Institute For The Future

A New Story to Spark the FUTURE OF CLIMATE ACTION

The Institute for the Future and Climate Investment Funds join forces at the Global Climate Action Summit to forecast new trends, barriers, and actors in climate change

The next decade is rich with opportunities to take meaningful action against climate change, a new study from the Institute for the Future (IFTF) and the $8.3 billion Climate Investment Funds (CIF) shows. Launched today at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, the A New Story to Spark the Future of Climate Action study and its accompanying art installation illustrate opportunity zones for climate action over the next decade—including artificial intelligence, digital engagement, youth movements, and the new climate economy—that can accelerate progress toward a low-carbon world.

“We have a golden opportunity to set a new course for confronting climate change,” said Mafalda Duarte, head of CIF. “A New Story to Spark The Future of Climate Action offers a roadmap for a healthier planet and a stronger economy that reap the social and financial benefits of sustainability. This is a colossal challenge, but we hold the power to make a difference.”

The joint study forecasts trends that will mold the climate action landscape by 2030. Their analysis concludes, among other things, that disruptive technologies like blockchain and the rise of “solastalgia,” or the wistfulness one feels about terrains lost to climate change, will be increasingly powerful drivers of global and community-level change.

“The problems of climate change may seem intractable, yet there are areas where constructive action is not only possible, but already happening," said Marina Gorbis, executive director of IFTF. “We’ve identified numerous signals that positive change is happening now—from an increase in women leaders who are more likely to take action on climate change, to the use of ‘good bots’ to initiate climate action globally. This report shows stakeholders that there are positive scenarios to consider as they ponder how to engage on this crucial issue.”

IFTF’s climate action framework is designed to stimulate thought and action on climate issues by describing hopeful signs of change happening now, asking provocative questions, pointing out areas of friction and providing positive scenarios for the future for stakeholders to consider as they ponder the actions they might want to take.

According to the report, governments, manufacturers, investors, and individuals can accelerate climate action in a variety of ways, including:

• Understanding that climate change is an economic opportunity. Climate action has investment potential in the trillions of dollars, and the ability to ramp up innovation, clean industries, and green jobs.

• Turning to women as climate leaders. Women are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, but if fully empowered, they can be effective climate advocates as policymakers and community leaders.

• Deploying bots as a force for good. Internet bots, a technology better known for dividing public opinion, have the potential to spur climate activism at scale.

Download the full map and read the new framework here.