalí Theatre-Museum Dalí and Gala are shown contemplating the ship of destiny The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation is a non-profit private body that was created by Dalí in 1983 to promote his art and legacy He presided over it himself until his death six years later A large part of the foundation’s remit is to manage three museum sites the artist’s native area of Catalonia These are the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres; Salvador Dalí House in the coastal hamlet of Portlligat (the artist’s long-time home); and Gala Dalí Castle in the town of Púbol (an erstwhile castle that the artist’s wife Gala kept as a private residence) the second and third of these were posthumously converted into museums by the foundation in the 1990s ‘Dalí was fascinated by immortality and the afterlife,’ says Roca but one step further was to set up a foundation to categorise that art and put it all in order.’ Roca is calling attention here to another crucial area of the foundation’s activity: the creation (initially) and periodic update (currently) of a catalogue raisonné of Dalí’s paintings the foundation’s team of experts also authenticate all works attributed to the artist The dome of the Dalí Theatre-Museum under construction we have local roots and international reach simultaneously,’ Roca says The artist was born into a well-to-do family in Figueres in 1904 who owned a second home in Cadaqués a Costa Brava village (very near Portlligat) where the family spent summers just 16 miles from the French border and 80 miles from Barcelona which young Salvador attended and where lessons were taught in French Dalí said that ‘at the age of six I wanted to be a chef And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.’ the artist spent significant spells of time abroad including one in Paris in the late 1920s and 1930s when he became a star of the Surrealist movement; and another in the US in the 1940s where he and Gala moved to escape the Second World War Salvador Dalí and Gala photographed by Brassaï in their atelier at Villa Seurat in Paris Photo: © Estate Brassaï — RMN-Grand Palais He always remained greatly attached to Empordà and chose to spend most of the second half of his life there When the mayor of Figueres asked Dalí if he would be so generous as to donate an artwork to his home town the artist replied that he could do better than that — and gave it a whole museum the artist chose the town’s erstwhile Municipal Theatre it had been left in ruins by bomb damage during the Spanish Civil War and needed drastic reconstruction having been the spot of his very first art exhibition (a group show held when he was 14) ‘To enter the Dalí Theatre-Museum is to take a journey inside the artist’s brain,’ says Roca It’s a chaotic funhouse where vistas regularly seem designed to trick the brain and the eye A large painting of Gala looking at the sea from a certain distance metamorphoses into a picture of Abraham Lincoln Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea Which at Eighteen Metres Becomes the Portrait of Abraham Lincoln (Homage to Rothko) Roca estimates that three-quarters of what visitors encounter today is how Dalí left it Perhaps the most notable addition this century was the opening of an annex building in 2001 to showcase many of the jewels that the artist designed the crypt where the artist is buried: strangely modest compared with the rest of the museum it’s located beneath the old theatre stage and is accessible to visitors ‘Financial independence for us is absolutely key,’ says Roca, ‘as that, in turn, guarantees creative independence for everything we wish to do.’ The Birth of Liquid Anguish (Naissance des angoisses liquides) the three run by the foundation receive no public money Around 80 per cent of the foundation’s revenue comes from ticket sales and the licensing of reproductions of Dalí’s art After an uncomfortable couple of years during the Covid-19 pandemic the foundation made a profit of €7.3 million (about $7.7 million) in 2023 the best year’s result in its history Strong visitor numbers at the three museums — almost one million people in total — help explain this (More than 726,000 passed through the doors of the Dalí Theatre-Museum alone making it the seventh most popular art museum in Spain.) Works by Salvador Dalí displayed in the Treasure Room at the Dalí Theatre-Museum Photo: Courtesy of the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation The foundation has also benefitted financially from supporting no fewer than five ‘immersive exhibitions’ of Dalí’s work that have toured worldwide in recent years These entail his imagery being digitally reproduced and projected in 360-degree fashion on a venue’s walls we don’t want to lose our essence,’ Roca says ‘but we also recognise the need to look forward.’ The exhibitions in question include Dalí Challenge, which recently closed in São Paulo, Brazil, and opens soon in Mexico City; Dalí, the endless enigma, a hit last year in Tokyo and Seoul; and Dalí: Cybernetics which includes a virtual-reality element where visitors don a headset and enter a Dalinian metaverse featuring planets that turn into jellyfish and walls that crumble and rebuild Critics argue that such offerings are second-rate because they don’t feature original artworks Overlooking Dalí’s tomb is Labyrinth the enormous backdrop that dominates the stage area of the theatre-museum It was created by Dalí from an oil painting he had made for the ballet of the same name based on the Greek myth of Theseus and Ariadne and first performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in 1941 The sets and costumes were designed by Dalí ‘These exhibitions are another way of presenting Dalí to the world,’ he says ‘and that’s a core part of the foundation’s remit We’re taking him to people in faraway places who might not be able to come to Spain to encounter his work the immersive experiences reach a different age group than we otherwise would: young people who are perhaps not so accustomed to visiting museums but who are accustomed to this type of digital experience.’ The foundation manages a collection of 4,000 works which is enlarged every so often by acquisitions such as The Birth of Liquid Anguish when a particularly impressive piece comes along and only really rivalled by that of the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid (the childless Dalí having bequeathed to the Spanish state most of the works in his possession at his death) Dalí painting a poster to announce construction work on the theatre-museum He is ‘delighted’ by last year’s economic results with the buzz around the Dalí Theatre-Museum anniversary this year’s visitor numbers will be higher still ‘One of the best things about the foundation is that we invest all profit back into our activities,’ says Roca this includes the acquisition of a neighbouring building to increase the museum’s size though details of this are yet to be announced a weekly newsletter delivering our top stories and art market insights to your inbox Dalí’s popularity shows no sign of abating either His hallucinatory artworks seem to appeal equally to each new generation — as does his carefully constructed persona as a madcap artist-celebrity who oozed a sense of fun and his own genius ‘Every morning when I wake up,’ he once said ‘I experience an exquisite joy — the joy of being Salvador Dalí.’ For further details on the Dalí Theatre-Museum, including ticket information, click here governments from across the world will meet in Busan the final stage of negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty A legally binding UN treaty that addresses the full plastics lifecycle offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle the root causes of plastic pollution Costa Rican diplomat and former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change have come together to urge governments to unite in ambition to get the job done The Ellen MacArthur Foundation works to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. We develop and promote the idea of a circular economy, and work with business, academia, policymakers, and institutions to mobilise systems solutions at scale, globally. Charity Registration No. (England and Wales): 1130306 OSCR Registration No. (Scotland): SC043120 Ellen MacArthur Foundation ANBI RSIN (Netherlands): 8257 45 925 the former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change led the climate negotiations that birthed the landmark Paris Agreement after the 29th climate talks held in Azerbaijan Figueres was among 22 scientists who wrote to the U.N calling for “a fundamental overhaul of the COP.” On a recent episode of Mongabay’s weekly podcast called Newscast co-host Rachel Donald asks Figueres whether she thinks the Paris Agreement has failed especially since average warming in 2024 went 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels the Paris Agreement has not failed,” Figueres tells Donald Figueres adds that we shouldn’t just focus on the climate negotiations but rather what the Paris Agreement’s effect has been on the global economy perhaps we have more progress than we thought,” she says Figueres says renewable energy sources such as wind and solar have reached a share of 30% of electricity generation and are overtaking fossil fuels for the first time where “solar and wind generation has been growing 23% per year for the last five years.” Figueres tells Donald that renewable energy has had to start from the ground up “we are at that point… Just to take last year’s data we actually invested almost two times as much into renewable energy generation than we did into new fossil fuels,” she says “So it is not correct that we are actually investing more into oil and gas We’re actually investing every year less and less.” While having stricter expiration dates for fossil fuels and different types of technologies would be good “If the economy is moving in a direction toward more fossil fuels and more intensity of carbon in all aspects of the economy The economy is moving toward decarbonization sector by sector technology improvement by technology improvement,” she says When asked about where people can find the optimism that she has Figueres says it’s something that she “cultivate[s] as a choice.” She adds that optimism is not about naivety or ignoring what is happening around us “Optimism for me is much closer to conviction and determination,” she tells Donald “I make a deliberate choice every morning to say I’m going to dedicate my time my agency to collectively contribute to all of those efforts that are really trying to make us bend the curve where we have to.” Listen to the podcast: Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres remains optimistic despite disappointing COP process Banner image of a wind energy farm by Rhett A The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa as protected areas become battlegrounds over history and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins and trying to forge a path forward […] © 2025 Country & Town House.All rights reserved How her marriage ending may have led to the Paris Agreement Christiana Figueres led the world in climate talks in 2015 the end of her 25-year marriage may have been the very thing that led to the success of those climate talks Costa Rican diplomat Christiana Figueres achieved a phenomenal world first; bringing together 196 countries to sign the Paris Agreement a united global commitment to keep temperatures to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels as COP succeeds COP and news reports flood in of climatic turbulence and species extinction Figueres acknowledges the despair of leading climate scientists who believe that unless we radically change our living habits now we will crash through that ceiling hitting global temperatures 2.5 to three degrees above pre-industrial levels It’s a despair mirrored in communities across the world ‘So many people today are in grief about what we are losing. I too am in a sense of deep loss about the impact on nature and on humanity,’ she says. But the question to ask is: ‘So what are we going to do about it?’ Are we going to sit and wallow in our despair? Absolutely not,’ says Figueres, who co-hosts the podcast series Outrage + Optimism She’s calling for a quick energy transition but is also attuned to the grief felt by so many not least because of her own personal experience It became unbearable; she was crying herself to sleep every night she credited his teachings with informing the language she used to secure the Paris Agreement an extraordinary feat in bringing so many people with such diverse cultural and economic requirements to one table ‘but to inform everyone else of their position.’ (She conjures a mind-boggling maze; 196 countries each with at least three different points of view on 70 different topics of negotiation Her own personal story unravelled over the Christmas break when Figueres sought out Thay (as his students called him before he passed away in 2022) at Waldbröl the site of a former mental institution only 45 minutes away from the negotiations all 700 of its patients were exterminated by the Nazis ‘Thay chose this place that had seen absolute inhuman cruelty deliberately to show it was completely possible to turn pain into love hate into love and forgiveness,’ said Figueres mirroring the journey of the climate negotiations From feeling paralysed and helpless to feeling empowered.’ Thay’s teachings enabled Christiana to shift away from thinking of herself as a victim A key challenge in the climate negotiations was the rift between the global north and global south with the latter feeling a victim of the industrialised countries of the northern hemisphere the developing countries are justified in feeling a victim implicitly you are accusing somebody else of being the perpetrator and that other person is never going to happily take on the mantle of perpetration From Thay’s teachings Figueres understood the analogy in her personal life recognising that if she perceived herself as a victim ‘I had to understand that I have the tools to walk with a different energy As does everyone.’ It was hard work but in the process of getting out of her own victimhood ‘my conversation changed and I saw a change within the conversations I was having.’  Figueres realised that rather than preaching to leaders she was far more effective asking questions about their long-term interests how they saw themselves growing as nations and how they could protect their people the more they moved into First World thinking and considered their responsibility in the future Then we could find a common ground and have a different conversation.’  Figueres studied with Thay until his death and continues to share his teachings and the insights gained from them with climate activists leaders and people working with global diversity issues ‘I am so grateful because if I had not been in that space of my own grief and despair I probably would have intellectualised it and would not have fully identified with the pain and the grief that I see in so many of my fellow colleagues working on climate and biodiversity issues,’ she says Accepting her own trauma empowered Figueres to lead others with courage and conviction in a way that is refreshingly different from the traditional stiff-upper-lip masculine stereotype who could never have conceived of admitting to suicidal tendencies while leading world negotiations ‘It’s so important that we all recognise that we’re just human beings all trying our very best at different points in our life with different challenges.’ And the greatest challenge is climate change the daughter of the former president of Costa Rica a country leading by example in the fight to change the scary trajectory global warming is taking us towards; its electricity comes from renewables which now need to be rationed because of drought In a neat circle we return to talking about Nature’s gift as a healer and a teacher says Figueres who has just taken a biomimicry course with Janine Benyus who believes that the more people learn from nature’s mentors ‘But what was most fascinating is the fact that we think nature is out there and that we are in here The first thing we have to do is disarm this separation that we don’t take the time to see what’s around us the better we are able to embrace the opportunities staring us in the face ‘Twenty or 30 years ago we thought all we had to do was take the pressure off nature and optimise our use of resources, but now because of our footprint we need to do more. We need to roll up our sleeves and get stuck in. And we can,’ says the indefatigable diplomat. ‘We have the technologies To be able to say that we were part of the regeneration is an incredible gift.’ The full interview with Christiana Figueres can be heard on Annabel’s podcast series Hope Springs, by the Resurgence Trust, launching on 13 September; resurgence.org Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Subscribe to Country & Town House in print or the app to make sure you get the very best of property, interiors, style, food and travel every month. Country & Town House is an introducer appointed representative of Wealthify Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Country & Town House acts as an introducer appointed representative for the purpose of promoting Wealthify products and introducing customers to Wealthify © 2025 Country & Town House. All rights reserved. First published: September 23, 2024 12:47 PM Latest update: September 23, 2024 12:49 PM The Dalí Foundation has bought a new painting by the artist painted in 1932 and which is part of the artist's surrealist era. In 'The Birth of Liquid Anguish', one can see a cypress tree in the foreground, one of the painter's iconic elements that is repeated in several works, while a landscape of Dalí's native land is seen in the background. The foundation has been looked to acquire a new work by Salvador Dalí for some time but there were none available that would fit what they were looking for.  The work is already hanging in the Figueres Museum in one of the three new exhibitions opened on Monday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the arts center. Director of the Dalí Museum, Montse Aguer, explained to the Catalan News Agency that for a long time they had been "behind" buying works by Dalí, especially from the surrealist period. Despite everything, Aguer explains that "it is increasingly difficult" to buy Dalí's works because "there are fewer and fewer of them for sale." The painting is part of a series of works that Dalí made in the 1930s on dreamscapes and with the artist's native landscapes as the main element. The work's verisimilitude is achieved from Dalí's treatment of light in this set of paintings. Montse Aguer says the oil painting represents a "link of union" between the museum and the exhibitions that premiered on Monday. In the exhibition 'The Dalí Theatre-Museum: a living organism', visitors will find photographs detailing the evolution of the museum through time. There are also seven drawings by the artist about ideas and projections he had for the museum. The exhibition 'The soft photographic apparatus: a Dalinian vision' shows 27 photographs of the visits of Salvador and Gala Dalí to various museums. The artist was fond of visiting art exhibitions and here one can find images of the Catalan artist walking through the Louvre in Paris or the Metropolitan in New York. Finally, the third new exhibition focuses on three artists who have influenced Dalí's work. 'My favorite painters: Velázquez, Vermeer and Raphael' serves to compare some of the most iconic works of these painters and how Dalí used them to create his own pieces. has announced its 2025 route featuring two stages in Catalonia.  The race will kick off in Piemonte in Italy on August 23 and finish in Madrid on September 14.  Stages 5 and 6 will be the first in Spain after the race begins in the Italian Alps while one stage also finishes in France.  Stage 5 will be a team time trial in Figueres while stage 6 brings riders from Olot to Andorra.  The Vuelta 2025 is made up of 21 stages in total covering a distance of 3,151 km from August 23 to September 14 This year marks the 90th anniversary of the La Vuelta race race organizers want to revive some of the most historic climbs that have marked the history of this tour over these nine decades an indisputable symbol of the modern day La Vuelta This Asturian colossus has been climbed nine times since 1999 It was the scene of two memorable victories for Alberto Contador in 2008 and on the eve of his retirement in 2017 The first of the top ten ascents will be brand new to the race as La Vuelta will visit Italy for the first time La Vuelta has not returned to Pal (Andorra) since Igor Antón's victory in 2010; to Cerler since 2007 despite being one of the most frequent mountain finals in history (11 times); to Valdezcaray since the Australian Simon Clarke began his conquest of the Maillot de la Montaña in 2012; to Larra Belagua since Remco Evenepoel vindicated himself after losing ground in the Tourmalet in 2023; and at Alto de el Morredero since Alejandro Valverde won there in 2006 The course will also give between four and six opportunities for sprinters including the one that will decide the first carrier of the red jersey in Novara There will be two time trials during this year's course marking the start of the race on Iberian soil The fate of next year's La Vuelta could also be decided in mid-mountain stages: in Bilbao (stage 11) with the climb to Pike and a double ascent to El Vivero and the next day with the Collada de Brenes a first-class port 23 km from the finish line in Los Corrales de Buelna The 90th anniversary will be celebrated at the Venaria Reale one of the largest royal residences in the world dating back to the 17th century The place is well known to cyclists as the Giro d'Italia started from there on two occasions (2011 and 2024) The 2023 edition of La Vuelta saw Barcelona as its base with the first four stages taking place in and around Catalonia.  Starting at the Olympic Port in the Catalan capital the 2023 grand tour kicked off with a 14km team time trial through the city.  Stage Two began in Mataró and finished in Barcelona going through commuter towns such as Sabadell and finished in Andorra with a steep incline in the Pyrenees mountains Stage Four saw cyclists sprint from Andorra la Vella south to Tarragona almost entirely downhill letting riders reach high speeds before taking on two uphill peaks near the southern Catalan city.  Barcelona will host the start of the Tour de France for the first time in history in 2026 The Catalan capital will join the handful of cities that have hosted the Grand Départ of the world's most prestigious cycling race Three stages of the Tour will be held in Catalonia from July 4 to 6 The first will take place entirely in Barcelona while the second will start from a different location and finish in the Catalan capital.  The city's mayor Jaume Collboni made the official announcement on Tuesday in a joint press conference with Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme It confirms Barcelona's role as an international sports capital," he said Barcelona has hosted a few stages of the Tour throughout its history The last time the race came to Barcelona was in 2009 the northern Catalan city of Girona has become one of the best places in the world for cycling Between professional athletes moving to set up new lives in the city to amateur enthusiasts visiting on two wheels Girona has become a world capital for the sport some 40,000 cyclists visited the city with an estimated economic impact of €89 million according to a study from the University of Girona and the cyclo-tourism industry has continued to grow from strength to strength since the pandemic.  According to former professional mountain biker Dave Walsh the city is "the perfect storm" for cycling and different places to cycle which is really good for training."  spent over a decade with professional UCI teams and he says it's the variety of road available to cyclists that makes the region so special for the sport.     Ghent University is awarding an honorary doctorate to Christiana Figueres for her tireless commitment to climate action and her unique ability to unite people and nations around a common goal She has turned her stubborn optimism into a lifestyle we spoke with Christiana Figueres about optimism deep listening skills and the power of collective action Costa Rica) is an internationally renowned climate diplomat negotiator and visionary leader in the fight against climate change As head of the UN Climate Convention (2010–2016) she played a key role in the historic Paris Agreement in which 195 countries pledged to keep global warming below 2°C Her optimism and resolve were indispensable After her stint at the UN she founded Global Optimism the business world and governments to take faster climate action In her book The Future We Choose (2020) she advocates ‘stubborn optimism’: the conviction that change is both possible and necessary This is her determined reply when asked how to remain optimistic in the fight against climate change despite the reality we are all confronted with on a daily basis: “We must acknowledge the fact that we are lagging behind Regardless of whether it’s rising temperatures But at the same time we must face reality without feeling overwhelmed Especially with the madness we see in the world today we must cultivate our influence and our impact more than ever Optimism is not passive; it is a brave step forward to meet the challenges we face head-on.” optimism is not the denial of problems but a conscious choice to take action “The challenges are gigantic but we must hold on to the conviction that change is possible Hope and decisiveness go hand in hand: without hope we can’t even begin the fight because it would be lost before it started.”  Figueres’ diplomatic success is often ascribed to her exceptional ability to bring people together Self-knowledge and emotional self-control are absolutely crucial It is important to have an in-depth understanding of your own thoughts and reactions so you don’t let your emotions take over Stability and calm are essential in difficult situations.” Figueres also underlines the importance of flexibility and deep listening skills “It’s no use entering into negotiations and stubbornly clinging to your own opinion or viewpoint You have to be prepared to reconsider your standpoints and genuinely listen to the needs of others What you should strive for is the best possible shared outcome for everyone around the table.” she shares a fundamental principle: “No decision is final until everything is decided In negotiations you have to think of the puzzle as a whole You can make preliminary arrangements but a workable agreement only emerges when all aspects come together Patience and strategic thinking are indispensable in this regard.” Figueres emphasises that change requires collective action “We have to abandon the idea that climate change is too huge and too complex to make an individual contribution while placing the blame almost completely at the feet of governments and major industries It is a fact that they are not taking responsibility but we do wield enormous power both in terms of our personal choices and our collective voice when we see from a geopolitical perspective that top-down responsibility is not being exercised This means it is time for a bottom-up approach.”  On 21 March 2025 Christiana Figueres will receive an honorary doctorate from Ghent University Ghent University underscores the importance of leadership hope and collective action in the fight against climate change Figueres’ life work shows that true change is possible if we have the courage to not only believe but also act accordingly she continues to fight worldwide for an ambitious climate policy and the strength of young generations in the transition to a sustainable future How do microorganisms in polar regions respond to change and what does this teach us in the fight against global warming this question has occupied biologist Bjorn Tytgat and the team he is a part of you have to have local data.” So say meteorologist Steven Caluwaerts and bioengineer Pieter De Frenne Deep in the Congolese rainforest stands a tower 57 metres high that is helping in the fight against climate change the Ghent University climate tower has been measuring both the amount of CO2 captured and stored by the tropical rainforest and the levels of water exchange between the forest and the atmosphere Helena Van Tichelen was in secondary school when the school strikes and marches around climate change erupted she has not lost the commitment she picked up then she put aside the lessons and courses of her third bachelor in bioengineering to travel to Egypt for the largest climate conference in the world: COP27 Fighting spirit helped us achieve the Paris accords in 2015 – and we need it now the world is on course to overshoot 1.5C • ‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair • Christiana Figueres was the head of the UN climate change convention from 2010 to 2016 ‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair Christiana Figueres was the head of the UN climate change convention from 2010 to 2016 I resonate with her feelings of despair. Even as the former head of the UN climate change convention that achieved the Paris agreement in 2015 can succumb to believing in the worst possible outcome Just after I assumed the role of UN climate chief in 2010 I said to a room full of reporters that I didn’t believe a global agreement on climate would be possible in my lifetime Now, scientists say we are on track to shoot through the 1.5C temperature ceiling enshrined in the Paris agreement leading to a dystopian world plagued with famine Climate impacts have hit so fast that worst-case scenarios predicted by scientists are in some cases already coming true This isn’t scaremongering: these climate scientists are doing their job but now it’s up to the rest of us to decide what this moment requires of us and to radically change the direction of travel Collective doubt in our ability to respond to the climate crisis is by now dangerously pervasive. Beyond climate scientists, it’s shared by politicians and some young people It’s also shared by some philanthropists who fund climate NGOs and some of those who work in companies struggling to reduce their emissions We all have a right to grieve the loss of a future free from the climate crisis because those of us who read these reports bear a great responsibility in passing an unsafe planet on to our children and future generations But grief that stops at despair is an ending that I and many others We also have the responsibility – and the opportunity – to shape the future differently triple down on our efforts and deploy the perspective of possibility what has been achieved in transforming the energy system to this point pushing against a fossil fuel industry deliberately intent on delaying progress and within a lacklustre policy environment Read moreIt will take much more courageous collective action to turn the seemingly impossible into the new normal But we are on the brink of positive societal tipping points I believe that the children of children born this year will be the first fossil-fuel-free generation in modern history will benefit from development and smart climate adaptation based on the certainty of abundant It doesn’t mean they will live in a utopian future – we know too much climate change is already baked into the system – but enormous positive change is coming I mentioned earlier telling the press that I didn’t believe a global agreement on climate was possible back in 2010 What I didn’t share is that I immediately afterwards had to change my attitude It was a candle in the darkness that I used to light a spark in many others I am still using the candle of stubborn optimism today – and I’m not the only one A world in which we pass 1.5C is not set in stone Christiana Figueres was the head of the UN climate change convention from 2010 to 2016, and is the co-host of the climate podcast Outrage + Optimism Stage winner Ethan Vernon gets a hug from a Israel-Premier Tech teammate after recording his first victory of the season Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) leads the peloton Visma-Lease a Bike leading the peloton on stage 2 Kaden Groves goes third in high-speed sprint in Figueres but loses two more seconds to Brennan in GC Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) won stage 2 of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya following a hard-fought bunch sprint finish in Figueres.  