S1E29 - Molly Kawahata - Deploying Hope
We met with former White House Climate Advisor to President Obama, Molly Kawahata, to hear her innovative perspectives on how to make a real difference in society and for the planet. She is principally focused on how we mobilize productive human psychology to motivate broad systemic change. Her insights are fascinating, born of her own personal struggles, that society writ large has been brainwashed into paralysis with propaganda from the fossil fuel industry that is designed to rob us of hope. It seems an impossible premise, but she effectively argues her case of how this happened, and what those concerned about the future of the planet can do differently to make concrete progress toward the “zero carbon promised land.” While applauding those who make personal choices and sacrifices to help the environment in their own lives, Kawahata eschews climate shaming of all kinds, and sees no averting climate catastrophe without public policy that decarbonizes our industrial, transportation and energy sectors. It is not our fault that we use these sectors. They are the only ones that those without privilege have available to access. Most importantly, she implores us to change the debate away from “saving the polar bears” that those with “boots on their neck” can’t afford to care about, to a practical discussion about pollution and equitable access to clean air and water. We can all see the impact from reducing pollution, and we can have hope in our personal ability to make a meaningful impact. What can you do? Deploy hope and get out the vote. Join us for an exhilarating discussion.
Biography
Molly Kawahata is featured in the 2022 Patagonia film “The Scale of Hope,” advocating to reframe the climate crisis as an endeavor worthy of hope. She is the Founder of Systemic Impact Strategies, a consultancy advising leading brands, corporations, nonprofits, foundations, and thought leaders on strategy development and communications. Molly's work today centers around how to harness psychology and neuroscience research to re-align the climate movement around systemic change. In the Obama Administration, Molly served as a White House Climate Advisor where she helped implement President Obama’s energy agenda and Climate Action Plan. She went on to join Google’s energy team (via Adecco), where she helped launch the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact in partnership with the UN — a global coalition of national and state governments, energy suppliers, climate-tech companies, clean energy buyers, environmental nonprofits, and other influential organizations on a collective mission to decarbonize electric grids to absolute zero. Molly’s ultimate goal is to give everybody access to the climate movement, and make the climate movement a fight for everybody through systemic change. She regularly does public speaking and podcasts to help an array of audiences — from companies to organizations to activists — focus their work around systemic climate action. She is a Fellow with the Clean Energy Leadership Institute, a Member in Residence with See Change, and an Advisory Council member to the AAPI Victory Fund. Outside of work, Molly loves ice climbing and can usually be found at her local crag or in the mountains.
Conversation recorded on February 24, 2023.