During March 2021, The National Intelligence Council issued its quadrennial report on global trends. This year’s issue is Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World. Global Trends assesses the key trends and uncertainties that will shape the strategic environment for the United States during the next two decades. I found
Over the past several weeks, we at Nature For Justice have begun to build our nascent efforts to support existing African American farmer networks in North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida as they build capacity to manage impacts from climate change, as well as other challenges to more resilient farms and
Nature For Justice is focused on vulnerable populations impacted by the climate crisis and we are guided by science. A recent excellent publication by Sacco, Hardwick et al entitled “Ten Golden Rules for reforestation to optimize carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery and livelihoods benefits” (Link) succinctly summarizes the rules. Here’s our
In Part I of this discussion, I shared thoughts on equity and justice rooted in access to power, resources, and opportunity. This grounding enables the environmental community to build collective power for just and equitable change. In Part II, I share brief thoughts on specific actions environmental organizations must take
As society reckons with the legacy of centuries of racism, the environmental community is grappling with its place in this system. A number of organizations are conceding their past absence from the fight against racism and for social justice; some organizations are publicly acknowledging their past complicity with social and
How does a chemical engineer, all set to work on nuclear waste disposal for Westinghouse, end up starting a non-profit with an Australian living in Costa Rica, focused on bringing social justice and equity to communities vulnerable to the climate crisis? It’s simple: constant reinvention. A hallmark of Frank’s (my
Participation, community engagement, equitable development, sustainability – all terms familiar to conservation and development practitioners, public philanthropic contributors, and the donor community. Since virtually all espouse to these “pillars”, clearly they must be being adhered to, evidence must abound, and progress toward participatory, equitable, and sustainable development that engages communities
In the last story on my venture in Papua New Guinea I spoke of the known and unknown risks associated with starting something new. A type of known risk – and one worth taking – is inviting a broad diversity of players to join your effort as you create a
In my last blog, I described going to Somalia during the Ogaden refugee crisis and how my initial 3-month commitment turned into a 4-year, life-defining event. I passed on the lower risk engineering research job with a large corporation (nuclear waste disposal of all things!) to become the President of