recording his second podium finish in as many days Brennan retains the leader’s jersey ahead of stage 3 the first of the race’s major mountain days which will likely see a reordering in the overall classification “In the end it wasn’t an easy day,” Vernon said “Trek and some other teams made it hard on the climb I came back thanks to the good job of Itamar [Einhorn] my teammate who brought me back in good condition and then Nick [Schultz] and Corbin [Strong] and George Bennett were phenomenal in the last few k We came with momentum about 2k to go with a full train and we were set up perfectly for the end.  I think we must have been going 80 kilometres per hour plus at the end there with the tail wind “We still have other objectives with [Matthew] Riccitello and George Bennett the next few days and then hopefully another chance to sprint on Friday and Corbyn’s got another chance again on Sunday I think we've got a lot of stages and hopefully a fairly good GC result for a couple of guys The 104th edition of the Volta a Catalunya continued Tuesday with a stage start in Banyoles and headed 177.3 kilometres north to Figueres the conditions were significantly better than stage 1 with the peloton enjoying sunshine and blue skies as the day progressed A three-man breakaway pulled clear of the bunch immediately after flag drop consisting of three Spanish continental team riders – Calum Johnston (Team Caja Rural-RGA) Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Danny van der Tuuk (Euskatel-Euskadi) who was defending the mountain classification jersey.  They enjoyed a gap of around four minutes early in the stage but this was reduced to under half a minute on the day’s main climbing challenge which greeted the bunch 87km from the stage finish The peloton were led up the climb by Sepp Kuss which suggested the race leader was feeling good once again Alpecin-Deceuninck also contributed to the work at the head of the bunch on the climb affirming their belief in Kaden Groves for the finish despite the more testing nature of the ascent.  With just two riders remaining in the break Mario Aparicio (Burgos Burpellet BH) bridged across and sprinted up the road to claim the full 10 points in the KOM competition before all three riders were caught on the descent that followed At the intermediate sprint point with 68km remaining Jan Tratnik launched a determined lead-out for Primož Roglič but communication appeared to breakdown and the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe effort was curtailed just prior to the line allowing Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) to cruise through and benefit from three additional seconds to add to his total splitting the peloton heading into the first passage of the finish line on a finish circuit with tension high at the front of the bunch and a large group found themselves adrift of the main peloton Everything came back together some while later though and there was a moment’s calm as the parcours steepened.  A trio of riders made an attempt to get away from the bunch but their efforts were thwarted it was a clean run-in toward Figueres for the peloton who set the stage for a bunch sprint finale Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale and Alpecin-Deceuninck were prominent heading into the final kilometre but Groves adopted the inside line heading around the final bend and he looked to have the edge though Laurance kept pace alongside him.  moving past the pair to take his first victory of 2025 Brennan took advantage of Vernon’s speed it wasn’t quite enough for a second consecutive victory at the race He retains the race lead heading into stage 3 with Groves in second and Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck) third Results powered by FirstCycling The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! Katy is a freelance writer and journalist Cyclist Magazine and the British Continental She also writes opinion pieces on her own website writebikerepeat.com and is a frequent contributor to the Quicklink podcast.  She is obsessed with the narrative element of bike racing from the bigger picture to the individual stories She is a cyclocross nut who is 5% Belgian and wonders if this entitles her to citizenship Her favourite races are Ronde van Vlaanderen and La Vuelta In her spare time Katy is a published short fiction and non-fiction author you will then be prompted to enter your display name You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience Rector Van de WalleMadame Vice-RectorFellow honorary doctorandsDistinguished facultiesRespected studentsInvited guestsFriends It is a joy and an honor to be here today with all of you I must be upfront about my relief that the invitation I received was not for a cantus celebration because having absolutely no musical talent whatsoever you would find me cleaning the floor of this auditorium after you had all finished singing I do however know how to recognize talent in others And in that spirit I celebrate the academic excellence of this historic institution on its 208th anniversary I celebrate your long tradition of groundbreaking research and significant contributions to the world in the fields of medicine and law among so many other fields of endeavour These venerable halls have produced several Nobel Laureates internationally recognized inventors and an astronaut You have actually even figured out how to wrap 600 kilos of smoked ham around the pillars of the Aula Academica an achievement for which you are due for the Nobel Prize in Physics.I only wish that climate change we find ourselves at a time of profound gravity our planet crossed the 1.5°C threshold for the first time – not a mere statistical milestone but a stark reminder of our rapidly closing window for action While greenhouse gas emissions continued their relentless rise in 2024 we witnessed over 40 nations going to the ballot box The consequences of those elections are unfolding in front of our disbelieving eyes as reckless climate denial and irresponsible political confrontations threaten to unravel years of careful progress In addition to slowing down the decarbonization of our economies what pains me deeply that in we are witnessing the dismantling of climate action as a unifying force for social justice and the health of both humans and ecosystems These challenges are intimately interconnected – their intersectionality has taken us years to fully comprehend And just as we had finally understood those crucial connections not only in relation to climate but also as specific social and structural inequities Precisely when we need radical collaboration to address global social and environmental challenges the opposite is taking over in many corners of the world One immediate response is to look away and pretend it's not happening But indifference will only lead to worsening conditions Another response could be to export the responsibility to others assuming we have no influence over the matter but not a response that helps to bring about any change The wiser option is to deeply ground ourselves in our agency Let’s start by recognizing that we cannot abdicate the responsibility of leadership to current national leaders we have to call forth the leadership we need This is the moment for each one of us to step up and step in good leaders have a strong back and a soft front The strong back is one you are all familiar with It is about insightfully applying all our research capability and technological capacities to the challenges we face At Ghent University I don't have to talk about how to apply knowledge to the problems of the world You stand for the fundamental role of any university: to be true to science and on that basis So I would like to offer some thoughts on the complementary soft front aspect of leadership Like knowldege it also conveniently also begins with a K: Kindness but let’s start by not confusing kindness with weakness Kindness requires immense courage - the courage to choose compassion when it would be easier to choose indifference the courage to reach across divides when it would be more comfortable to remain distant or even antagonistic kindness becomes an act of radical support for each other where each of us can think and act from our highest sense of self because what makes kindness truly powerful is its ripple effect each act creates waves that extend far beyond what we can see But we forget that all change occurs as the result of interactions between people Kindness has sadly become a scarce resource We can ensure it remains a renewable resource and is constantly renewed How the world would be different if each of our interactions were grounded in caring for each other Some people atribute to the renowned anthropologist Dr Margaret Mead the story that she was once asked “what was the first sign of civilization?” After a thoughtful pause she answered that the first sign of civilization was a healed femur bone.30,000 years ago Even if the victim could have survived the injury they would not have been able to gather food for themselves or defend themselves against an animal attack A broken thigh bone was a slow but certain death unless some other person acted beyond their own self interest to provide the necessary care over an extended period of time In our journey toward healing our fractured world we would do well to recognize that civilization actually emerged not from dominance Just as our ancestors faced the choice between self-preservation or compassion we stand at a decisive crossroads: Will we remain trapped in discrimination and confrontation The brokenness we see today is not our final state Like a plant breaking through harsh soil to reach sunlight we must break through the walls that divide us Those of us alive right now can be the mindful guardians of a future based on care and connection We have within us the capacity to transform any reality we are given into the reality we want - one where broken bones This is the decisive decade not just for climate change but for redefining what it means to be human We could be in the midst of the most critical rite of passage humanity has ever experienced We can choose to be cultivators of a world where healing happens through millions of small acts of care rippling outward to touch every corner of society may each of you thrive in countless intentional acts of kindness And may each of you bring that ray of light to a world that sorely needs it Rewatch the whole Dies Natalis ceremony internationally recognised leaders discuss why strong action is needed now more than ever Abril Felman We face twin crises: global heating causing extreme weather and species extinction Reversing these trends is not just important Join us for a free talk about why strong and decisive climate action is needed now more than ever Global Optimism founding partner Christiana Figueres works tirelessly in sustainability and environmental diplomacy UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (2010-2016) Christiana Figueres will be pre-recorded in conversation with Jennifer Robinson Jennifer acted in the International Court advisory opinion proceedings on climate change and human rights representing Vanuatu and the Marshall Islands You’ll also hear from inspiring global and local leaders as they explore new frontlines for climate action and key strategies to tackle the crisis This CityTalk outlines how our environmental strategy will lead sustainable operations community programs and advocating for change See the full list of speakers and book your free tickets. See how we are taking action to support and recognise Sydney’s First Nations communities. Celebrate the centenary of surrealism in Europe with a trip to the art movement’s key spaces and places subconscious world of surrealism will come into full focus September 2024 marks 100 years since André Breton founded the movement Not only are there exhibitions across Europe to celebrate the anniversary but it’s a chance to lose yourself in the artists’ homes and studios This article was amended on 19 September 2024 to include an image from the Casa Museo di Giorgio de Chirico This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media you will be logged out of all the USGBC and GBCI applications in this browser Click the logout button below to continue logging out or cancel button to stay logged in Architect of the 2015 Paris Agreement shares the private work toward concord Christiana Figueres clearly recalls the day she made a decision with make-or-break consequences for the planet As the former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change she was in charge of the 2015 climate talks in Paris In a conscious departure from earlier conferences she declared that any agreement should be unanimous The 2009 Copenhagen agreement had collapsed in part because of the exclusion of smaller countries from discussions one voice.” Any effective lasting agreement needed “true global support,” said Figueres “is something we have all collectively caused it is something we have to all collectively do something about.” and of her work to assemble a global coalition was a historic climate change agreement among 195 nations to limit future warming to well below 2°C and to strive for 1.5°C to protect the most vulnerable Figueres has been credited with forging a new brand of collaborative diplomacy “Climate change is something we have all collectively caused it is something we have to all collectively do something about.” Her success also started her on a path that would lead seven years later to Harvard Law School an honor bestowed each year by the Program on Negotiation the 14th given since its inception in 2000 recognizes individuals whose “lifetime achievements in the field of negotiation and dispute resolution have had a significant and lasting impact.” During a panel discussion that day with the program’s vice chair Harvard Business School Professor Jim Sebenius co-director of the Center for Public Leadership and co-director of the Women and Public Policy Program at the Kennedy School Figueres discussed the process of coming to agreement and how she handled the many challenges she had faced “There are no great negotiators who are not first great listeners and she’s done that magnificently.” Citing Figueres’ “stubborn optimism,” Bacow spoke of how she managed to create consensus trading “‘us versus them’ for ‘we’ and crisis for calm.” Sebenius then pointed to a PowerPoint that Figueres had made comparing the role of climate negotiators following the disastrous U.N Copenhagen Climate Change Conference to Antarctic penguins precariously perched on an iceberg “So much of what determines the outcome of negotiation is below the surface,” he said Figueres opted for a swan analogy: kicking furiously beneath the surface but maintaining “total grace and equanimity” above and if the message that you are putting out is one of anxiety and fear While the public is only aware of the two weeks of each conference “the fact is there are 12 months of this every year,” she said referring to a year-round job complicated by “the intensity of everything that can go wrong and does go wrong and the swiftness with which decisions have to be made.” “A chorus sings better than an individual … True collective leadership is needed right now.” Bringing 195 countries together in Paris was a daunting task and Figueres credited the mindfulness she learned from Zen Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh with helping her persevere when negotiating grew difficult “The understanding of