Christiana Figueres — Ecological Hope, and Spiritual Evolution
Nov 9, 2023
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Christiana Figueres, an environmental leader and advocate for spiritual evolution, discusses the ecological crisis, the need for a belief system that embraces realities, finding healing through Buddhism, the potential of renewable energy, radical regeneration, embracing pain for intentional action, building spiritual infrastructure, and nurturing the best of humanity.
Embracing and understanding our pain, fear, and grief is crucial for effectively addressing the climate crisis.
Recognizing our interconnectedness with nature and choosing a mindset of empowerment can lead to spiritual evolution and bridge the gap between civilization and wilderness.
In the face of uncertainty, embracing humility, humor, and letting go of attachments to the past can enable us to adapt and respond to the challenges and possibilities of the present and future.
Deep dives
The Power of Grounding in Emotions
Christiana Figueres, the former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, discusses the importance of grounding in emotions to address the climate crisis. She emphasizes that understanding and embracing our pain, fear, and grief is crucial to responding effectively. By cultivating a mindset of love and joy, we can choose to act from a place of clarity and determination instead of succumbing to fear or burnout. Figueres believes that our emotional well-being is essential for personal resilience, regeneration, and engaging constructively with the challenges of climate change.
Conscious Choice and Spiritual Evolution
Figueres highlights the importance of conscious choice and spiritual evolution in addressing the ecological crisis. She suggests that climate change is an opportunity for humanity to evolve to a higher level of awareness and consciousness. By recognizing our interconnectedness with nature and living as part of nature, we can bridge the gap between civilization and wilderness. Figueres encourages individuals to choose a mindset of empowerment and take responsibility for creating a better world for future generations.
Letting Go of the Old World
Figueres calls on individuals to let go of the old world, recognizing that clinging to the past is futile. She emphasizes that change is inherent in the nature of evolution and that the old world has already passed. In the face of uncertainty, Figueres urges humility and a sense of humor, acknowledging the impermanence of everything. By embracing the uncertainty and letting go of attachments to the past, we can develop the capacity to adapt and respond to the challenges and possibilities of the present and future.
The Power of Mindset Shift for Addressing Climate Change
Changing the narrative around climate change is essential, shifting from a mindset of doom and despair to one of hope and conviction. This shift is crucial to motivate collective action and to counteract the prevailing belief that we are too late to make a difference. While acknowledging the urgency of the situation and the scientific evidence, it is necessary to cultivate a mindset that believes we have the solutions and the capability to create a better future. This involves recognizing the exponential growth of renewable energy technologies, the abundance of resources available, and the potential for transformative change.
Building a Spiritual Infrastructure for Transformation
The transformation required to address the climate crisis goes beyond technological and policy changes. It necessitates a spiritual infrastructure that encompasses personal growth, collective impact, and a shift away from individualistic and scarcity-based thinking. This spiritual infrastructure invites regeneration at both the individual and planetary levels, encouraging resilience, care for nature, and collaboration. By recognizing the interconnectedness of all beings and expanding our presence in the world, we can contribute to the collective transformation necessary for flourishing and create a lasting positive impact on the planet.
The ecological crisis we are standing before is at once civilizational and personal — intimately close to each of us in the places we love and inhabit, and unfolding at a species level. And as much as anyone alive on the planet now, Christiana Figueres has felt the overwhelm of this and stepped into service. She gives voice so eloquently to the grief that we feel and must allow to bind us to each other — and what she sees as a spiritual evolution the natural world is calling us to.
If you have wondered how to keep hope alive amidst a thousand reasons to despair, if you are ready to take your despair as fuel — intrigued by the idea of stepping into love and immediate realities of abundance and regeneration — this conversation is for you.
Christiana Figueres was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010-2016, and is known as the powerhouse who made the 2015 Paris Agreement possible — in which 195 nations worked with their wildly diverse conditions and points of view on the what and the when and the why, and yet made commitments in service of our hurting planet and the future of humanity. Her book, written together with Tom Rivett-Carnac, is The Future We Choose. She is founding partner of the organization Global Optimism and co-hosts the podcast Outrage + Optimism.
