Today, we are learning from Elise Buckle.

Elise is a globally recognized climate leader and expert who has been working in the field of climate and sustainability for 24 years. She is President and CEO of Climate Bridges, and Founder of the SHE Builds Bridges for Climate Action network. She has been nominated as International Gender Champion (IGC) and is now the Co-Chair of the IGC Climate and Gender Impact Group. 

Elise has a strong track record of working as a partnership facilitator and catalyst for change, building bridges and successful global alliances to unlock the power of collective action and deliver positive impacts for climate, people and nature. She is also a leadership mentor and teaches sustainability and entrepreneurship at the Glion Institute of Excellence in Hospitality.

Let's get started...

In this conversation with Elise Buckle, I learned:

00:00 Intro

02:50 The DNA of Climate Bridges is radical collaboration.

03:20 How her children and the fires in Australia gave Elise the inspiration to start She Builds Bridges.

04:50 Move beyond our egos and logos.

05:55 A good work/life balance with running and staying connected with nature.

06:50 During a mid-life crisis re-connected with your source of energy.

08:25 The Climate crisis is also a civilization crisis. We need to re-connect to our deep values and put nature and people back at the heart of society and the heart of the economy.

09:10 Value what counts, for example, the care economy which is undervalued at the moment.

10:30 We build bridges, to make it more inclusive.

11:50 Go beyond the stories of us against them, or them against us.

11:30 Together working as one team, for one planet.

12:45 Rebuild the bridges of compassion.

18:00 A peace agreement has 63% more chance of lasting when you have women at the table.

22:15 It's not just individual actions, it's also about strong public policies and strong climate leaders as heads of state.

24:45 The young generation has the right to know we are facing a climate change emergency.

25:30 It's easy to give up and deny climate science.

26:00 Turn the climate grief into optimism.

26:15 We have to act for future generations.

28:55 There is no business and there are no jobs on a dead planet.

30:40 Change is happening fast, but is it fast enough?

32:30 Even if we stop emitting today and stop using fossil fuels, climate change is still happening. But we need to stop now, to not increase it even further and make it even worse.

34:00 We will need to accept that we can live with less, to be resilient and show solidarity with all people on the planet.

37:00 Connecting the dots of her work with decision-makers and public mobilisation. The top-down climate policy and advocacy work, and the bottom-up support, create a double squeeze.

41:15 The dandelion is the only flower that grows on seven continents, it is a symbol of hope, of energy, of spring after the winter, and the seeds go very far and amplify very quickly. It stands for spreading the seeds of hope, solutions and action.

43:15 At COP29 climate finance will be at the heart of the negotiations. Push hard for gender-responsive climate finance.

45:10 Elise shares a message of hope to all of us. Everyone can be a climate leader. We all talk about it and act on it. She shares some practical tips.

46:00 We are all part of the problem, but we are also part of the solution.

46:10 Working as one team for one planet.

More about Elise Buckle:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elise-buckle/ 

https://www.climate-sustainability.org/

https://www.youtube.com/live/xnb9SewHZTo?si=sJBvqR8z2PE-4__C&t=1468 (talk at Caux IDG forum) part 1 and part 2  https://www.youtube.com/live/xnb9SewHZTo?si=JrHHN3DhLhq4Z9FP&t=3362

Resources we mention:

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet - book by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Caux IDG Forum