Last month I finally got around to reading The Ministry for the Future — a book that’s been recommended and quoted to me more times than I can count.
I came away both humbled and hopeful by the book. Humbled because, while nearly every policy and community-based program idea in the book is one I’ve heard in meetings during the past 20 years, we as a human race have yet to implement any of them at any scale. Smarter land use planning to balance rewilding, biodiversity, and economic growth … creating markets to put actual value on every ton of carbon removed from the atmosphere … supporting developing countries so economies can leapfrog to clean energy solutions … these are not new ideas, but we have yet to find the political will and economic restructuring to achieve them.
But also hopeful, because the book made me feel that we WILL achieve big policy and political changes, especially as increasingly frequent and severe climate impacts affect every region and industry across the globe. Most recently, the New York Times and other media sites seem to have discovered something we in California have known for years, which is the serious impacts of climate change on the home insurance industry. I’m looking forward to digging in on this issue with the Little Hoover Commission next week in Sacramento.
One of my favorite moments in The Ministry for the Future is when the Minister, Mary Murphy, visits California — and is hosted by none other than California Forward, the organization where I started as CEO just last week. Yes friends, I buried the lede! I’ve taken on a new role, returning to California to support our diverse regions and communities in their efforts to recover from the lingering economic shock of COVID and ongoing cliamate shocks, and to build toward a more sustianable, resilient, and inclusive economy. I’ve worked with CA FWD for years, including on Governor Newsom’s Regions Rise Together initiative and the Community Economic Resilience Fund (now known as California Jobs First), both programs I helped to lead in my former role as Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. Then, as now, I’ve focused my efforts on place-based economic development strategies, with an eye to building on the unique assets and opportunities offered by every corner of the state in reaching its ambitious climate and equity goals.
While I’m still settling in and learning the ropes at CA FWD, I’m certain of a few things: we’ll continue to serve as the interconnective tissue between regions and the state, bringing regional priorities up to state leaders, and also leveraging historic federal investment to support regional goals. We’ll continue to drive conversations on policy issues that are shared across regions, including a desire to see investment not only in energy innovation and installation, but also in the manufacturing and supply chains that create middle-skill, family-supporting jobs and help to balance out regional economies. And, we’ll wade into the difficult but increasingly critical discussion of how to better align our state housing and transportation strategies with our leading climate goals.
I can’t wait to get started, and I’ll be leaning on all of you for ideas and support. Thanks for being a sounding ear and a moral compass, readers! Onward! Or should I say: Forward!
Upcoming Speaking/Events
May 31: Keynote, Community Engagement for Just Energy Transitions, University of West Virginia School of Law (Livestream HERE)
June 6: Participant, Virtual Roundtable on California’s Homeowners Insurance Market, Little Hoover Commission (agenda and Zoom link HERE)
June 20: Plenary Panelist, 2024 San Francisco Dialogue: The Death of Environmentalism, Breakthrough Institute (more information HERE — this is a celebration of the 20th anniversay or the famous Death of Environmentalism essay, and of the creation of the Apollo Alliance, where it all began for me!)