Natural Intelligence Worldwide

The Ocean: Our Source of Life and Every Second Breath Peter Thomson; Special Envoy for UN to Oceans   In my interview with Peter Thompson, the Special Envoy to the UN on Oceans; he begins our conversation with this sobering message from the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. “We are knowingly destroying the life support systems of the planet.” It is extraordinary to me that we have come so far in our biological discourse on humanity’s relationship to nature to now directly state that our carbon, plastic, waste pollution is destroying the planet…and the seat of life, the ocean. Do we really understand that without a health ocean, we don’t have a healthy planetary system to support all of life on earth, including our own? Do we really feel the agency and urgency to act? Do we know what to do? Well, Peter Thompson gives us a few clues…and in the end, it is clear that our success or failure of stewarding life on earth IS all up to me and you. So… Let’s be diligent and consistent and vocal about our personal ban on single use plastic. As with CV 19 we are all becoming more conscious about what we touch; let’s become conscious about how much plastic we let into our homes and life. Let’s be diligent and consistent and vocal about our food choices—and shift food fashion from top predator fin fish and shell fish 24/7 and out of season to high protein, marine-rich tofu. Let’s be diligent and consistent and vocal about our concern for the disappearance of the coral reef ecosystem and the decimation of marine wildlife due to illegal fishing and consumption. Let’s let our local, regional, national political leaders know that we care about the ocean… and we want them to prioritize caring about and protecting them too.

Bringing Cultural Intelligence Home Hindou Ibrahim Chair of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad   I saw by my eyes, my future seven generations ahead and seven generations back and because of this I know which way to go. This statement captures the essence of my conversation with Hindou Ibrahim, the Chair for the Association of Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad. Speaking to Hindou is like speaking to nature herself, whose ability to adapt and to react to the changing environment and climate is as fluid, simple, direct, and natural as breathing. Like many Indigenous Peoples, Hindou has been trained since childhood in the cultural intelligence of her people- she knows the land, she’s learned how to observe the animals. She is sensitized to the climate, and she views her home as not just the family house, but as the wider community and bioregion. It’s her nature. Its the cultural intelligence she was gifted by her family. Hindou was fortunate to be born into a place and people who value above all else their cultural and ecological heritage, and who teach a way of directly sensing in the world “with my own eyes”—valuing every person and every living being as part of the natural ecosystem—making decisions about how to act—seven generations forward and seven generations back. In our conversation, Hindou shares with us how each one of us-whether we live in a suburb or a city can also learn how awaken our cultural intelligence, to respect every member of our society—the gardener, the farmer, the grocer, the health worker—as home-keepers. We can evolve our cultural intelligence to value every person as an essential worker in supporting our livelihoods;  and to value nature as essential to regenerating sustainable economies.

Today marked the end of the 73rd Annual World Health Assembly hosted by the World Health Organization for member states. President Macron, Chancellor Merkel, the spokesperson for the European Commission, Virginie Battu-Henriksson— all emphasized that global cooperation forward is the only effective means to avoid a viral spiral. These European Heads of State and many other world leaders agreed to help support and further fund the worldwide efforts of the WHO to continue responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.   The World Health Organization, comprised of 7000 employees in 100 countries, assists all countries to respond to health crises, and especially the developing, most vulnerable nations. And yet, WHO operates worldwide on a third of the US Center for Disease Control budget, reserved only for the United States.   In my interview with Dr. David Nabarro in our continuing series: “Combatting COVID19 with Compassion” it is abundantly clear that our primary coordinated action must be to make it hard for the virus to move—and that means to practice good hygiene everywhere, protect yourself and others from spreading the virus by wearing masks and keeping physical distance, by ensuring local, sustainable community based health services in every town, village, county, and city—and by creating a smart system for preventing spread, protecting the most vulnerable, testing, isolating cases, contact tracing, and diligent, continual adaptation in business and government to respond to the highly contagious COVID-19 everywhere, all the time.   As information is everywhere; it’s super important to critically evaluate one’s sources; so I am happy that I have the privilege to bring to you one of the most trusted sources of information on global pandemics, Dr. David Nabarro.  

