Climate Talks Begin | Global Citizen Now in Rio This Sunday | Award Nominations OPEN + Book Events!

Plus, a Few Words of Encouragement: 'We're Not Running Away. We'll Give It a Go' — from a WWII Veteran

Nov 11, 2024

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The U.S. Election capped off a year with over 100 elections worldwide - and unquestionably followed the same anti-incumbency trend we’ve seen elsewhere. From a Global Citizen perspective, we’re considering what this shifting political landscape means for our mission to defeat poverty and how global support for effective anti-poverty programs may look moving forward. We’re also exploring fresh possibilities and fundamental shifts we’ll need to navigate in the coming year—keep an eye out for more insights from me on this soon in an upcoming series of articles.

On a personal note, I’ve received a wide range of messages from people asking how they should respond to recent events and how they can stay active in driving meaningful change—questions spanning from despair to practical ways they can make a difference locally and globally. Part of why I wrote From Ideas to Impact was to remind people that we have influence beyond the ballot box. Policy change, though it may seem far away, is often closer and more accessible than it appears. If you haven’t yet grabbed a copy, now might be the perfect time to do so and you can find it on Amazon or Audible here. Email a copy of your receipt to michael@michaelsheldrick.com to receive an upcoming special chapter for the new year.

On the subject of not losing hope, today, as we honor Veteran's Day in the US (or Remembrance Day elsewhere), I’m reminded of Len’s story—those of you who joined one of my book tours or read the book’s epilogue may recall it. Just before he passed away last year on his 106th birthday, he shared his perspective with me on how he maintained resilience during WWII, often when it all seemed stacked against them with fascism spreading across Europe: “We kept reminding ourselves, ‘We haven’t got much, but we’ll give it a go. We’re not running away.’” Len’s words feel especially resonant today.
Finally, a quick note on book events: On November 21st, I’ll be launching my book in Colorado, hosted by Brandy Schultz from Sound Future, alongside Mark Leon Goldberg from Global Dispatches and the Climate and Health Foundation. You can register here, and feel free to invite others. Thanks to Foundation Source, 100% of sales proceeds will be donated to Sound Future, which is doing great work in promoting innovative solutions in sustainability for the music industry.

For those in South Africa, I’m also excited to share that I’ll be speaking at Exclusive Books in Johannesburg on December 3rd, and again in Cape Town on December 5th. Register for Johannesburg here and Cape Town here. Thanks to TransEnergy Global, my publisher Wiley, and Exclusive Books for their support!

Climate Talks Are Off and Running in Baku!

Today, the latest round of climate discussions kicked off in Baku. The Global Citizen team is being represented in person by our UK Advocacy Lead, David Hayman. If you’re attending and would like to connect, feel free to reach out to him directly at david.hayman@globalcitizen.org.

As climate advocates grapple with the recent political shifts in the U.S., the Global Citizen team is focusing on innovative approaches to help raise the funds needed to support countries tackle critical environmental challenges. This includes funding for initiatives that support the end of deforestation (with a focus on protecting the Amazon), the acceleration of renewable energy across Africa, and direct aid to communities facing extreme climate impacts such as hurricanes, droughts, and flooding. Just last year, climate-related events caused more than $350 billion in damages worldwide.

Earlier this year, Global Citizen released a report that highlights solutions to these pressing issues. It was great to see The Guardian today feature a summary that echoed many of our key findings—more awareness for these issues is always welcome! You can find a breakdown of GC’s response from Friederike Röder here.

One of the first updates from the climate talks is that Brazil, Latin America's largest country and one of the world’s top carbon dioxide emitters, has unveiled its latest climate pledge, setting a goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 59-67% by 2035 compared to 2005 levels. While this pledge signals progress, Brazilian climate advocacy group Climate Observatory has voiced concerns that it may fall short of aligning with global climate targets. Of course, someone has to pay for addressing illegal deforestation in the Amazon (one of the major sources of Brazil’s emissions), which we all benefit from. More updates to come on this in the coming week!

Finally, on another positive climate note, I recently wrote an article for Forbes.com highlighting how a few pioneering fashion entrepreneurs are advancing sustainability in the U.S. through innovative manufacturing processes. Up to 8% of global emissions are linked to fashion production and vast water consumption—accounting for 20% of global wastewater and ranking as the second-largest water user. Crucial to the scalability of their efforts is policy change.