what human life is all about,” she said “that helped me put everything else into perspective.” They also emphasized the negotiating necessity of “full respect and understanding of everyone else’s needs,” she said “The tool is not speaking but rather listening.” Mindfulness allowed her to do the advance work necessary for a unanimous agreement it meant relinquishing her role as negotiator for Costa Rica Speaking to an audience that included the First Lady of Costa Rica she teared up as she discussed the magnitude of this sacrifice codified in her oath to the United Nations Her focus on achieving inner calm also helped her to listen to each country’s needs Pacific Island nations are not only disproportionately affected by climate change they also spend at least 25 percent of their national budget importing fossil fuels “Tell me that’s a good use of their national budget when they have more sun than anyone,” she said rhetorically Rather than appealing only to the potential perils of climate change 1 argument has to be how will you benefit by decarbonizing your economy.” The situation with Saudi Arabia was more complicated in part because the Saudis have typically been “virtuoso wrench throwers,” in Sebenius’s words Figueres outlined the many visits and private meetings that were necessary to build trust with Saudi negotiators and its minister of energy “I traveled to most countries in the lead-up to Paris and I traveled three times to Saudi Arabia,” she said and the highest volume of oil in the world,” it was also suffering from climate change “They are already one of the hottest countries in the region,” she said They have to desalinate every single drop of water “I saw the moment when the minister understood that climate change would make human life in Saudi Arabia unbearable.” She then asked: “Is there anything that other countries can do for you?” No longer cast as the perpetual carbon villain joining the accord in exchange for recognition for and aid with diversifying their oil-based economy and sitting on the boards of ACCIONA and ACCIONA Energia “A chorus sings better than an individual,” she said “True collective leadership is needed right now We all play different roles.” What is needed is “mobilizing every single one of those roles and heading toward one purpose: common humanity.” Harvard Law School provides unparalleled opportunities to study law with extraordinary colleagues in a rigorous Harvard University © 2022 The President and Fellows of Harvard College Actor Robert Redford writes the following about Figueres: "I met Christiana Figueres when I was at the U.N speaking about the threat of climate change I’ve been working on this issue for 40 years and in this time I’ve never met anyone quite like Christiana She is a force of nature—a fierce and gentle fighter who tells it like it is but never wavers in her unrelenting optimism The agreement at the Paris climate talks last year—the crowning achievement of her nearly six productive years as executive secretary of the U.N Framework Convention on Climate Change—is the most ambitious global resolution against climate change in human history Her work shows the world that we can succeed in avoiding catastrophic climate change and become more unified in the process." Read his full statement at TIME and that what one does has an impact on the others," says Figueres in advance of a historic climate conference in Paris "And I think this agreement in Paris is going to be the first time that nations come together in that realization." says the favelas offer a vibrant community for the people who live there despite their reputation for poverty and crime The Communications Office invites all members of the Swarthmore community to share videos, photos, and story ideas for the College's website. Have you seen an alum in the news? Please let us know by writing news@swarthmore.edu Metrics details Christiana Figueres and colleagues set out a six-point plan for turning the tide of the world’s carbon dioxide by 2020 Mission 2020. 2020: The Climate Turning Point (Mission 2020, 2017); available at http://go.nature.com/2takuw3 World Energy Outlook 2016 (International Energy Agency Wind in Power: 2016 European Statistics (WindEurope Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2016 (Frankfurt School Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2017 (IRENA Perspectives for the Energy Transition (IEA/IRENA Renewables 2016: Global Status Report (REN21 Climate Action Tracker. 10 Steps (Climate Action Tracker, 2016); available at http://go.nature.com/2ryh56j Download references the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business executive director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre head of Earth system analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research For a full list of co-signatories, see Supplementary Information Reprints and permissions Download citation Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change (2024) Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond From the economy to the climate and the EU's role in world affairs this talk show sheds light on European affairs and the issues that impact on our daily lives as Europeans Tune in to understand the ins and outs of European politics Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society Europe's water is under increasing pressure floods are taking their toll on our drinking water Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters and to discover some of the best water solutions an animated explainer series and live debate - find out why Water Matters We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt “The planet has been around for four and a half billion years She was perfectly happy before we ever got here and she will be perfectly happy if we’re idiots enough to pull the ejector seat and leave.” Christiana Figueres has, on multiple occasions, been referred to as 'the woman who saved the planet'. Remarks like these come from her role in the monumental success of the 2015 Paris Agreement it’s evident that this isn’t an entirely accurate description As she makes abundantly clear both in her book and our conversations fighting the climate crisis isn’t about rescuing Earth at all - it’s about saving humanity “This is truly not about saving the planet,” Figueres says “it’s about saving something that is incredibly unique in the evolution of the planet very short time period - 12,000 years - has allowed for the human species to flourish and build the ‘civilisation’ that we have now “If there’s anything that we want to rescue from that then we have to be able to get back to a stable environment.” As an environmental journalist who has frequently used phrases like ‘save the planet’ in headlines and articles I ask Figueres if there’s a perception problem when it comes to the climate crisis the media and environmentalists more broadly instead be reframing the task as ‘saving mankind’ Figueres corrects my question straight away She explains that it’s not a matter of ‘reframing’ anything humanity will suffer while the planet will continue to exist this isn’t how most people think about the climate crisis After 15 years representing Costa Rica as the country’s climate change negotiator Figueres was made the UN climate secretary in July 2010 Her appointment came in the wake of the failed UN Copenhagen Summit (COP15) where talks had fallen apart without any meaningful commitments from the countries involved Figueres spent the next few years reestablishing negotiations eventually paving the way for COP21 in December 2015 It was there that the Paris Accord was adopted by 196 parties bringing every nation together in a binding agreement to combat climate change “[It] was not an agreement by consensus,” explains Figueres “[it] was an agreement by unanimous decision It was the one agreement that was unanimous and they all decided that they would go to net-zero by 2050.” A criticism sometimes levied against the Paris Agreement by activists is its supposed ‘lack of ambition’ The core of the agreement is a goal to keep global warming below 2°C Nicaragua made moves to object to its adoption because they felt it was insufficient (although this never came to fruition) I ask Figueres if she feels any ambition was sacrificed in order to reach the unanimous decision I think the Paris Agreement is still out there on the horizon as being incredibly ambitious because it [does] three things “It establishes the finish line...which is net-zero by 2050 It establishes the fact that there are very different starting points for each country and each country will travel differently at a different speed “And then to establish the 1.5°C - below 2°C It can sometimes be easy to forget how quickly climate science has developed too the importance of the 2°C and 1.5°C wasn’t fully known “We didn’t know that when we were finishing the Paris Agreement We thought the 1.5°C was there for political reasons - but thank heavens it’s there because there is a scientific imperative behind the 1.5°C that we were not aware of.” science hadn’t evolved far enough to back this target But since then the level of detail in the IPCC’s reports has improved outlining the consequences if we don’t meet it “We have really understood the huge difference that we would live under if we go above 1.5°C.” The upcoming COP26 is the next major diplomatic milestone in meeting the Paris goals and - as August’s IPCC report clearly laid out - we’re a long way off target Figueres hasn’t been UN climate secretary since her second term ended in 2016 but she’s still a prominent figure in the movement with high expectations for Glasgow COVID-19 should actually be helping to make them more ambitious,” Figueres says of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) all Paris Agreement parties are required to submit ahead of COP26 But having worked in diplomacy for many years she also understands better than most the challenges facing negotiators next month “I struggle within myself on working on climate change because I sit on two chairs,” Figueres explains compellingly clear about the urgency that we’re facing because I know personally how long it takes to change policy I also know how long it takes to shift financial decisions.” In fact ‘stubborn optimism’ is at the heart of her philosophy - and it’s an infectious mindset Her outlook is completely and utterly grounded in reality- there’s no glossing over the truth of what’s happening around us Figueres isn’t interested in painting a rosy picture of the climate chaos we’re all facing her optimism is borne out of this brutal sense of realism “It’s precisely because of reports like [the IPCC one] Precisely because of the melting of the ice in Greenland Precisely because of all the destruction that we have seen this summer that we have to stay stubborn and optimistic.” This doesn’t mean Figueres approaches everything gleefully Our conversation takes place just after we visited Greenland’s ever-shrinking ice cap our group witnessed some of the only rainfall ever recorded on the ice sheet - a direct consequence of global warming “I was up at the ice cap and I had to move away from everyone else and deal with my grief and my own anger,” Figueres says “Anger at my own generation...it’s [my] generation that has caused this “And our inability and our stubbornness of not engaging in climate action in a timely fashion is what has us here today but facing climate emergency - climate chaos!” But she points to technical advancements - like the development of electric SUVs for Extreme E - as evidence that humankind has what it takes to deal with the situation at hand She wanted to address the pessimism she detected from another reporter A motoring journalist had asked a few questions about whether our species’ patterns of behaviour are incompatible with the change we need Figueres explained how much she can relate to that feeling of cynicism and hopelessness - emotions we all need to honour and we have no choice but to throw ourselves in front of it I feel that same cynicism and pessimism too sometimes well...you know we’re too late.’ Or we can say ‘oh my gosh we’re totally running out of time and we have to stand up!’ So we are facing the most consequential fork in the road we are going to be irreparably going down a course of constant destruction with much human pain and biodiversity loss Or we can choose to go in the other direction and at least diminish the negative impacts of climate change to something that is manageable So this is the decade and we are the generation We wanted to offer both universes to those who are paralysed by despair and grief at the loss that is already under way as well as those who are paralysed by their comfort and lack of understanding of the moment that we’re in We also have to understand that we can no longer live in a world based on limitless extraction and waste we have to change our consciousness to one of regeneration Of course there are many men that also do this But there is a tendency for women to be more collaborative and they tend to think much more long term [Women] have the first duty of care of our newborn children and hence We are in such an emergency that we need to deploy 100% of our potential collectively we give a signal to the market corporations have their own responsibilities but it’s helpful to have a strong demand from the public corporations and the public moving in the same direction towards low carbon it can grow exponentially [such as with renewable energy and electric cars] People reducing their emissions – by flying less The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac is published by Manilla Press (£12.99). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac will be in conversation at a Guardian Live event at the Royal Geographical Society, London SW7, on Tuesday 3 March, 7pm Ready to talk? LUX: How will the pandemic affect environmental and sustainable policies Climate change and the ocean are two sides of the same coin You really cannot fix one without tackling the other the ocean is the most impressive vacuum cleaner in terms of sucking carbon out of the atmosphere and giving us back oxygen we are going to be adversely affecting the ocean and its capacities because of the increased absorption of carbon and the consequent acidification I think that the overriding objective here is to ensure that everything we do is driving towards net zero That is where the most important business opportunities are going to be in terms of a sustainable blue economy And when we speak about innovation in this realm of possibilities I think that there are two areas in particular where you can see it taking place a global partnership with support from the Canadian government and many other finance and insurance companies We came to this from an environmental perspective at Ocean Unite and from a financial one at AXA and together we examine how the world of finance and insurance can play a positive role in sending markets the correct signals to reduce ocean risk and invest in nature to grow resilience to change The other area where we can see a lot of technological evolution is in advancements in technology itself algorithms and satellite imagery to control illegal which is devastating fish stocks around the world along with the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) signed up to by almost 70 countries we can now begin to have more tools to control IUU fishing LUX: Will consumers pressure companies to show their sustainability credentials JMF: I would hope that coming out of this crisis in spite of the pressures on the finances of so many families and a hard-hit world economy we would begin to recognise the importance to our lives of favouring products that are made with environmental considerations by companies who are upholding these standards and moving towards net zero in countries that have regulatory frameworks But this shift towards net-zero carbon is not something that can be the responsibility of just governments or the private sector we like to say the ocean is everybody’s business because it’s the