Introduction by Mindy Lubber
Last year will be remembered as the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era. Three powerful signals in the last three months of 2023 underscore this turning point. For the first time, the final agreement at COP28 explicitly commits the world to “transitioning away from fossil fuels.” A pair of landmark corporate climate disclosure laws in California herald a new age of measuring and managing climate risk. And the largest U.S. pension fund, CalPERS, is lighting the path forward with their historic commitment to invest $100 billion in climate solutions by 2030. But let’s not kid ourselves, optimism and consensus are in short supply. This is also a year that will be noted for climate change setbacks along with record-breaking temperatures and natural disasters. On the global stage, rising oil and gas production coupled with terrifying conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are cause for alarm. Here in the U.S., partisan gridlock is stalling progress and the fossil fuel industry-funded anti-ESG efforts have chilled private sector leadership. So why am I hopeful? In a word, community .
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In November 2019, 132 Ceres staff gathered in Boston. This year’s all staff gathering will include 209 staff.
| introduction
2023 Leadership Circle Executive Summary | 2
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