---

When you are setting out on a long and difficult journey, the first step that you take is the most important. Philanthropists know this all too well: when tackling complex problems on a global scale, they are initially faced with a bewildering choice of directions.

There are few issues that present challenges of a greater diversity than climate change. We and our planet are seeing, and will continue to see, its effects in several areas; from poverty, human rights, and development, to migration, public health, global security and migration. This is a list to daunt the most ambitious of donors, and so, in response to their demand, we recently put together two days of learning in London and New York to examine the opportunities in this field.

At our Climate Change Strategy Days, we brought together the broadest possible spectrum of philanthropists; from experienced funders, to those who were making their first tentative movements. Working with the generous support of the Oak Foundation and Zennström Philanthropies, and in partnership with the Global Philanthropists Circle, we assembled for them a group of the leading thinkers, and doers, in the efforts to confront climate change.

Central to our approach is the belief that it is only through thorough a full understanding of the issue and a careful consideration of what points of entry are most promising for leveraging significant change can solutions begin to arise. It is no surprise then that much of our discussions, both in our London and New York gatherings, focused on the importance of influencing public policy and the flow of private capital flows in the renewables arena. During the gathering, which was particularly pertinent given the impending climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December this year, they had a comprehensive grounding; hearing from, among others, The Climate Group, the European Climate Foundation, from Good Energies and from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

links

• Return to CEO Notes