Last week marked the beginning of what many are calling the most important negotiations in a generation — the United Nation's climate change conference in Paris, France. Over 50,000 representatives from more than 190 countries are coming together in the hopes of reaching an agreement to reduce carbon output and prevent the most calamitous outcomes of man-made global warming.
There can be no doubting the importance of marshaling the world's collective resources in pursuit of that goal — and having the world's leaders in one place presents a massive opportunity to achieve it. But unless we think broader, unless we think about the world's problems in an interrelated fashion, and unless we are thinking about addressing many other pressing challenges, we are missing a massive opportunity. And we are putting ourselves at risk.
This is not just because we are threatened by far more than climate change (that's obvious), but because the effects of climate change are so much broader than we think.
About the author
Michael Berkowitzberkmic
Michael Berkowitz joined the Rockefeller Foundation in August 2013 to shape and oversee the 100 Resilient Cities. Previously, he worked at Deutsche Bank, most recently as the deputy global head of Operational Risk Management (ORM). In that capacity he oversaw the firm’s OR capital planning efforts, served as a primary regulatory contact and connected the myriad operational risk management efforts group-wide.
