“If we don’t confront climate change, we won’t end poverty,”concluded Dr. Jim Yong Kim. No truer words have been spoken by a World Bank President. But, given the relationship between climate change and poverty, he just could have easily said: “If we don’t confront poverty, we cannot tackle climate change.” Last month’s IPCC report and this week’s National Climate Assessment (NCA) are resounding warnings for our nation and the globe. We can no longer ignore the scientific evidence that shows that we all are headed toward catastrophe if we do not address climate change. But to truly address climate change, we need to understand how our past and current policies have reinforced climate change and inequity and the implications for our work. If we don’t, we will abandon innovators who can shape the very solutions we need.
