By Ed Miller, co-director of the Joyce Foundation’s environment program
The Joyce Foundation is proud to join other philanthropic organizations in an enhanced, multi-billion-dollar commitment to investing in effective climate solutions. The joint commitment was announced at the global Climate Ambition Summit 2020 on the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.
The three dozen foundations involved are on track to deploy at least $6 billion for work addressing climate change between 2018 and 2025. The initiative was triggered by the need to drastically accelerate action to mitigate increasingly severe climate impacts and devastating risks for communities worldwide.
Only by working together can philanthropies generate the scale of resources this daunting problem requires.
The December 12 summit reinforced calls by civil society organizations around the world for national governments to increase the ambition of their climate action programs in advance of the next major United Nations climate conference in November 2021.
The Joyce Foundation’s work to advance climate solutions is focused on accelerating the shift to carbon-free electric power systems in Midwest states. We support advocates working in coalitions to ensure that the transition to a clean energy system in our region is accomplished within the next two decades and that it increases racial equity, improves public health, and creates economic opportunity for all.
The virtual summit was convened by the United Nations and countries hosting recent and upcoming in-person UN climate summits. It featured numerous heads of state, U.S. governors and mayors, business leaders and charitable organizations.
Video of prominent participant statements, including support for the philanthropic commitment, can be found here.
If you’d like to read more, please see these two articles by Joyce grantees, Environmental Defense Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
About The Joyce Foundation
Joyce is a nonpartisan, private foundation that invests in evidence-informed public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region.