Natalia Vasquez’s Post

Why Fresh Perspectives Matter in Shaping Our Future This morning, I watched a recap of Xiye Bastida at the Bloomberg Green Festival. Her questions struck a chord with me—questions that go far beyond climate change. She challenges us to ask the uncomfortable. For me, this is directly relevant to how we build products and lead teams in tech—and across industries. Xiye asks: Why aren't we integrating youth voices at decision-making levels? Too often, we dismiss fresh perspectives. And we miss the chance to see problems in new ways. The future belongs to younger generations. We need to start collaborating with them now. Diverse perspectives lead to better solutions. She also challenged the idea that "more is better." It got me thinking about how we often push for bigger, faster solutions in tech. I’ve learned the value of stepping back to ask: What problem are we really solving? It’s not about the newest feature or fastest growth—it’s about creating meaningful solutions that add real value. The products we create should make a difference, not just contribute to endless output. Maybe it’s time to step back. Ask why. Create space for new ideas. That’s where real innovation happens. Watch Xiye’s Climate Change talk here:

Every decision we make today regarding the environment shapes the world we will live in tomorrow. In celebration of #IWD2024 and our #PeopleofNEA, meet Dr Chen Chen, a Senior Research Scientist at NEA’s Centre for Climate Research Singapore, who played a key role in conducting V3, Singapore’s Third National Climate Change Study. This study is crucial as it forms the scientific foundation for understanding how climate could change in Singapore and the Southeast Asia region by end century, helping us prepare for challenges like rising temperatures and more intense weather extreme events. Through initiatives like V3, we gain valuable insights into future climate changes and their potential impacts, informing the development of strategies and policies to enhance resilience in the face of climate change. While weather forecasts predict short-term conditions, climate projections offer long-term insights, guiding informed decisions to protect our planet and create a better future for all. Small actions and individual efforts like practising the 3Rs — reduce, reuse, recycle — can help fight against climate change. Together, let's build a sustainable and resilient future.  #WomeninSTEM #NEAscientist

In honour of International Women’s Day 2024, meet Dr Chen Chen, Senior Research Scientist in CCRS’ Climate Projections and Extremes Branch. She played a key role in conducting Singapore’s Third National Climate Change Study (V3), which forms the scientific foundation for understanding how climate could change in Singapore and the Southeast Asia region by end century.   🌏 Swipe to find out more about Dr Chen and her work. 🌏 Learn more about V3 and its key findings: go.gov.sg/v3-dvp   #WomenInSTEM #ClimateResearch #ClimateProjections #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeSG #V3

To ensure global preparedness in the face of climate change, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has committed to developing and implementing a plan to accurately forecast environmental changes and organize governmental action (1). UNEP’s recent report, Navigating New Horizons – A Global Foresight Report on Planetary Health and Human Wellbeing, discusses eight critical shifts that are accelerating what’s known as the triple planetary crisis – the intersection of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution: A lack of strong intergovernmental agreements Misinformation and declining trust in political institutions Income and wealth inequality  Mass forced displacement Human influence on the environment Scarcity of critical resources Changes in technology, including artificial intelligence  Armed conflict and violence The report also identifies eighteen ‘signals of change’ that serve as early warnings of new global disruptions. It concludes with a hopeful message about the power of human innovation to deliver impactful solutions, including by developing a new social contract on governance and improvements in data collection and sharing. See resources and articles cited below:  (1)https://lnkd.in/dzszuapq

The Rockefeller Foundation’s annual Impact Report is here. In 2023, we helped: ⚡ 1.2M people access improved energy 🍎 137M people gain better nutrition 🩺 500K+ community health workers 💰 Mobilize $1B+ for development 'Learning Today to Transform Opportunity Tomorrow' provides a snapshot of a dynamic moment in our history and a recap of the stories, data, and progress we have achieved in 2023. Less than a year after launching the Foundation’s five-year climate strategy, this report is not meant to grade our progress but to inform it. To find out more, please download and read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/edbeM8hY A heartfelt gratitude to our partners for making us a part of their journey. We look forward to continuing to work with you at the intersection of climate and human opportunity. Rajiv J. Shah Elizabeth Yee Natalye Paquin Ashvin Dayal Naveen Rao Roy Steiner Maria Kozloski Erica Guyer Eason Jordan Eileen O'Connor Zia Khan William Asiko Keith Olson Michael Muldoon Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) Ade Soekadis Ratri Sutarto The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) Kitty Bu Saurabh Kumar Asian Institute of Technology ARTPARK Raghu Dharmaraju Dr Bhaskar Rajakumar The Global FoodBanking Network

The issue of climate change cannot be ignored. In the last five decades, the Earth's surface temperature has increased significantly, primarily due to the high concentrations of greenhouse gases caused by industrial processes. Therefore, climate change substantially impacts countries and cities with high social and economic vulnerability. In its capacity to transfer skills to communities, Creativity Lab for Empowerment and Innovation is a major player in advanced human capital that synthesizes territorial and global knowledge. We have created a video for our project: Social Innovation Labs to combat climate change.

