Regional: Earth Day Public Forum Tackles Global Warming With Lessons From Business World

Earth Day arrives next week. Amid global distractions, a local public forum plots new strategies for tackling climate change.

TheWorld Meteorological Organization, a special agency of the United Nations, reported that 2024 was the warmest year on record, capping a decade in which every year ranked among the 10 hottest ever measured. Research based on six international datasets, shows the planet likely exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming above preindustrial levels for the first full calendar year -- a threshold that places the long-term goals of themultinational Paris Agreementin grave danger.

Against that backdrop, a series of local events hosted bythe environmentally focused public forum Climate Onewill bring business leaders, activists and policymakers together on April 20 and 21 at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.

Monday's programming begins with a session featuring investorJohn Doerrand co-authorRyan Panchadsaram. The pair will present a five-year update to their "Speed & Scale" framework for achieving net-zero emissions.

Their book lays out a plan with six objectives: to electrify transportation, decarbonize the grid, reform our food systems, protect nature, clean up industry, and remove carbon in the atmosphere.

Doerr is chairman of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins. He will describe how his management system can be applied to climate action.

"There are incumbents that are fighting like crazy to preserve their fossil-based future and we have to beat them," Doerr said on a Climate One podcast. "We've got to defeat them through movements, through politics and through policy."

Midday events include a noon conversation led by author and activistAnnie Leonardon protest and civic engagement. A 1:30 p.m. workshop led byKatharine Wilkinsonwill focus on navigating through climate ache to action.

On Tuesday, April 21, an evening program will feature the winners of theGoldman Environmental Prize, awarded by the San Francisco-based Goldman Foundation to grassroots environmental heroes from around the world.

The events coincide with San Francisco Climate Week and will be recorded for broadcast and digital distribution. For more information, visit climateone.org.

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