most important ecosystem in our lives there is no life on the planet – the planet will go on LUX: In terms of the blue economy and innovation JMF: Tourism is a particular word associated with the ocean or just taking a normal vacation by the sea There are many ways in which the tourism industry is now beginning to change increased respect for environmental considerations that goes through their infrastructure to the way they are purchasing their food and processing it There are 55,000 or 60,000 ships out there that are holding the world’s cargo Their aggregate carbon emissions is the equivalent of an economy somewhere between the size of Japan and Germany those ships need to go into dry dock every five years and if you take advantage of that moment you can deploy a suite of between four and eight technologies on them that’s an investment of between two and four million dollars You can put new paints on the hulls to reduce friction in the water saving them fuel; you can install new software that helps the ships navigate a precise course without two or three degree deviations more complex technologies on board that are going to save you which means 10 to 15 per cent less in the way of carbon emissions The paybacks on those investments could be anywhere between nine months and three years That type of a return on investment is fantastic in any economy and much more so in this one governments understanding what the best regulatory frameworks are and on the other markets to invest in this direction taking advantage of those opportunities to come in with what the business world has including how to move to zero-emission shipping There are some fantastic CEOs out there who have been showing movement in this direction for some time now and who continue to do so has been an inspiration because of his preoccupation with the ocean and climate change and what he personally has meant in terms of leadership and help After the two devastating hurricanes that came through in a matter of weeks in the Caribbean he has almost single-handedly pulled together the Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator to rebuild the region in a climate-smart fashion so that it’ll no longer succumb to the storms caused by climate change I was on a panel just two days ago with Marc Benioff at a World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting a company that you’d think has nothing to do with the oceans And yet he has become such a passionate advocate for them He is all about his company and inspiring others to go to net zero and he’s very concerned with creating greater awareness of the importance of reaching 30 per cent protection of the oceans by the year 2030 (which sits at the core of Ocean Unite’s mission) meaning establishing marine protected areas which is what the scientists tell us we need to do if we want to restore the ocean’s health He’s also a strong advocate of the WEF’s support of the Trillion Tree initiative because so far we haven’t been able to beat nature when it comes to developing an efficient low-cost way of taking carbon out of the atmosphere and turning it into something useful LUX: How does the world bring China on board JMF: If you look at what has been happening in recent years one has to admire what China has done in terms of renewable energies it has brought the cost of wind turbines and solar panels down by more than 80 per cent in the past decade It has also recently agreed to carbon neutrality by 2060 But you have to consider China in relation to the ocean and is one of the few nations to have a fishing fleet on the high seas the COP15 celebration at the UN Biodiversity Conference was due to take place in China in autumn 2020 It was supposed to bring the world together to agree on a global deal for nature for the next ten years including adopting the 30 per cent protection target on land and at sea But it has been rescheduled to later in 2021 China could take advantage of being the host to lead by example and pick things that are crystal clear in terms of the benefits that they can bring but at a relatively low cost to humanity Most of the biodiversity there is found in the incredibly rich waters that surround the continent Nothing lives inland because of the climate but more than 9,000 species call those waters their habitat Life begins there with the micro plankton and continues up the food chain that is taken by currents to the oceans around the world becoming the food for 40 to 50 per cent of the total ocean biodiversity The same currents help stabilise of our climate system countries have been discussing protecting three very large marine protected areas around Antarctica – the east Antarctica MPA Norway and Uruguay; the Weddell Sea protected area supported by Germany and the EU Norway and Uruguay; and the Antarctic Peninsula supported by Chile and Argentina Together they would comprise almost four million square kilometres if they were supported by all the countries that are part of the international treaty that regulates this area would become the single most important act of ocean protection in history Only two countries stand in the way of a consensus decision China is one and it could take a leading role in this year to start moving in the direction of saving our biodiversity My take on the blue economy is that from the basis of the normal economy we started talking about the green economy incorporating the environment And now we’re talking about the blue economy whether you are linked to the ocean or not you are having a positive impact on the ocean and that makes you part of the blue economy We now understand the links between economics and we see more clearly how they come together We can consider ourselves all part of the blue economy What are its plans over the next five years JMF: Our mission statement is ‘30 by 30’ – we want to see at least 30 per cent of the ocean under protection by 2030 It’s clearly stated in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14) that we were supposed to have conserved 10 per cent of the ocean by area by 2020 but now we have to climb up exponentially and reach 30 per cent in the next decade At Ocean Unite we’re also working together with the Oceano Azul Foundation and other organisations to build a movement called RISE UP – a Blue Call to Action that everyone in the ocean community can adhere to More than 450 organisations have already signed up to this incredible network We also look forward to continuing our work with AXA on ocean risk we are a founding member of Antarctica 2020 a group of global citizens who understand Antarctica’s role in the health of the ocean and who are fully committed to seeing marine protected areas in the sea around the continent including those three proposed marine protected areas I mentioned earlier Those three cover just one per cent of the ocean’s surface My dream is to see all the ocean around Antarctica converted into a marine protected area in the next few years LUX: My daughter wants to ask you what her generation can do to help the future of ocean conservation JMF: I think you first need to start thinking about adding in a colour – blue – to include the ocean And you can play an important role in several ways there is a need for a greater understanding of the role of the ocean in our daily life have a role in restoring the health of the ocean because one of the worst effects on it is climate change Our lifestyle produces increasingly more carbon that is then absorbed by the ocean warming it up and increasing its acidification half of which have died in the past 50 years During the pandemic we have seen nature return so fast during the economic slowdown We have to get back to normal in a way that allows nature to exercise these healing powers further by producing less carbon The ocean is rising and so we must get politicians and businesses to support biodiversity and carbon neutral action – and quickly There really are many things that can be done to help the ocean and we all have a part to play This article first appeared in the Summer 2021 issue of LUX Magazine This issue features in the third in a series of Deutsche Bank Wealth Management/LUX supplements about our ocean and its importance to both the environmental and economic wellbeing of the planet Executive Vice President of the University of Tokyo and Director of the Center for Global Commons our Chief Investment Officer for Sustainability discuss putting nature on the balance sheet and how to build a coordinated financial response to this global challenge you are accessing content provided by a website that Deutsche Bank does not own or operate Trusteer Rapport is solely responsible for the website’s content By downloading and installing Trusteer Rapport security software you agree with all Trusteer terms and conditions the content or services associated with this product Please direct all questions to support@trusteer.com José María Figueres was president of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998 He was chairman of LEAD (Leadership for Environment and Development) as well as the small-business agency FUNDES Internacional he was appointed managing director of the World Economic Forum and served as the organisation’s first chief executive between 2003 and 2004 He has also been a director of the World Resources Institute the Stockholm Environment Institute and WWF Mr Figueres served on the UN secretary-general’s Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change he served as president of the Carbon War Room (chief executive) before becoming chairman of the board for Rocky Mountain Institute and Carbon War Room in 2015 Mr Figueres graduated in engineering from the United States Military Academy (West Point) He also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard 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Please see our privacy policy here we would like to keep you informed about our newly-released content and other new product offerings from The Economist Group The UN climate chief is confident that the Paris summit can make history and produce a landmark deal to limit future carbon emissions – but any success depends on her pivotal role Fri 27 Nov 2015 09.00 CETLast modified on Wed 25 Aug 2021 15.58 CESTShareThe offices of the UN’s climate change body in Bonn have glorious views over a pretty stretch of the Rhine river looking out on grasslands and splendid old and new buildings Just a short distance away is the historic campus most famous for being where the Marshall plan was signed after the second world war That plan, which channelled billions in American aid to rebuild European economies, was instrumental in creating modern Europe, and redrawing the global economy. Instead of the punitive measures and reparations inflicted on Germany in the Versailles treaty, the Marshall plan offered healing and financial support – a message of hope, not fear. Christiana Figueres, the UN’s climate change chief, has a task just as great as the architects of that plan. She is in charge of the world’s response to global warming, a threat potentially more catastrophic than any disaster yet seen, but one which is so slow-burning that governments and the public have been able largely to ignore it for more than three decades since scientists began to prove incontrovertibly the dangers that greenhouse gas emissions pose to our planet’s stability. Read moreOn Monday, governments will meet in Paris at a make-or-break conference in an attempt to forge a new global treaty hopefully as effective and far-reaching as the Marshall plan that would limit future carbon emissions and bring financial assistance to the poor who will be worst-hit by the effects of warming It is now more than 20 years since governments made their first joint attempts at controlling emissions and dealing with climate change Since then emissions have continued to rise strongly in nearly every year the exception being those scarred by financial crisis when the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was signed binding countries to avoid dangerous levels of warming the carbon content of our atmosphere was about 356 parts per million (ppm) most of that poured into the air since the Industrial Revolution it stands at 398ppm – not far short of the 450ppm that scientists estimate as the threshold beyond which our climate will change drastically and irrevocably and rendering swaths of the globe virtually uninhabitable Watch: Why the world is finally ready to tackle climate change – video animation GuardianThe history of international efforts on climate change has so far been one of ineffectual and ignored treaties unseemly wranglings over which nations should bear the greatest “burden” – as if saving the only planet we have can be so described – and political grandstanding laced with vicious recriminations Asked why she chose to work on climate change, she tells a story about the once common golden toad that went extinct in Costa Rica in 1989 Figueres has illustrations of the toad on the wall of her office “I saw this species when I was a little girl but when I had my two little girls the species no longer existed,” she said “It had just a huge impact because I realised that I was turning over to my daughters – who were very they were born in 1988 and 1989 – a planet that had been diminished by our recklessness.” It was this realisation that led her to work on the climate problem The golden toad was once abundant in a small and it has since been classified as extinct by the IUCN Photograph: USFWSFigueres cuts a compact figure whatever chaos may be happening around her “We haven’t questioned whether we’re going to get an agreement [in Paris] for many “Now the question is how ambitious is the agreement going to be At the beginning of this year when I started talking about how we are going to get an agreement Now I think everybody has accepted that as a fact: we are going to get an agreement It is in countries’ national interests to really spur up this transformation [to a low-carbon economy].” If the UN negotiations are to succeed this year She has three main tasks: to ensure countries stick to stringent targets on emissions; to provide developing countries with financial support from the rich world to develop green energy and adapt to global warming; and to produce the draft text that can be signed into a watertight legal instrument Figueres was quick to respond to the atrocity. “In deep pain. Standing in solidarity with Paris and the whole of France,” she wrote on Twitter. It has been her only public pronouncement. Read moreThe Guardian’s interviews took place before the events and she declined the offer to comment further for this piece her officials have been working closely with the French government on security and on how to handle delegations differently What will be the impact on the talks? World leaders will inevitably be asked about terrorism before global warming and it may dominate some of their private meetings But the rawness of the horrific events will change the atmosphere Delegates will be under greater pressure than ever to forge an agreement and to forgo the kinds of political grandstanding and theatrics that have coloured previous talks The lead-up talks this year have been held up by wrangling over fine wording, the placement of a few phrases, details of language and intent. These will seem trivial in a bloodstained, grieving city, and few governments will want to be seen as taking a selfish or histrionic stand, or depriving France of a measure of hope and success Solidarity forged in tragedy may yet carry the day The key number to remember is 2C – the scientifically agreed warming threshold from pre-industrial temperatures for dangerous climate change the world would be in for warming of as much as 5C this century recall that the last ice age was only about 5C colder than average temperatures today Read moreMaking progress now is crucial though “The investments that we’re going to make globally over the next five but certainly the ones within the next five years will determine the quality of life of future generations,” she says a Paris