Letter from our CEO

December 2021

Relentless optimism.

How should we face the close of a year of massive wildfires, record heatwaves, a continuing megadrought, deep freezes, and monster hurricanes, tornadoes and floods? Oh, and yet another COVID 19 variant is driving infections and hospitalizations and Congress still can’t pass the Build Back Better legislation that would address climate change and our country’s threadbare social infrastructure. Yes, 2021 has been another challenging year.

And we know that more is on the horizon. In August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that global warming is inevitable at this point after decades of inaction. The predictions are dire: even in the best-case scenario, we can still expect regular heat waves, extinction of entire species and rising sea levels. Yet, the report offered a glimpse of hope: we can still mitigate the worst of the expected changes – if we act now.

So how can I maintain relentless optimism in the face of all of this? I have the great fortune of working with people who are on the front lines of building a better future for the generations that follow us.

At Better World Group, we’ve partnered with environmental justice leaders who are fighting for justice so that climate policies center the most vulnerable and impacted. We’ve worked with allies to accelerate the urgent policy solutions that will put us on the path toward zero emissions. We’ve advised, supported, assisted, coordinated, cajoled, and counseled organizations ranging from public agencies to environmental advocates to address the intersections of climate change, racial justice, and economic equity.

Here is just some of the work we have been proud to support:

• Exporting California’s climate leadership: BWG has been on the front lines of California’s most aggressive climate change policies. Recently, our team helped environmental justice advocates and state coalitions that pushed for Oregon and Washington to adopt California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule that requires an increasing percentage of new zero emissions truck sales starting in 2025. We are also working with advocates who are pushing for New York and Massachusetts to adopt the clean trucks rule before the end of the year to bring 20% of the national truck market under a zero-emissions vehicle requirement – efforts that recently passed in New Jersey.

• Resources for climate solutions: Our partners successfully pushed for funding to support climate solutions in the California state budget. Wildfire and forest resiliency efforts received $1.5 billion over the next two years to implement science-backed solutions that reduce the risks of massive wildfires. We also led an “Invest in Clean Air" coalition of more than 50 organizations that secured the inclusion of $3.5 billion for ZEV transportation investments over three years.

• Restoring Mono Lake: We advised the Mono Lake Committee on its successful advocacy for an implementation plan that puts a 2013 settlement agreement into action to restore four streams that feed into Mono Lake. The plan is an important step in addressing ecological challenges for the area.

• Leading at the intersections of climate change and equity: Better World Group and our sister firm, Estolano Advisors, worked with various state agencies in Oregon to infuse equity into their updated climate change adaptation framework. That means that as the state works to prepare residents for the future dangers of climate change, funding and implementation priorities will focus on residents who need help the most or have faced systemic environmental harm due to historic racial injustices.

• Incorporating a racial lens in conservation advocacy: BWG led a group of California desert advocates who sought to be more inclusive of racial justice issues in their efforts to preserve important habitat. Through an eight-month racial justice learning journey, we led a series of workshops and panel conservations that helped underscore how racial injustices need to be addressed in the conservation space, how to be more inclusive of diverse voices, and how to prioritize equity objectives in the work.

As we wrap up 2021 and prepare for the year ahead, we look forward to continuing to work alongside so many great partners who are making it clear that urgency and action is needed to give our communities a fighting chance for a green, vibrant future. We are honored to work alongside so many inspiring and relentless leaders. We remain relentlessly optimistic because our partners and the future generations we serve demand nothing less.

From all of us at Better World Group, we wish you a Happy New Year!