Part 1 of the TED Radio Hour episode Lessons From The Summer

It's easy to feel powerless against looming challenges we cannot control — like climate change. So what should we do? Political strategist Tom Rivett-Carnac says the power is in our mindset. A version of this segment was originally heard in the May episode, Climate Mindset.

About Tom Rivett-Carnac

Tom Rivett-Carnac is the co-founder of Global Optimism, a group focused on social and environmental change to survive the climate crisis.

Previously, he was the senior advisor to the Executive Secretary at the UN Climate Convention, where he ran political strategy towards achieving the Paris Agreement in 2015. Before this, he was president and CEO of CDP North America, an organization that utilizes the financial markets to disclose the environmental impact of major corporations.

Rivett-Carnac is also a founding partner of the Climate Pledge. He has held or continues to hold advisory positions at the Clinton Global Initiative, NY Stock Exchange, Leaders' Quest, and the Global Impact Investment Network. He recently co-authored the book, The Future We Choose, and co-hosts the weekly podcast Outrage and Optimism with Christiana Figueres. Early in his career, he spent three years as a Buddhist monk in southeast Asia.

Rivett-Carnac holds a BSc in Environmental Economics from the University of Bath, and an MSc in Systems Science from Plymouth University.

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