-Life as a Climate Crisis Expert and Former UN Environment Programme Director–
Our house is burning. This fact is becoming harder and harder to ignore or push aside. Look no further than the increasing frequency of natural disasters that are ravaging all regions of our planet.
This crisis however, did not unfold overnight. No. It did not. The truth is much more discouraging.
We have been wreaking environmental havoc on the planet for years and yet, we as caretakers were always willing to shift our resources, time and attention towards more pressing self-induced catastrophes such as political sabre-rattling activities, actual wars or economic crisis.
All the while though, our planet and only home we have ever known was sending us its own warnings and messages about dire changes that were rapidly taking place. Most of us looked away.
However, not all were oblivious to the peril we have been setting ourselves up for. There have been scientists and global experts that have been waving red flags for years. It is only now that such warnings are finally being heard.
Fortunately, we have one such climate crisis visionary on the program today who has been literally dedicating his professional and arguably personal life for years towards educating others on the dangers, as well as actions we can take to head off this monumental crisis we all face.
Introducing
Svein Tveitdal is a Norwegian based Climate Crisis Expert and Former UN Environment Programme Director as well as environmental ambassador to the Norwegian city of Arendal.
He is also the founder and CEO of Klima2020, an environmental consultancy based in Norway which is centred on lecturing and advising businesses and local authorities that want to position themselves alongside and within this Green Shift that is beginning to take shape.
His organization places a particular focus is on bridging the gap between climate science, policy makers and the general public.
Skills & Background
His background, experiences and professional engagement reads off much like a climate activist highlight reel. Let me bring you up to speed on some of those said activities.
- Owner and CEO of the aforementioned consultancy, Klima 2020
- Former Assistant Executive Director, (UNEP) United Nations Environment Program where he was responsible for the Division for Policy Implementation and the Division for Environmental Conventions including the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) secretariat. He was also the Polar advisor to the Executive Director.
- Former managing Director UNEP/GRID- (Global Resource Information Database) which the UN used to bridge the knowledge gap between climate scientists, policymakers and the public. Svein set up the fifth global center for GRID in Arendal, Norway
- Board Chairman and participation for the likes of the Norwegian Rainforest Foundation, Climate Point AS, Climate Compensation Fund, PurityIT (Green IT provider), The Energy Farm International Foundation, and NORFUND (Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries). These are a mere sampling of his board level activities with truthfully too many others to list
Currently, his present activities include lecturing, writing and participation in the public debate on global climate where he has morphed into a true global social influencer on this issue.
Make no mistake though, all of this illustrates the passion, drive and determination he has had towards doing his part to ensure that we as planetary caretakers, are doing the right things to ensure a sustainable existence.
Global Social Influencer on Climate Change
In fact, he has amassed a base of over 320,000 faithful and engaged Twitter followers who look to Svein for the most up to date and relevant social commentary covering the climate crisis.
Published Works
Finally, Svein has authored respected publications centered on this notion of raising awareness and spurring action towards tackling climate change issues. These publications include “Climate in Peril” (2010) a Popular guide to the IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)and “Green Shift” (2013) A handbook for environmentally friendly regions in Europe.
Reasons to Listen
In Svein’s career and professional experiences, he has seen and heard it all when it comes to climate change discussion and discourse. Resultantly, his insights carry much weight when deciphering between the progress we have made and what we are still clearly failing at.
In this talk, Svein shares his deep concern about our current plight brought on by our outward prioritization of the now over the future when it comes to taking meaningful action and actually doing something meaningful to head off this crisis we are currently faced with.
That being said, he also shares many ideas about what can still be done if we can align our own values on micro scale and work them up to macro level actions and initiatives.
Svein’s blend of experience of data, insight and experiences hit hard and fast but that is exactly what we need as far facing the realities of climate change.
I would encourage all listeners to tune in to this rich discussion.
A Memorable Quote from the Episode:
“We need policy. If we had time, we could leave this to the market. In fifty years everything will be electric. But we do not have the time. The focus has to be on reducing the power and impact of the fossil fuel industry. We must stop subsidizing it.”
Svein Tveitdal
Check out the Video Conversation:
For those who desire to view the full video conversation of this discussion, you can do so via Youtube.
Words of Wisdom:
Hear from Svein as he shares advice to those looking to establish a career in environmental protection and or conservation.
Discover More
For those interested in learning more about Svein and his work, you can find and connect with him through his website Klima2020. Finally you can follow him on the following social platforms:
Keep Listening!
I hope you enjoyed the episode. For more, check out additional episodes here!
