Can we still reverse climate change?

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon responds to a Twitter query, and says that unfortunately climate change cannot be reversed.  It can only be slowed down.  I'd like to believe, however, that the earth is more resilient and more adaptable than dire environmentalists have led us to believe.  Certainly it would take the earth years and years to replenish its devastated forests and depleted resources, and if humankind continues on a tear with his plundering behavior, then that replenishment will lag behind indefinitely.  But I daresay that reversal is possible.  In any case, I very much appreciate the Secretary-General encouraging us on small efforts to conserve energy, which the likes of Naomi Klein and Leonardo DiCaprio seem to dismiss. 

Celebrities vis-a-vis Algorithm for Environment

Activists, celebrities and policymakers from around the world show their support for climate action.  

Starring: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Jane Goodall, Michael Bloomberg, Edward Norton, Angelique Kidjo, Priyanka Chopra, Al Gore, Gisele Bundchen, Bindi Irwin, Ian Somerhalder, Monique Coleman, Col. Chris Hadfield, Li Bingbing, Jason Mraz, Mallika Sherawat, Salif Keita, Kathy Jetnil-Kijner, Ani Difranco, Bill Nye, Antonio Banderas, Robin Wright, Alison Sudol, Diana Nyad, Don Cheadle, Victoria Justice, Jack Johnson, Sebastiao Salgado, Mary Robinson, Philippe Cousteau, Ashlan Gorse Cousetau.

As I keep at my Algorithm for Environment | Sustainability, I will slowly establish credibility on this major world issue.  In the meantime, it makes perfect sense to me that concerned leaders and organizations draw on the renown of activists, celebrities and policymakers to deliver crucial messages.  Nay, I see it as an opportunity and as a responsibility of the renown to reach their vast audiences in ways that environmentalists cannot easily do.  As a thinker and a problem solver in my own right, I am not wedded to my viewpoint or insights and it is not an aim of mine to add my voice into the sound and fury of climate change for my own sake.  Instead, I care most about doing what is fundamentally right and doing what actually works.  So, assuming that the speakers in this UN video are sincerely concerned people, I buy into it wholeheartedly.  Such media and public relations effort is part and parcel of what I am conceptualizing.  In time, nevertheless, my Algorithm for Environment | Sustainability will move the needle in ways that no other can. 

Leonardo DiCaprio at UN Climate Summit (2014)

Star actor Leonardo DiCaprio delivers an evocatively worded, calculated message about climate change at the opening of the United Nations Climate Summit last September.  Since launching his foundation in 1998, he has built relationships with environmental leaders and experts and has worked on biodiversity protection, oceans and forest conservation, and climate change.  So evidently his speech is no one-off effort, and his message no superficial, attention mongering speech.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has designated Academy Award-nominated actor and committed environmental activist, Leonardo DiCaprio, as a UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change.

“Mr. DiCaprio is a credible voice in the environmental movement, and has a considerable platform to amplify its message,” said Mr. Ban. “I am pleased he has chosen to add his voice to UN efforts to raise awareness of the urgency and benefits of acting now to combat climate change...”

“It’s an honor to accept the role of UN Messenger of Peace on Climate Change and to support the Secretary General in his efforts to address one of the most important issues we face as a global community,” said Leonardo DiCaprio. “I feel a moral obligation to speak out at this key moment in human history – it is a moment for action. How we respond to the climate crisis in the coming years will likely determine the fate of humanity and our planet.”

Reference: Secretary-General designates Leonardo DiCaprio as UN Messenger of Peace.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Ban Ki-moon

The Core Algorithm for Corporations: Step 3

The Core Algorithm in brief for corporations

Step 3. Walk the pathways

Now that you have the end firmly and clearly in mind, and you have mapped out the pathways between that end in mind and where you are now, Step 3 is as simple as walking the pathways.

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It may come in different colors, fonts or sizes.  But of course Nike has said it the best and the simplest for decades:  Just do it.

Now that you are clear about what you want to do, and where and how to do it, just do it.  

The Core Algorithm for Corporations: Step 2

The Core Algorithm in brief for corporations

Step 2. Walk backwards to map the pathways

Beginning with the end in mind, which is Step 1, we walk backwards to identify and-or create the pathways, all the way back to where we are in the present.

We often seem to lose sight of what we need to do to reach that end, to serve our purpose, and thereby to achieve our goals.  So Step 2 ensures that we know the most direct, immediate actions to that end.

It requires us to step out of the present and step into the future

The Core Algorithm is not about predicting the future, but rather about making the future.  

For the CEO, who has responsibility for, and accountability to, the whole organization, he or she must also step outside himself or herself, and see that future as best as possible from the eyes of others - that is, stakeholders - sitting where they sit or walking in their shoes.  

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There may be multiple pathways, between there and then - that is, the future or the end in mind - and here and now.  But the idea is to keep the roadmap as clear, as simple, and as accurate as possible.

The Core Algorithm for Corporations: Step 1

The Core Algorithm in brief for corporations

Step 1. Begin with the end in mind

Imagine your own funeral.  Family and friends are mourning your death.  What would you like them to remember most about you?  What would you like them to say about you?

This is a solemn little exercise from Stephen Covey pivotal book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, published 25 years ago.  Begin with the end in mind is one of those habits.  

What are you in this life, this company, or this business for?

What do you hold near and dear in your mind, heart and spirit?

What is the most important thing you want to do?

For a CEO and his or her organization, purpose, values and mission must be translated into the following, thus lending a quantitative or concrete format to something that may be abstract, emotional or lofty:

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As we sidle to Step 2 and Step 3 next, keep in mind that The Core Algorithm is not meant to be a linear effort.  Rather, we may very well have to cycle back to Step 1, on a regular basis, not just to remind ourselves about what we're aiming to accomplish or fulfill, but also to review that end in mind and perhaps adjust, revise or even discard it.