agreement would also contain a mechanism for reviewing national emissions plans every five years allowing the pledges to be ratcheted up regularly On finance, progress has been substantial. At the Copenhagen summit in 2009, rich countries pledged that the developing world would receive financial assistance of $100bn a year by 2020 to help countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the effects of climate change The OECD found in a report this autumn that about 60% of those finance flows are already happening with money coming from rich country governments A report from the World Resources Institute found that the remainder is likely to be made up by 2020 from increasing funds from public institutions and private sources There will still be arguments over the legal form – will it be a treaty a protocol or “an agreed outcome with legal force” but still would represent a binding legal agreement where nations were supposed to sign a legally binding agreement that would govern the world’s response to climate change for decades to come both developed and developing nations had jointly agreed on curbs to their greenhouse gas emissions this meant absolute cuts to their carbon output But Copenhagen ended in scenes of chaos A fully binding legal agreement was beyond reach though the major developed and developing economies did sign a “political declaration” enshrining their emissions targets to 2020 it was “the most successful failure we’ve ever had” Protesters take part in a rally dubbed ‘climate shame’ during the last day of the UN climate summit in Copenhagen in December 2009 Photograph: Kristian Buus/AFP/Getty ImagesFigueres has worked hard to avoid that this time in the tragic circumstances of the Paris talks civil society groups have been brought in at an early stage and the world leaders will arrive at the start in order to iron out differences and instruct their officials to come to an equitable agreement as soon as possible One is from the office of the Prince of Wales who will be coming to Paris in an attempt to bring together businesses a lighthouse of action,” Figueres calls him involving hours of personal contact from Figueres with all of the major figures expected to shape the talks has been essential to creating an atmosphere in which leaders feel able to come to a deal we tried to take a big huge cathedral dome and drop it down on to the absence of any pillars But Figueres has also benefitted from a sea-change in climate geopolitics that has taken place since Copenhagen – the reversal of China’s stance on international cooperation on global warming Paris was not made in France. It was made at Durban, in South Africa, in 2011, when what was expected to be another routine annual meeting of the UNFCCC turned into the most extraordinary climate conference ever seen profoundly changing the course of the 20-year talks One person came with a plan. Connie Hedegaard had been Denmark’s environment minister at the Copenhagen talks and was determined to correct the “nightmare” that Copenhagen had become She wanted to persuade other governments to set a new deadline for agreeing commitments on emissions to take over from when the Copenhagen commitments ran out During the two weeks of talks in Durban, she assembled a “coalition of ambition”, made up mainly of the poorest countries who would suffer most from climate change. By the final day, she had more than 130 countries on her side. But two governments stood opposed: China and India What followed was an astonishing test of strength With talks scheduled to end at 6pm on the second Friday of the meeting the hold-outs relented and she had her way China and India, seeing they were isolated and their traditional allies would not stand with them, agreed to a timetable for talks on a post-2020 agreement Figueres has been the beneficiary of Hedegaard’s toughness, and the political changes that have followed. She is determined to capitalise on that. “Humans don’t have a stronger guiding force than my own self-interest. True for you, true for me, but it’s also true at the national level. There is no stronger guiding force than a national interest. So now we have very strong forces that we are working with.” she hopes to have achieved what no one before her has done: a legal and binding agreement that will be enough to cut emissions in line with scientific advice and that will be adhered to by governments around the world for the next decade and beyond the only time in our conversations that she hesitates is when asked about the fate of poor countries if the Paris talks fail “I hope we don’t fail,” she eventually says How can we counter hopelessness in times of collective crises communities and individuals "invest in our planet" for a healthy The Sustainability Project sat down with international policy leader and lead negotiator of the Paris Agreement Ms Figueres dives into the promise of early-stage decarbonisation technologies touches upon the importance of progressive carbon pricing and discusses how to remain optimistic amidst the compounded traumas of climate change A conversation with climate policy leader Christiana Figueres on energy security the power of action to counter hopelessness and how we can effectively "invest in our planet" We tend to forget that every single drop of water that we drink comes from nature and we won't survive very long without water And every single molecule that we breathe comes from nature We tend to think that we're independent or superior to or we can dominate nature We depend on nature much more than nature depends on us Christiana Figueres is an internationally recognised leader on climate change. She was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 2010 to 2016, where she oversaw the delivery of the historic Paris Agreement. Today she is the co-founder of Global Optimism, co-host of the podcast “Outrage & Optimism” and is the co-author of the recently published book Join 6,000 attendees online and 400 in Washington Help lead the way to a more sustainable future Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2023 Everything is ready at the Vilatenim Municipal Stadium in Figueres for the MICFootball 2023 opening ceremony This year’s ceremony will start with the opening match: Real Madrid CF vs Albion SC San Diego at 4.30pm from U12A group C category there will be the official opening of the tournament with a parade in the Municipal de Vilatenim representing their countries with their own flag This year we are visited by 344 teams from 33 countries from 5 continents there will be a spectacular performance by the urban dance school Dance Me Figueres FC Barcelona and CE Mercantil will take the baton these two will play the second match of the great party that will be lived in Figueres A match corresponding to the U14 category of group E the tickets for the ceremony are sold out and a great atmosphere is expected in the stadium You can follow the opening of the tournament live on Esport3 Ghent University awarded an institutional honorary title to Ms Christiana Figueres Ghent University awarded five honorary doctorates for scientific merit The academic ceremony with the presentation of the honorary doctorates took place on Friday 21 March at 15:30 in auditorium Leon De Meyer The ceremony could also be followed via livestream on this page Read the full text of the closure speech Ghent University will award six honorary doctorates we will award an institutional honorary doctorate to Ms five honorary doctorates will be awarded based on scientific merits Costa Rica) rose to fame as the former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) she has been regarded as one of the most respected voices in the global climate movement Christiana Figueres has remained active in the climate movement even after her work at the UN an organization that advocates for positive climate action governments and individuals to promote sustainable solutions and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy The German artist Gunter Demnig has a great public impact partly due to the social significance and scientific relevance of his work he has been committed to raising awareness of the fundamental values ​​that underlie a humane and inclusive society for many years but perhaps his best-known work is the Stolpersteine these stumbling stones encourage passers-by to reflect on the personal stories of victims of National Socialism Professor Sandra Fredman is an eminent legal scholar known for her significant contributions to the development of (comparative) equality and anti-discrimination law she has combined academic excellence with a commitment to social justice making her a major influence on both legal theory and practice One of Fredman’s most influential scholarly contributions has been her work on comparative equality and anti-discrimination law in which she has advanced the notion of substantive equality sociology and philosophy to deepen the legal understanding of social justice Marginalised groups and minorities are therefore central to her research Fredman’s insights have been applied worldwide by courts in Europe She is the Director of the Oxford Human Rights Hub a digital platform that brings together academics practitioners and policymakers from around the world to advance the understanding and protection of human rights and equality Professor von Keyserlingk has dedicated her entire academic career to animal welfare Her interdisciplinary approach focuses on identifying measures and methods to improve the lives of the animals we keep She is also among the first in her field to combine experimental and qualitative methods in addressing animal welfare issues she has conducted groundbreaking studies that have led to improved care for farm animals worldwide She has more than 350 peer-reviewed publications to her name making her one of the highest-ranked and most influential scientists in the field of animal and veterinary sciences Although most of her work focuses on finding solutions to improve animal welfare in dairy farming systems she has also made scientific contributions to the welfare of other livestock species von Keyserlingk is a globally recognized leader in her field and a role model and mentor to her students Her dedication to her students has enabled them to build successful careers in academia Professor Liza Korsten specializes in plant pathology and food safety of plant products with a strong interest in food security she developed the first biological control agent in South Africa for the fruit sector She has since focused on crop protection and good agricultural practices in plant production and post-harvest processes always taking the agro-food system as a whole as a starting point (before the term ‘food system’ became widespread) she strives to ensure an economically viable plant production chain (from farm to fork) that provides sufficient and safe food taking into account local challenges for the community as well as the expectations of a global food chain she is a pioneer avant la lettre in achieving global sustainability goals (SDGs) for a stable and prosperous society She is co-director of the Centre of Excellence in Food Security in South Africa and has been president of the African Academy of Science since August 2023 Professor Korsten has been working with the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University since 1996 She is a model of multidisciplinarity and successful research in the Global South Professor Klaus Kümmerer makes an outstanding contribution to sustainable pharmaceutical sciences and chemistry He is globally recognized as a leader in advancing environmentally friendly chemistry with important work on the environmental behavior of pharmaceuticals and the concept of “Benign by Design” His research has helped shape the field by creating chemicals and materials which is crucial in addressing global ecological challenges His international focus and influence are demonstrated by his leadership roles including that of Director of the Research & Education Hub at the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Center (ISC3) a position he held from 2017 to the end of 2024 his membership of the European Commission’s High-Level Roundtable on the Sustainable Chemicals Strategy underscores his strategic role in shaping environmental policy in Europe and beyond Professor Kümmerer is also an active member of numerous national and international committees such as the DFG Senate Committee on Water Research and the EU Technology Platform SusChem Europe Every year, on the penultimate Friday of March, Ghent University celebrates its Dies Natalis or birthday with a solemn session in the Aula and the presentation of honorary doctorates. Contrary to what you might think, this celebration is a fairly recent ritual. Read more about the history of our Dies Natalis (in Dutch) Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights Jeff McMahon covers the environment.Follow AuthorFeb 24 12:00am ESTShareSaveThis article is more than 5 years old.Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres the woman who led the negotiations for the Paris Agreement calls for civil disobedience to force institutions to respond to the climate crisis Figueres served as executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 2010-16 She co-authored the book with her strategic advisor “Large numbers of people must vote on climate change as their number one priority,” they write “As we are in the midst of the most dire emergency we must urgently demand that those who seek high office offer solutions commensurate with the scale of the problem.” But they note that electoral politics have failed to meet the challenge largely because of systemic roadblocks including corporate lobbying and partisan opposition They endorse Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg They evoke legendary activists who effected change on the scale required by the climate crisis systemic political shifts have required civil disobedience on a significant scale Read about all ten actions Figueres and Rivett-Carnac urge to mitigate climate change: Figueres spoke out once before in support of Extinction Rebellion Learn more This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service apply By signing up, you agree to the bloomberg.org Privacy Policy Refugees International’s annual Awards Dinner has traditionally celebrated individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and commitment to humanitarian action we’ve transformed the event into a virtual presentation to honor leaders who have significantly contributed to combatting climate change and displacement We are proud to present Christiana Figueres with our 2020 McCall-Pierpaoli award for her global leadership in combatting climate change The McCall-Pierpaoli award is Refugees International’s highest humanitarian award Watch the acceptance remarks of Christiana Figueres and her conversation with Refugees International President Eric Schwartz it is a real honor for us to present you with our 2020 McCall-Pierpaoli Award for your global leadership in combating climate change We at Refugees International continue to be inspired by your courageous leadership and your deep commitment to climate justice I really appreciate this and I am fully aware of the efforts that are going on to continue with life during this shutdown I must say that the crisis that we’re in means that this is no moment to be resting on any laurels of the past The fact is that we may be standing before the worst humanitarian crisis we have ever faced as a humanity in terms of lives lost in terms of health conditions and in terms of livelihoods and economic safety What we’re experiencing is part of a scenario that many climate scientists had foreseen for a few decades if we were not able to address climate change in a timely fashion COVID-19 has actually painfully fast forwarded the misery and the injustice of climate change How we treat the most vulnerable today will mark who we are as human beings Our adherence to the values and the principles of justice and solidarity are really on the line right now We’ll define what awaits those who come after us We were too late in properly assessing the risks of COVID-19 allowing it to paralyze the economy and to amount to untold deaths and injustice As we expeditiously deal with this emergency we have to do so in a way that decreases the risk of the next emergency one or two orders of magnitude worse than what we’re seeing right now Let us learn very quickly from this lesson let us be guided by the highest values and principles we will no doubt be committing a crime against humanity.  