Combatting COVID 19 with Compassion Episode III: Solidarity with Developing Countries And compassion will lead us home, back to a healthier more equitable global society; if we urgently now direct our attention, resources, best learned Covid19 prevention practices, and health expertise (perhaps also virtual) toward communities in developing countries with little or no local health infrastructure. These small village communities and larger urban slums or refugee camps are the most vulnerable now to becoming infected by the corona virus— a virus which has largely spread from the developed world to the developing world seemingly overnight.   How do you “stay home” when you are homeless? Conversely, how can you sleep at night without contributing somehow to the COVID 19 fight, knowing that others who live in the dark, have — to a high quality life- the same birth right? Let’s not forget that the poverty, hunger, conflict, and climate refugee humanitarian crises are still with us…and these people-these communities are not NOT NOW SAFE. They are the least resilient against the corona virus. And, they will be the communities to advance a second global wave of COVID 19 if we are not careful- NOW. In my interview with Dr. David Nabarro in our continuing series: “Combatting COVID19 with Compassion” it is abundantly clear that we as a global society have a massive opportunity here to invest in the long term health of our future— to finance a complete upgrade of developing world health infrastructure, to reset our global economy trending more toward greater equality, and to create a safer society practicing better hygiene and living more nutritious, healthy lives. If we play our cards right now, we can stay ahead of the COVID 19 curve while scientists find a vaccine and we can leverage the crisis to rebuild together a better world— one that’s more resilient, more prepared for future crisis, more energy and resource efficient… and optimally more humanitarian.

Combatting COVID 19 with Compassion: Rigorous Solidarity is Key Be safe. Be smart, Be kind. This mantra lies at the heart of our NEW series with Dr. David Nabarro, : Combatting COVID 19 with Compassion. Again, David now serves as a Special Envoy to COVID 19 with the World Health Organization. In this episode we focus on building solidarity locally and globally. Now that we are in lock-down; people need to feel supported emotionally, socially, psychologically; while physically isolating. There are 5 things needed on in every community to build and sustain solidarity: Knowledge is key, communication is key; public health resources and linking people to them is key. Everyone can participate in the COVID 19 solution— don’t wait to be asked, figure out ways to use your skills to help, , team up, adapt to others, and serve reliably—others are depending on you. These same principles apply at a global governance level, as well. Rigorous solidarity in coordinating plans, programs, and especially sharing resources with the most vulnerable in developing countries becomes most important. Let’s listen now to what David has to say about meeting the eye of the COVID 19 storm with Compassion.

Combatting COVID 19 with Compassion Series with David Nabarro, Special Envoy to WHO on COVID 19 Who would have thought before March 11th that our world would be turned upside down by a microscopic virus? But, today we have the COVID19 pandemic crisis well rooted in 199 countries and territories. At the time of my interview Dr. David Nabarro is the Special Envoy on COVID19 to the United Nations and former Executive Secretary to the World Health Organization. At the time of my interview with him there were 333,000 cases, less than 36 hours later the WHO reports 465,915 cases, worldwide. The pace and scale of transmission of COVID19 is extraordinary. And , we- the citizens of the world, lie at the heart of the solution to break the chains of transmission and bend the global outbreak curve. Clear from my interview with David is that physical distancing and sheltering in place is mission critical now for every person , everywhere. As well, its essential to be well ad rightly informed about the virus from the world’s leading experts. Join me in learning from David about the emergence of the corona virus, the cause and casualty of transmission, what it’s going to take (and how long) to mitigate and eradicate this virus, and who we must support- the 59 million health care workers on the ground, risking their lives to take care of the sick.

