Today is Earth Day, and to mark the occasion, policymakers are rolling out bold plans to address the climate crisis. As the work continues, we also need to help people understand climate change. As part of the 2021 Aspen Challenge, a group of Miami high schoolers is spelling out the science to their classmates, friends, and families—and giving them the tools to make a difference. Our Energy and Environment Program also gathered a host of ideas from colleagues and members of the Future Climate Leaders Initiative. Read on for more cross-sector climate solutions from programs across the Institute.

The effects of climate change are not experienced equally; households of color face disproportionate impacts due in part to discriminatory housing policies and inequities in federal assistance. To help these communities become resilient in the face of weather disasters, they need localized housing solutions supported by adequate federal responses. There’s no easy fix, but the Financial Security Program has a plan.

Extreme weather patterns are increasingly disrupting learning, causing absences, and damaging to educational infrastructure. These events also take a toll on the mental health of students. Emily Katz of the Energy and Environment Program outlines some ways that schools can adapt to this reality, and support young people in the wake of climate disasters.

Climate change poses myriad threats to life and commerce, and — just as we’ve seen with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic — it creates a need for collaboration among competitors, suppliers, and regulators. Judy Samuelson, executive director of the Business & Society Program, offers some examples of companies willing to forgo total self-interest in the pursuit of solutions.

In the News

Beyond the Curriculum

"States must help schools tackle the climate crisis—beyond what's on the curriculum," write Christine Todd Whitman and Jack Markell in a TIME op-ed. Whitman and Markell are members of the Institute’s K12 Climate Action commission tasked with developing an action plan to help our education sector address climate change. Both former state governors, they suggest that supporting schools to take climate action is a way for governors and state leaders to help economic recovery and make communities more resilient for the future.

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Sales from the store support the Institute’s essential, unrestricted resources that advance our mission. Share your passion and pride for the Aspen Institute’s mission with some new, sustainable gear from Patagonia, S’well, and others. For a limited time, get 5% off using code NEWS5OFF.

How Communities Can Address Climate Change

Apr. 23 at 2:00 pm EDT

Through multi-level cooperation, collaboration, and public-private partnerships, there’s a tangible path forward for climate change that begins right in our own neighborhoods. This conversation on local innovation will celebrate sustainable initiatives and the work that communities can do together. Hosted by the Energy and Environment Program.

A Live Conversation with Christine Lagarde, the President of the European Central Bank

Apr. 28 at 10:00 AM EDT

Please join the Aspen Security Forum and the Economic Strategy Group for this conversation with Lagarde and David Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Carlyle Group.

The Future of Worker Financial Security: The Nexus of Work and Benefits

Apr. 28 at 1:00 pm EDT

Join the Financial Security Program and WorkRise for an exploration of new research into how work and benefits together determine if workers will have a reasonable shot at financial security and a conversation about building better on-ramps to financial security and economic mobility.

INFODEMIC: Documentary Series Launch Event

Apr. 28 at 8:00 pm EDT

INFODEMIC: Global Conversations on Science and Misinformation is a new, six-part documentary series considering the costs of science misappropriation and denialism and offering global solutions. The live public launch, hosted by the Science and Society Program, features a moderated conversation with the series’ executive producers and a group of international science experts.

Aspen Ideas Health

Apr. 27 - 29

Big thinking. Bold approaches. Inspiring leadership. That’s what you can expect from the 2021 Aspen Ideas: Health speaker line-up! From April 27-29, join Marcella Nunez-Smith, Atul Gawande, Anthony Fauci, and other experts and innovators for powerful conversations on health’s biggest topics. Explore the speaker list and register today!

Virtual Aspen Words Youth Poetry Slam

April 29, 8:00 PM EDT

This end-of-month event culminates both the Aspen Words Poetry Project and National Poetry Month. The slam features Colorado poets ranging in age from 5th to 12th grade.

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