I think in large measure is that this represents a failure and we can’t replicate that failure in so many areas including the area of climate change Perhaps through our inadequate efforts to address mitigation and adaptation we’ve missed opportunities at building resilience that created greater vulnerabilities with respect to displaced communities impacted by COVID-19 Not only did we underestimate the risks of the disease itself but on top of that we actually are unprepared We are literally unprepared for this kind of a health crisis by allowing the health impacts and the humanitarian impacts of climate change to continue to deepen the inequality around the world Had we done a much better job at both reducing emissions and increasing adaptation measures we would have had a much more resilient society a much more resilient economy that could have held this crisis in a much better way But basically it took us lying on the ground lying on the ground because we have done exceedingly little about increasing the social and the economic to say nothing about the health and resilience in particular of the most vulnerable Eric Schwartz: It’s very hard to ask any question and not go right to the global pandemic and so that’s why it’s actually very comforting to me to hear how extensively that pandemic is part of your thinking and part of what you’re saying I’m going to ask a couple of questions that are more focused on the climate change issues and displacement issues with a keen awareness that the current pandemic impacts everything as the executive secretary of the Framework Convention on Climate Change you just played such a critical role in bringing together governments the private sector to deliver an unprecedented agreement to limit global warming And I want to ask you a question which is relevant to the current circumstances What tools do you bring to bear that ought to be being brought to bear today it’s a very important question and of course I’ve been thinking about that And what strikes me is that the fundamental logic of the Paris Agreement was I would say a two tier logic where the bottom tier was the self-enlightened interest of every single economy who was asked very pointedly by me and by others “What kind of a reality do you want to see in your own country And in the context of that development and growth vision then how do you want to contribute to the global need?” So at tier number one there was a motivation that emanates from the national circumstances from the national conditions of the economy of the natural resources and social conditions And that was fundamental because if a country is not self-motivated but self-motivation is always much more powerful than altruism So it was very important to get every country to identify where their self-interest actually had a nexus with the global need And that was the sweet spot that we then collected and harvested But the second tier is how do you then harvest all of that into a global agreement that points toward the global need the horizon that we all know that we need but that nobody feels individually responsible for So I’ve been thinking how does that apply now to where we are in this crisis And the application is rather interesting because we do see that the first reaction that has been recommended by scientists and by health professionals is actually to close borders And that has been recommended and has been proven to be effective So let that be the parallel to national or local self-interest our family’s self-interest is to hunker down and to deal with this just within the boundaries of ourselves where is the international corporation to develop the vaccines to ensure access of those vaccines to every human being What about all of the other measures that we know need to exist That cannot be a country-by-country effort because we know that there are growing inequalities So in a way there is a repetition here in a strange way There is a repetition of the paradigm that you need both a national enlightened self-interest which most countries are already pursuing What is the global commons here that we all share which is health and the understanding that as long as one person is vulnerable That is true for COVID and it’s true for climate change and hence we need the two tier approach Eric Schwartz: The Climate Displacement Program at Refugees International is over a decade old Obviously we are strong supporters institutionally of significant mitigation efforts and the Paris accord but I should say that our stock and trade is much more focused on climate change as a driver of displacement of people on the move and disasters that are exacerbated by climate change and the humanitarian suffering that results Our view is that whatever progress there is on mitigation Hopefully if there’s significant progress at much much lower rates and certainly at lower rates with respect to climate induced disasters but in light of the fact that this is really the sum and substance of our work I’d be interested in your perspectives on what more must be done by governments of the world to address I guess what you could say are two sides of the same coin disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation you’re absolutely right that even if we were to miraculously bring down emissions down to zero right now the long life effect of the emissions that we already have in the atmosphere would cause such natural disasters that we would continue to have odd displacement and that is in and of itself a tragedy If you understand that these two things are cause and effect that the emission concentration in the atmosphere is causing the changes in nature that make it impossible for people to derive their livelihoods from their home and that therefore they have to displace themselves and they have to migrate either within their own countries or across boundaries in order to eke out a living And that’s why climate change is a humanitarian issue ultimately because of the very “Unfortunately because we’ve taken so long to get climate under control we’re now forced into basically changing the tires of the airplane as we fly it.” I also agree with you that we actually have to deal with both at the same time because while you and your team and so many other very very important organizations are dealing with displacement with all of the humanitarian issues that come with this and that has to be done because there are millions of people already in that situation today the cause also has to be dealt with because otherwise it will be impossible to manage the social and political pressures of forced displacement Unfortunately because we’ve taken so long to get climate under control we’re now forced into basically changing the tires of the airplane as we fly it We have to both deal with the cause and with the effect because if we don’t deal with the cause the scale of the effect will be completely unmanageable but add an order of magnitude and what are we going to do the sad conclusion is that we have to do both And that is why it is so important to have agencies and organizations that are certainly listening to each other and working with each other but that are focusing on both of those in parallel in consonance but in parallel because we cannot divert the full attention of the world to either the cause or to the effect We need actually to draw the attention of the world to both if we want to keep this within manageable conditions And even that is already a huge stretch today Eric Schwartz: You have recently written a book “The Future We Choose,” which one review described as “A practically minded manifesto for personal action.” Is that a fair description and what would you want readers to take away from the book every book stands on its own and everyone will derive what they wish from any book But what I can tell you is what we intended to do we intended to paint a very visceral picture or rather a visceral experience of two worlds that are standing right now side by side a world of constant misery and destruction and much more forced displacement and migration if we don’t do our job in climate change and contrast that to a much better world that we can create but that requires intent and political will quite viscerally for the reader because we find that the positive world the better world that we can create doesn’t really get much attention “In the COVID world we have realized that actually we need both government guidance as well as individual behavior changes There’s much less information about it and much less analysis the better world was the more difficult to research and to write because there’s less about it But we do want to infuse people with the idea that we’re not condemned to a future of misery We actually have a choice here and it’s a choice that we’re making right now and the second purpose of the book is to dispel this myth that there’s nothing that individuals can do that climate change is so complex and so varied that there’s nothing that the individual can do in the COVID world we have realized that actually we need both government guidance as well as individual behavior changes If you and I weren’t sitting at home behind our four walls and everybody else who’s reading this we would be in a much more drastic situation Behavioral changes and individual engagement and solutions are definitely necessary And they always contribute to the solution and that is what we wanted to do in the book to say don’t think that just because you were one human being that you have no impact on this Actually the collection of human beings just like half the world is now in lockdown and we are standing a chance to control this Everyone needs to contribute at the individual basis Eric Schwartz: Your organization is called Global Optimism What keeps you and what should keep us all hopeful and what advice do you have for future generations of climate leaders Christiana Figueres: We define optimism in a very specific way We don’t think that optimism is denial of the facts it’s not sticking your head in the sand the drivers of the challenges that we’re facing inform yourself and educate yourself about the challenge that you’re dealing with But do not let all of the bad news on whatever the particular challenges that you’re dealing with whether it’s climate or COVID or anything else don’t let that put you into a hole of helplessness The information and the education that you derive on any challenge is actually what you can choose to make that information and that knowledge tools with which you then go out there and act as a powerful agent to bring about change and decide that you are a powerful agent and that you can make a positive difference.” And that’s where the optimism comes from From the realization that we’re not powerless that we actually can individually and collectively influence what happens here in our world and what decisions are taken And we certainly have full control about how we behave And the collective way of thinking actually ends up in policy decisions down the line and decide that you are a powerful agent and that you can make a positive difference we were very disappointed that we didn’t have the chance to meet with you in Washington to hand you the award but I will be honest and say that our disappointment has been tempered by the opportunity to hear your passion and your commitment to issues that are so very important to the future of the planet Sign up for our updates on the most pressing displacement and humanitarian issues we create a more welcoming world for people seeking refuge Refugees International is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Christiana Figueres says focus on carbon capture is direct threat to survival of vulnerable countries The United Arab Emirates’ approach to the Cop28 climate summit it will preside over in November is “very dangerous” and a “direct threat to the survival of vulnerable nations” according to the UN’s former climate chief who was pivotal to the delivery of the landmark Paris climate agreement in 2015 also said the country holding the presidency of the UN summit could not put forward its own position and had to be neutral The UAE is a big oil and gas producer, and the designated president of the Cop28 summit is Sultan Al Jaber who is also the head of the UAE’s national oil and gas company Figueres was responding to a speech by Al Jaber in which he said: “We must be laser focused on phasing out fossil fuel emissions “So he is trying to dance on two dancefloors at the same time those of us who are producers of fossil fuels will be responsible for our emissions through enhanced carbon capture and storage will also support the zero carbon alternatives.’” “The fact that he thinks the [fossil fuel] energy used today will continue to be part of the global energy mix for the ‘foreseeable future’ I can see that from a UAE perspective,” Figueres said and certainly not the vulnerable countries being willing to support the Cop president on this because it is a direct threat to their survival.” you cannot put forward the position of the country that you’re coming from The world must slash CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 to have a chance of limiting global heating to 1.5C Figueres said: “We do not have CCS commercially available and viable over the next five to seven years A Cop28 spokesperson said Al Jaber was “committed to lead an impartial process that gives space for all [countries] to express their views and find common ground” He said it was a “misunderstanding” to think the phrase “phasing out fossil fuel emissions” referred only to CCS noting Al Jaber’s call to triple renewable energy capacity and double hydrogen production by 2030 while using CCS to decarbonise heavy emitting industries “The focus on ending fossil fuel emissions responds to the immediate needs of decarbonisation in a pragmatic especially given that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and IEA predict that fossil fuels will play a role in the energy mix through 2050 within a 1.5C aligned pathway” the Cop28 spokesperson said “That’s why [Al Jaber] has also called on the oil and gas industry to up its game zero out methane emissions by 2030 and align around net zero by 2050.” The IEA’s head, Fatih Birol, said on Saturday: “Many were hit hard by soaring energy prices in 2022 It’s now time to put that to use for wider benefit.” He said emissions from oil and gas industry operations produced 15% of global emissions but these could be cut by 60% by 2030 with investment of $600bn “[That is] much less than the trillions of dollars the industry accrued last year,” Birol said “This is a moment of truth: if the oil and gas industry wants to be taken seriously in climate discussions Cop28 in the UAE is a unique opportunity [for the industry] to demonstrate a real commitment to cutting emissions.” Figueres also heavily criticised the global fossil fuel industry and its “shocking” profits on a second recent podcast She said: “What astonishes me is that the oil and gas industry makes apparently no effort to get on the right side of history They’re just flaunting their profits in front of everyone without any sensitivity to the impact of that.” “These unprecedented profits are not being put to the use of humanity They are being put to the use of the industry and its shareholders – a very tiny little portion of humanity I am actually outraged that that is the choice that they have been making.” The oil and gas industry has made an average of $1tn a year in pure profit for the past 50 years '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" By harnessing “female energy,” Christiana Figueres convinced humanity to take on climate change By Jen Schwartz As former chief of the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change she orchestrated the 2015 Paris climate agreement got virtually all nations to take action on greenhouse gas emissions Figueres achieved unprecedented cooperation not by flexing her authority (the position carries very little) or fixating on the most powerful players but by inviting a massive number of diverse voices into a weblike conversation on solutions she bet that humans are motivated to work toward a common goal if given a structure of trust and hopefulness So in the face of high stakes and daunting complexity Now she is focused on carrying out the goals of the agreement as the head of Mission 2020 a plan to “bend the curve of emissions” over the next three years Although Figueres “never had a master plan” for her career trajectory her résumé was seemingly built for leading at the intersection of science and policy: 14 years as a negotiator in the Costa Rican government; head of a climate-focused nonprofit; adviser to the private sector; bicultural trilingual diplomat from an environmentally aware nation Here Figueres shows what can happen when dynamic women lead the way If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today Scientific American:In dealing with sweeping global issues your leadership style involves ceding some control of the granular details Do you think there's a “feminine” quality to this approach Figueres: It's dangerous to generalize and simplify: males do this there's certainly a female energy—which we all have by the way—that's much more flowing and organic We happen to call it “male” and “female,” but we could call it anything I did exercise many of my responsibilities with male energy in order to be at the table I've always had a willingness to be vigilant to where the opportunity is You don't have to progress in a straight line; you can be creative Or sometimes it's stepping back one foot so you can then step three feet forward I think women are more willing to continuously learn Male energy tends to put things into black and white and force you to choose between A and B rather than saying “there's A.A and then A.AB.” With regard to the Paris agreement we had to be able to look at the shades of gray in between many realities it was very important for me to change attitudes around the relationship between the global north and global south We had to get to the point where there was full and deep recognition of historical responsibility but also at the same time a recognition of shared future responsibility As the architect of one of the most complex international agreements in history how was your strategy different from previous efforts that failed The negotiating of the text itself is according to very strict U.N But exactly how we were going to get there was the result of six years of conversation I drew a conviction that this had to be an inclusive process Humans tend to gravitate toward other conversations that are related to ours There is sort of a self-organizing force that occurs and better decisions are made when they are informed by as many different perspectives as possible It's indicative of female energy to be on the lookout for which voices are not at the table and should be we tried to map it out: Who is doing what by when and with whom “Thank heavens this is not map-able!” The participation was so broad and the scenarios were changing so quickly that coordination was impossible When you're dealing with something as decentralized and as universally felt as climate change a logical flow of events is frankly not helpful It diminishes the power of a potential solution Instead we needed to get an agreement on the final place we all want to land—and that was provided by the science fair structure that would bring everybody under one tent in a differentiated way we allowed for everybody to use the tools they have to apply the science to their particular country let's begin a plan to delay by six months,” I put my foot down and said “We are not even considering it.” You must allow for the process itself to be muddy because that is the space in which innovation occurs ingenuity sprouts up and surprising alliances come forward You want to be not only tolerant but even encouraging of the messiness—but with a hard deadline and a clear destination Opening up the conversation was one of the most difficult things we did but one of the most important The result is a framework for which there is broad and deep buy-in The dialogue around climate change can seem dire I created a surround sound effect so that no matter where governments turned to in the outside world they would feel encouraged that everyone was moving in the same direction Doesn't President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the agreement make the outlook gloomier The federal governments of the world did the big job that was expected from them in Paris it's very clear they will all play a different role now but they cannot deliver the speed and scale what I call the engine room: the private sector investors and everyone else who is much closer to the emissions reductions themselves That's why I'm down in the engine room now with those who are directly responsible for the real work It doesn't really have anything to do with Trump Recent studies suggest that giving women better access to education and reproductive freedom could have the single biggest impact on decarbonization One of the mistakes we've made as humans is not realizing that in the end It's easier to look at large single sources rather than disseminated small sources of emissions which is power plants or transportation systems it's clear that women have an important role in bringing down emissions because of the influence they have in the use of land their contributions to modeling and forecasts and as architects of adaptation strategies Assume two billion more people on this planet with all of the consequent impact that that's going to have If women are given the ability to choose their reproductive behavior more intentionally The better the quality of life of women through education access to sustainable food production and clean energy technologies more women are in positions of power at the U.N But when it comes to negotiating climate solutions at large I was recently at an event that was 28 men and me I used my keynote—as I often do—to point out how this is just not acceptable What's wrong with this room?” And then I'm silent and let them figure it out Very often they don't even know what the heck I'm talking about But I think we have to call it out constantly Because otherwise we don't startle people out of the default Making people feel uncomfortable is the only way things are going to change Jen Schwartz is a senior features editor at Scientific American She produces stories and special projects about how society is adapting—or not—to a rapidly changing world Subscribe to Scientific American to learn and share the most exciting discoveries innovations and ideas shaping our world today Scientific American is part of Springer Nature which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us) Scientific American maintains a strict policy of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers Jen Schwartz is a senior features editor at Scientific American Editor's Note: 2015 marks C40’s 10-year anniversary. To celebrate our 10 Years of Results we will be featuring the voices of C40 principals partners and other thought leaders throughout the year Christiana Figueres is the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Last century was marked by unprecedented growth accompanied by unprecedented urbanization Knowing now that much of this growth was enabled by enterprise that increases greenhouse gas emissions this century’s challenge focuses on how to grow using a new model of development As home to more than half of the world’s 7 billion people and one of the largest sources of emissions cities are well situated to reshape social and economic growth and usher in an era of climate-safe sustainable development. C40 was created one decade ago in this context Visionary leaders recognized that megacities are integral to meeting the challenge of our new century City action and collaboration has already proven powerful in reducing emissions and increasing resilience globally I applaud C40 for ten years of excellent work and I think cities have an even greater challenge and a greater opportunity Climate action isn’t just about greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change impacts a bus rapid transit system helps people get to work to school and to their doctors more quickly and at reasonable cost resilient infrastructure ensures mobility and productivity in the face of climate impacts And ambitious targets guide building and transportation policy a regional carbon market is being tested alongside seven other markets to bring a national carbon market to China a move that benefits public health and encourages green jobs a transformational shift in energy generation and use is now incorporated into city planning and policy and it is already creating clean energy jobs These are just a fraction of the innovative low-carbon solutions cities are using to better the lives of citizens From green space to bike share programs to clean energy and transit cities have many options for climate action that improve quality of life The eyes of the world will be on Paris this December National contributions to this agreement reflect the great potential of cities to rapidly move to low-carbon growth Implementing the Paris outcomes will require active engagement by cities – and cities are prepared to play a leading role as clearly shown by recent reports Powering Climate Action from C40 and Seizing the Global Opportunity from the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate On the Nazca Portal hundreds of city commitments including those made through the Compact of Mayors point towards a long-term goal that improves cities for the people who live there Coalitions like the Compact of Mayors demonstrate the strong leadership role of cities in tackling climate change and measuring progress more than 80 cities have committed to the Compact—representing more than 280 million people worldwide or over four percent of the global population local leaders make decisions to meet their city’s needs I ask that these leaders consider climate and seek solutions that are good for their communities contribute to national goals and take the global economy one step closer to low carbon and high resilience On the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of C40 I applaud the wealth of action already under way that shows this is possible these partnerships and low-carbon lifestyles climate-neutral growth model of sustainable urbanization that serves for generations to come We use cookies. Learn more about how in our Privacy Policy Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Christiana Figueres said she has lost faith in oil companies People must balance outrage and optimism after a “hellish summer” of extreme weather, the UN’s former climate chief has urged at the start of the Cop28 climate summit But there were reasons for optimism that could stop people falling into “a dark rabbit hole”, she added. “I do make a conscious choice every morning to say ‘yes, I know what all the bad news is’ – that’s easy to get because that just screams at you from whatever news feed you have – but also, what is positive that is going out there? What are the disruptive pieces that are real, strong evidence of the fact that this is changing?” Speaking to a small group of reporters on Monday at an interview hosted by Covering Climate Now, Figueres highlighted the plummeting cost of renewable energy and the growth of electric cars as two areas where positive changes were happening faster and faster. Read moreBut we are getting “horribly close” to tipping points a Costa Rican diplomat who started working on the climate in the mid-1990s helplessness and depression every day but “it is not my dominant feeling and certainly not my dominant energy” I’m just going to crawl into my little cubbyhole and pull my blankets over my sheets’ – then we have a self-fulfilling prophecy “Our responsibility here is to understand the threat and do everything within our power to avoid it.” She made the comments as world leaders head to Dubai for the 28th UN climate summit when Figueres was the head of the UN body that oversaw the conference governments signed a legally binding treaty to stop the planet heating 2C above pre-industrial temperatures by the end of the century world leaders have continued to push policies that will clog the atmosphere with more carbon than many people and ecosystems can handle is the boss of the UAE’s national oil company which plans to expand production of fossil fuels Al Jaber and his supporters have argued that the industry is an important partner that deserves a seat at the table Figueres said that for many years she championed a similar attitude because fossil fuel companies have some of the deepest pockets and most skilled engineers But her faith in them has waned since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the spike in energy prices that followed Major oil and gas companies that marketed themselves as part of the solution to climate change have used windfall profits to further enrich shareholders while cutting their spending on renewable energy my hope with oil and gas companies because of the evidence that came forward over the past 12 to 24 months Would we be in a much better position if they decided to invest their unparalleled engineering skill and their deep wallets to the solution space On Monday the BBC revealed that the UAE had planned to use its role as the host nation to strike oil and gas deals during the conference, a claim the country has denied. In a post on X Figueres said the Cop28 presidency had been “caught red-handed” and called for more transparency and accountability Climate activists have criticised previous conferences because the deals struck have been far removed from what scientists have shown is needed to stop the climate from changing It took 25 summits before governments were willing to name a fossil fuel in their concluding statement Free weekly newsletterThe planet's most important stories Get all the week's environment news - the good Figueres said there was a danger of people expecting results from the process that it had not been designed to deliver and I say this because I was there and contributed to the design the Cop was designed to deliver multilateral agreements of all national governments coming together or to write a global business plan or whatever equivalency you want to use for the decarbonisation of the economy.” From left: Christiana Figueres Laurent Fabius and Francoise Hollande celebrate the Paris agreement in 2015 Photograph: François Mori/APThat task had been “substantially finished” though many important issues concerning money remain “it is now time to move that on to national-scale efforts and corporate efforts That is where action needs to take place.” Figueres also defended the Cop process and the Paris agreement for not punishing governments that do not comply with their promises to stop the planet heating “Let’s just remember that we don’t have such a thing as an environmental police in the world,” she said When Canada failed to comply with the Kyoto protocol – an earlier treaty to cut greenhouse gas emissions that included fines for failure – Figueres received “a little note” from the then prime minister saying he was taking his country out of the treaty “There’s no point in having punitive measures in an international legal system that respects the sovereignty of all governments,” she said is the realisation that it is in enlightened self-interest to do the right thing That is what led to the Paris agreement: when all countries realised