Indigenous Peoples- Guardians of Human+Nature Health Part I Our earth, what have we done to our earth? Oh, nature will survive. The real question is: What have we done to ourselves? Is COVID 19- nature’s wake up call, an opportunity to look at our world, the pace and purpose of our lives, the drivers of our market-based economy, and the impacts of our peoples on our planet? What can we learn from Indigenous Peoples about re-creating our human+nature relationship with humility? What can we learn from Indigenous Peoples about regenerating the natural places we love? What can we learn from Indigenous Peoples about rising above the fear, the force of a common threat to build communal resilience and common respect for every living creature on the planet? Rising from COVID19,  as I believe we will, we have an historic opportunity to learn about how to be a thriving people in thriving places— we call home. We can evolve to become a new humane humanity if we would only stop, look, and listen to the ways and wisdom of Indigenous Peoples all over the world. They are responsible for protecting nearly 80% of the intact ecosystems in our biosphere. They are the true guardians of earth’s vital ecosystems. They are the secret to our recovery from pandemic diseases, like COVID19 and other global threats, like climate change. They are the people who are going to bring us back to human+nature health. Let’s listen to what Peter Seligmann, Chair of Conservation International and CEO of Nia Tero has to tell us about how he and his poly-culture organization are going to help bring humanity back to health— back to real life on a thriving planet.

It’s Education & Political Will, Stupid: Divesting from Fossil Fuels and Investing in Green, Clean, Renewable Energy is Simply Smart Now that we know with the corona virus—that when the world is faced with a global threat, perceived unilaterally by all as a global threat; governments can- in fact, move relatively swiftly; perhaps not always rightly, but relatively swiftly and forcibly, to mobilize and regulate large populations. When in our lifetimes have we witnessed a widespread shutdown of business and travel; and legally enforcible home- neighborhood lockdown? Not in my lifetime… Thus it begs the question: in the wake of the corona virus, how can governments apply these lock-down strategies and enforce these same regulations on business to shift from a still dominant fossil fuel economy powered by petroleum based oil, gas, and coal to a clean, renewable energy economy running on a global grid? Undeniably, this energy transition now makes social, environmental, AND also economic sense… So, what’s holding us back? Why have banks continued to invest 1.4 trillion USD in future fossil fuel investments this year? Especially, when they know that the RE energy transition is happening and that these energy assets will soon be stranded assets? Long Time climate action expert, Jennifer Morgan, now the CEO of Greenpeace International joins me to share her reflections on “Why”.  

Crisis Creates Leaders at the Intersection of Business-Government-Society Andrew Liveris, former CEO and Chair of Dow; Board Member to Saudi Aramco We are living in a world continually impacted by more frequent and intense natural crises -- the earth’s responses to past and current human activity. The good news is that crisis creates leadership, according Andrew Liveris, former CEO and Chair of Dow. In our conversation at Davos 2020, Andrew gives us hope in alerting us that an intellectual revolution is happening. New models of leadership, business, and governance are being proposed and considered, while new intersections of leadership among formerly isolated groups in government, business, and society are beginning to take shape. We are not there yet; but the good news is that there is economic opportunity in regenerating nature and in turning waste to wealth. Let’s listen to more of what Andrew has to say about collaborating forward on the issues of natural capital, plastic pollution, sustainability, and more.  

Diving Deep: How Technology and Near Real-Time Data Capture Helps us Dynamically Manage Fishing Operations and Ocean Ecosystems   The earth’s ocean comprises 70% of the earth’s surface and is 3700 m deep (on average) and 10 trillion times more opaque than the earth’s atmosphere. What this means is that historically we have known very little about the vast ocean ecosystem, let alone its health. However, now given the constellation of 1000’s of low level satellites-equipped with different sensing devices distributed around the earth, recently we have begun to learn a lot more. In my interview with Jim Leape, the Co-Director for Stanford’s Center for Ocean Solutions, he shares with us a few emerging technologies that are allowing companies that buy seafood and governments that regulate international waters to better understand the provenance of the fish and identify illegal fishing operations. Join me for this fascinating underwater exploration of technology that is driving the more dynamic and transparent management of our ocean ecosystem.