#4 🧠 Food For Thought Series: In our rapidly evolving global landscape, where challenges like climate change, inequality, and health crises loom large, it's imperative that we channel our intellectual heritage to forge new paths forward. As Ludwig Wittgenstein famously stated, 'The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.' This profound insight serves as a beacon for today's thought leaders. It urges us to expand our linguistic, cultural, and intellectual horizons to fully engage with and transform the world around us. What if the solution to global warming lies not only in scientific innovation but also in a revolutionary shift in how we communicate and cooperate across borders? Imagine the potential for progress if our dialogue included not just voices from the developed world but also the wisdom of those from areas most affected by climate extremes. Moreover, consider the implications of inequality—how might our understanding of economics change if we integrated ethical considerations into the very fabric of financial theory? Could we build a system that values human well-being as the ultimate wealth? As we navigate these complex issues, let's initiate conversations that challenge conventional thinking and encourage holistic approaches. What 'new language' do you think we need to invent to address our most pressing global issues? How can we leverage our collective intellectual capital to not just react to changes but to actively shape a better future? Engage with these ideas, share your thoughts, and let's collaboratively craft a narrative that not only understands the world as it is but imagines it as it could be. Together, we can redefine the boundaries of possibility. #ideas #foodforthought #development #growth

Climate Week NYC (September 22-29 2024) is the annual climate event of its kind; each year, business leaders, political change makers, local decision-makers, and civil society representatives of all ages and backgrounds, from all over the world, gather to drive the transition, speed up progress, and champion change that is already happening. Source & Credits: Climate Group 💡We support the transition to a sustainable world, discovering and promoting innovation, startups and best practices. 📌 If You Know Innovative Ideas, Plant Your Seeds & Share Your Suggestions. #SDGs #GlobalGoals #SaC24 #ClimateWeekNYC #ClimateWeek #ClimateAction

Congratulations to Deepali Khanna and the The Rockefeller Foundation team on another successful AsiaXchange event that brought together over 300 stakeholders, including financiers, policymakers, frontline community representatives, and solution providers, to discuss ways to build a sustainable, low-carbon future for the region. The discussions at the convening focused on using a systems approach to drive collaboration across sectors to accelerate green transformation in Asia. Changing systems is challenging because of complex factors like entrenched interests, limited resources, and the long time it takes to see results. I shared my experience of building alliances and the opportunities and challenges they bring. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face today. We have solutions, but real progress will only happen when we put people first and drive systemic change through coordinated collaboration. Watch the session here https://bit.ly/4dLhbOQ

What stood out to me from this meeting was the “sense of urgency” and a “change in rhetoric” a couple of the speakers mentioned as being needed. That can be achieved thru support for and education about the communal Giant kelp forests of California. Through the forest’s main inhabitant the Red Sea urchin, clarity on the problem and solution of the kelp collapse can be obtained. By learning about the forest above and below the water line thru underwater video/gps map, how Red Sea urchin and kelp reproduce, how much has changed as far as forest/red urchin volume over past few decades is key to conveyance of; “Sense of urgency” the truth about scope and severity of carbon situation/kelp forest & ocean status “Change in rhetoric” can be achieved thru interconnected, coexistence Native education that accompanies (kelp, sea urchin education) the no waste business plan, the essence of who Natives (Americans) are and what they do, leave a postive/beneficial footprint in their wakes. A entire kelp forest can be regrown thru leaving the signature Native footprint/legacy in ocean by cooling and filtering of ocean (reconditioning) to support a multi trophic aquaculture project to regrow a kelp forest like it is supposed to grow in nature (in conjunction with humans) as opposed to isolated with ropes/lines/buoys/trash in ocean like is promoted presently (in spite of humans/pollution). A underwater video project (streaming service of the Giant kelp’s dwindling perimeter where I have harvested over past several decades) which conveys how dense the forest is (was) and how much is gone will do a lot to achieve what was mentioned in carbon meeting, garner public support and understanding.