By Thais Lopez Vogel
At VoLo Foundation we are more than satisfied with the results of our fifth annual Climate Correction™ conference, held on the 3rd of this month in the city of Orlando.
And our satisfaction has many reasons. First of all, we feel that each time this gathering produces better results, is bigger and more fruitful for the attendees, and disseminates more knowledge about climate action.
Direct contact with so many people has allowed us to see that awareness of climate change is growing. People know, ask questions, are interested and concerned. Even better, they are taking action, making their contribution from the particular possibilities of each one of them.
Another reason for celebration was the diversity of topics that we were able to feature, thus proving that the problem is broad, but there is also breadth in the solutions and the knowledge that is being generated to overcome it.
For example, we had Dawn Shirreffs of the Environmental Defense Fund explaining how the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act brings direct benefits to consumers’ wallets, while helping to boost clean, lower-cost energy.
This has been the most important government initiative in the United States to acknowledge the climate problem and allocate funds to work on clean energy solutions, amounting to 369 billion dollars. It will undoubtedly set an example for the world.
We realized that the best way to adapt to these new realities is to change the way we think. So, the people at Clean Energy Solutions on the Rise showed us that we can stop paying the power companies, owning our own power if we install solar panels on our homes. They are now much more affordable, through competitive financing.
In addition, we discovered that we can build in ways that allow us to survive weather events, as did the people of Babcock Ranch, who coped unscathed with the tragic Hurricane Ian. Or as Ramon Cruz, president of Sierra Club, told us: “we should pay attention to scientists when they warn us not to build on a site.”
And from scientists we also learned such unexpected consequences as that the temperature in our cars can deteriorate medications to the point of nullifying their effects, thanks to the Health and Climate Change panel.
We still have much to know, such as the paradox presented by Luis Tineo of the World Bank: “eradicating poverty endangers the environment by generating more emissions, so we must seek a balance between the two objectives.”
We had in the winner of the VISTA Award, Wilmer Cuervo, a professor with the ability to place scientific knowledge within the reach of the public; and we closed with the reflection of the actor and environmental activist Roberto Manrique, who taught us that the first thing is to be good people, and so together we can do everything.
Heart and knowledge are leading us to grow more than expected. We are already working on our Climate Correction™ appointment for 2024, when we will celebrate 10 years of VoLo Foundation. We look forward to seeing you there.