There's No Planet B or Ocean Z: It’s Time to Truly See Protecting Sea for What it Means to You and Me Prince Albert II of Monaco Clearly important to acting on climate is educating ourselves, sharing our knowledge, and reducing our carbon footprint in our daily lives. This means being awake and award of: What we buy? How we move? Where we use energy? How we zero-out and eliminate all waste? Cleary important for us to now know as humans is that we have tipped the natural order of life quite far, so far, so as to jeopardize our own survival… and our children’s future. In my interview with Prince Albert  of Monoco we talk about:   educating ourselves and acting on climate; why biodiversity loss is so important to us; climate solutions local, regional, and national leaders can take in cities; the importance of legacy; and vision for 2050.   If our human civilization needs to decarbonize our lifestyles to become carbon neutral by 2050… that means all of us.

Rumblings on the New Bio Economy- A Cultural Revolution Happening We inherently know that we are connected to one another and the natural world. We also know that we suffer—emotionally, biophysically, socially, and economically when we disconnect from nature. Yet, we have advanced our human civilization in competition with nature, extracting earth resources as if they were infinite, polluting our ecosystems as if they were too big to fail, and exploiting wildlife as if extinction was only a dinosaur myth from the past. Now, as we are too many people, taking too much from nature without giving back. We are driving the biosphere to the edge of collapse. We have altered 3/4th of the planet; risking not only the wellbeing of other plants and animals, but risking our own Homo sapiens (Wise human) species. Now, we need a new cultural narrative. We need to advance our human civilization in collaboration with nature. We need to grow our global economy, societies, and businesses with a clear commitment to conserve nature and to recover ecosystem integrity. A new deal for nature and people now seems to require not just protection, but regeneration of degraded, damaged and developed systems. The good news is that the business opportunities to adopt this new deal narrative are infinite in the new bio- based economy… And, as $ 44 trillion USD (or half the GDP of the planet) are dependent on healthy, thriving ecosystems; then business can’t afford to wait. Investors in the future of business and businesses themselves must adapt and include nature in their calculations or risk their own demise. Time to Evolve. What can you do? Listen into my interview with Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International and find out how.

Focus on Forests The Amazon Forest, literally the lungs of the planet- responsible for respiring 20% of the world’s oxygen, was on fire most of the summer. Nearly 76,000 fires burned in the Amazonas this year, an increase of 84% from previous years. Thus, the light of world news has been for the past months on Brazil. And, as fires burn in other countries, like Bolivia, Greenland, Siberia, Greece, Spain, Turkey, France, Russia, and Indonesia, we are in heated discussions about the future management of our world’s forests. Fires literally in my backyard these past weeks, bring home the climate reality that our communities may inevitably be more susceptible to fires in in the coming years. Those of us in California living on the urban-wildland interface can now empathize with our Amazonas, Indonesian, European friends in the forest. Homes, businesses, woodlands, coastlines, citrus and avocado groves, vineyards were threatened again these past weeks in the California fires. Most people still remember also the record-breaking, life-threatening, devastating fires in past years. Yes, Fire is a natural part of these ecosystems; but fires are now burning hotter, longer, and more frequently under our new global warming normal. Coupled with increases in slash-burn agriculture practices; less regulation under present day political regimes; it seems we can expect increases in fire danger, ecosystem loss, and air pollution. But this future is not determined… and we can be the masters of our own destiny. According to Frances Seymour, Distinguished Senior Fellow, WRI (World Resources Institute), we can choose to save the patient in the emergency room from bleeding to death. We can protect our intact forests worldwide. We can halt deforestation and reduce slash-burn agriculture. We can invest in restoration. We can convert a percent of our agricultural lands back to forests…. we just need the will to do it! According to Marcello Behar, Corporate Affairs Officer, Natura; we can value a tree more standing than dead. Natura is the largest cosmetic company in Brazil and they pride themselves on walking the integrated bottom line-people, planet, profit. Embedded in their corporate culture are the values that the value of nature is both economic and ecologic. Natura believes that they and others can run their companies profitably for people and responsibly for nature. Let’s listen in as Marcello shares with us the example of the Acuba tree…. According to Sonia Guajagara, an indigenous activist and politician in Brazil, who offers her wisdom in Portuguese in this interview… The naturally intelligent future path is clear. It’s a mindshift change that is needed. “We simply need to restore the hearts, decarbonize the colonial minds, and re-forest the souls of all the people in the world”. We need to really respect nature, the integrity of ecosystems, and the ecology of communities. Why?  Because this is Mother Nature, and she is the source of life… our life.  

