Molly Kawahata - Deploying Hope

We met with former White House Climate Advisor to President Obama, Molly Kawahata, to hear her innovative perspectives on how to make a real difference in society and for the planet. She is principally focused on how we mobilize productive human psychology to motivate broad systemic change. Her insights are fascinating, born of her own personal struggles, that society writ large has been brainwashed into paralysis with propaganda from the fossil fuel industry that is designed to rob us of hope. It seems an impossible premise, but she effectively argues her case of how this happened, and what those concerned about the future of the planet can do differently to make concrete progress toward the "zero carbon promised land." While applauding those who make personal choices and sacrifices to help the environment in their own lives, Kawahata eschews climate shaming of all kinds, and sees no averting climate catastrophe without public policy that decarbonizes our industrial, transportation and energy sectors. It is not our fault that we use these sectors. They are the only ones that those without privilege have available to access. Most importantly, she implores us to change the debate away from "saving the polar bears" that those with "boots on their neck" can't afford to care about, to a practical discussion about pollution and equitable access to clean air and water. We can all see the impact from reducing pollution, and we can have hope in our personal ability to make a meaningful impact. What can you do? Deploy hope and get out the vote. Join us for an exhilarating discussion.