Despite the likely future unpredictability of federal actions, however, we’re seeing momentum at the state level. In fact, New York Assembly Member Dr. Anna Kelles shared with me that she’s gearing up to support legislation—the NY Fashion Act—in the upcoming session, aimed at accelerating sustainable practices across the fashion industry, requiring companies of a certain size to set ambitious emission reduction targets. Kelles, recently re-elected on November 5, told me:

"The Fashion Act will continue to be my number one priority bill in the upcoming legislative session, and I have every reason to believe we will be successful in securing its passage next year... It is critical that we are at the table, partnering with the rest of the developed world, to create global environmental regulation for the industry for the first time in history."

Given New York’s economic might—if it were an independent country, it would rank around the 10th or 11th largest globally, ahead of nations like Canada and South Korea—this development is hugely impactful. In the coming years, we’ll be looking to cities, businesses, and states to sustain this momentum. Check out the full article here and promote on linkedin.

Global Citizen Now Rio - Happening this Sunday!

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We’re so excited for Global Citizen NOW Rio de Janeiro this Sunday, November 17th! Confirmed speakers include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, First Lady Janja Lula da Silva, Dr. Fatih Birol from the International Energy Agency, Laurence Tubiana from the European Climate Foundation, and other prominent figures. If you, or those in your network are interested in attending please fill out this form and a member of the Global Citizen team will be in touch.

Nominations are open for the 2025 Global Citizen Prize: Citizen Award

Global Citizen is excited to announce that nominations are open for the 2025 Global Citizen Prize: Citizen Award, celebrating grassroots activists driving change in areas like climate action, gender equality, human rights, health access, and food justice. Winners will be honored at a ceremony in New York City on May 1, 2025, and will receive year-long support from Global Citizen to amplify their impact, including a $10,000 grant. We invite partners and friends to nominate inspiring individuals by December 15, 2024, to join us in recognizing and supporting those leading the fight against extreme poverty.

Talking Polio as we launch Media Stamped

Following World Polio Day last month, I had the opportunity to plug Polio at the MIP Junior panel in Cannes a couple weeks ago. In speaking on misinformation, I highlighted the importance of educating youth to identify healthcare misinformation in order to help drive up vaccination rates and build community trust, both of which are crucial in efforts to eradicate polio.

A Water Positive Future

Did You Know? About 1 in 4 people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water – that’s 2.2 billion people struggling for clean water.

Through our partnership with P&G, we’re working to change that. Together, we’ve launched a new campaign on the Global Citizen app to educate and empower our community to address the global water crisis. By completing the action journey, P&G will donate a year’s supply of clean water to a person in need. The action journey on the app includes:

Learning about the innovation behind P&G’s Clean Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) program and how it has delivered clean water to families in over 100 countries
Testing your knowledge on the water crisis
Taking a pledge to support clean water accessibility through simple, impactful actions

Global Citizen launches a ‘Take Action’ Collection with Eddie Bauer

We are excited to announce the launch of Global Citizen’s 'Take Action' collection in partnership with the iconic outdoor lifestyle brand, Eddie Bauer! Centered on environmental advocacy, this collaboration embodies our shared belief that everyone has a role in protecting and preserving the planet. Check out the five pieces below!

We invite you #JoinTheAdventure and learn more HERE. Also, be sure to check our posts on IG, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn!

Cisco Youth Leader Award Nominations Are Now Open!

Global Citizen and Cisco have just opened the application process for the 2025 Cisco Youth Leadership Awards.. I’m reaching out to ask for your help to get the word out about this transformational award available to young leaders! The award includes a US $250,000 prize paid to the organization to which the individual contributes. Applications are being accepted now through December 18th, 2024 at 20:00 pm EDT. More information can be found here.

Post on your own social media accounts – suggested social posts are available here.
Share the Award page to people in your network who should apply, or who may know people who should apply.

Sign this open letter now and rally our call to preserve French Support for Anti-Poverty Efforts

In recent years, France has been a critical partner in building a world where nations don’t have to choose between addressing extreme poverty and combating climate change. We have counted on France to lead with purpose and vision.Yet, the latest budget proposal tells a different story. The proposal includes a 35% reduction in it’s development budget — a disproportionately severe cut, especially when compared to other budget lines and to the actions of other countries.

Please sign our open letter until Sunday November 10th - 12pm ET and rally +45 prominent organizations and leaders in their call to preserve French ODA.

My Reading List

As always, if you’re enjoying the weekly newsletter format, and want even more, you can subscribe to my Substack here where I publish reviews, lists, and articles regularly.

Till next week,

Mick

P.S. If you’ve read my book and enjoyed it, I’d be incredibly grateful if you could leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews make a huge difference for first-time authors like myself!