By: George C. Keefe


In an era where climate diplomacy seems stalled by polarization and special interests, a new wave of leadership is taking center stage.

While international agreements and national policies remain essential, they're no longer the only—or even the primary—path forward in addressing our climate crisis.

The most impactful climate action today often bypasses traditional power centers entirely.

In neighborhoods, cities, and states across the globe, extraordinary leaders are creating meaningful change without waiting for permission from above.

Civil servants implementing progressive local policies, grassroots organizers mobilizing communities, faith leaders inspiring ethical action, and local entrepreneurs developing sustainable business models represent a powerful collective force.

Meanwhile, innovation thrives in the private sector, where forward-thinking startups, established businesses, and investment firms are leveraging markets, technology, and capital to accelerate climate solutions.

These leaders understand that environmental sustainability and economic prosperity aren't competing priorities—they're complementary necessities.

We're also witnessing the emergence of influential climate voices in media, science, the arts, and popular culture.

These thought leaders are changing hearts and minds, making climate action both accessible and inspirational to audiences worldwide.

This expanded vision of climate leadership draws power from its diversity.

When we broaden our understanding of who leads climate action, we unlock potential that was previously untapped.

The most effective solutions often emerge from unexpected places: a community group restoring wetlands, an engineer developing carbon-capturing concrete, a fund manager shifting billions toward renewable energy, or an artist helping us visualize a sustainable future.

Local initiatives have proven remarkably effective.

Cities like Copenhagen, pursuing carbon neutrality years ahead of national targets, demonstrate how municipal leadership can outpace federal action.

Community-owned solar projects in rural areas bring clean energy while building economic resilience.

These successes happen not in spite of, but because of their local nature—they're tailored to specific needs and circumstances, building buy-in through proximity and tangible benefits.

At Restore The Climate (RTC), we're committed to amplifying and connecting these diverse leadership efforts toward an ambitious goal: restoring a safe climate by 2050.

We recognize that the current global target of net-zero emissions by 2050 falls short of what's truly needed.

To create a genuinely safe climate, we must remove one trillion tons of CO2 from our atmosphere.

This number might seem overwhelming—one trillion tons is 1,000,000,000,000—but we take hope from a simple fact: Nature has done it before.

Throughout Earth's history, natural processes have sequestered massive amounts of carbon.

With innovation, determination, and collaboration across all sectors of society, we can do it again by 2050.

The timeline is critical.

To restore our climate by mid-century, we need to scale up climate-restoration solutions dramatically within this decade.

By 2030, the foundations must be in place.

This is where our expanded view of leadership becomes essential.

By bringing together neighborhood activists, city planners, business innovators, artists, and scientists—all the diverse climate heroes in our midst—we create the collective power needed to achieve what might otherwise seem impossible.

The future of our planet doesn't rest solely on diplomatic negotiations or congressional votes.

It lives in the actions of countless leaders, working at every level of society, committed to restoring our climate one solution at a time.