Going Big on Climate: Opportunities and Challenges Facing the New Administration

Mar 22, 2021 | Ratia Tekenet
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With climate change, we can make no small plans—we need to go big,” said Lieutenant General Wallace Gregson (ret.), former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, during a recent event co-hosted by the Environmental Peacebuilding Association and Wilson Center on opportunities and challenges facing the new administration relating to the environment, peace, and conflict.

Going big on climate change means moving towards a new energy economy, dramatically reducing emissions, conserving water, protecting carbon storage, and managing demand, said Richard Matthew, Associate Dean of Research and International Programs at the University of California Irvine. World leaders need to address climate change and other urgent, complex, and global challenges. By seeking the perspectives of experts—such as the people on this panel—leaders can develop the big picture insights and wisdom they need to address the challenges, said Matthew.