Eat Right- Save the Planet Olav Kjorven Chief Strategy Officer, Eat Foundation After twenty-five years of national and international policy work in development, environment, health, climate change, children’s rights, Olav Kjorven, my guest this week, now stands at the nexus of all these UN focal areas; working on the future of food, health, and agriculture. Olav is the chief strategy officer at the Eat Foundation in Oslo, Norway. EAT’s mission is to transform our global food system from field to fork through science-centered, novel policies, programs, and partnerships. Olav and I spoke together at the UN Summit in NY about the future of food production, nutrition, soil health, and food waste to food wealth. I laid out our seemingly mission impossible sustainable development challenge of increasing food production 70% while reserving 50% of land for wildlife habitat to accommodate our rapidly growing population. Olav calmly and confidently replied that if we really take a look at present agricultural use… there is a lot of “fat” in the system. We allocate 40% (at least) of productive land to stable crops to feed cattle. We waste now nearly 40% of food produced- field to fork. It doesn’t have to be that way. We can use simple technologies, like good ol’compost to reduce waste, nutrify soil, and sink carbon. We can apply a convergence of other technologies to create great efficiencies in agriculture production. We can educate better about how to reduce food waste and converge toward healthier diets in the family home. Actually, it’s quite exhilarating to talk to Olav and I look forward to more time to talk with him again about food in the future. There seems an abundance of simple ways each one of us can transform our health and the health of the planet — simply by making better, conscious food choices. Let’s listen in to Olav on how to eat well, liv healthy, sustain our planet.

Passion for the Planet and Optimism for the Oceans Danni Washington Science Communicator and TV Host   Danni Washington is the first African-American woman of color to host an American science TV series. Deeply passionate about understanding the natural world and inspiring others to connect to nature, Danni continues to be a positive role model and voice of the future for a healthy planet on land and in the ocean. I caught up with Danni as she was hosting conversations with young global leaders  during the UN Youth Climate Summit in NYC. The youth were sharing their concerns, hopes, dreams for a carbon neutral future. In our conversation, we both agreed that this generation of young activists are  “woke” and intelligent and bring great value to the conversation on climate solutions here and now…Why? The youth today realize that they are the generation to live with the future we manifest with our actions today to decarbonize our world and regenerate natural ecosystems. Particularly drawn to the ocean, Danni shares with us her personal moment of clarity and commitment; when she knew that she would dedicate herself to ocean conservation through media and digital influence. I just loved the spirit and energy of this interview; let’s listen in. Enjoy.

Valuing the Voices of Youth and Nature in the Climate Conversation at the UN   Mr. Alfonso de Alba Special Envoy for the Climate Action Summit   The Climate Action Summit during the UN General Assembly in NYC this autumn 2019 was special in that it was fueled by conversations on:   inter-generational climate solutions, nature-based climate solutions, and cultural climate solutions from indigenous communities worldwide.   This was the key observation of my guest for this week’s Natural Intelligence Worldwide podcast, Mr. Alfonso de Alba.   Mr de Alba serves as the special envoy for the Climate Action Summit. And, he was the driving force behind the pre- UN Summit discussions, which aimed to voice the concerns, comments, and commitments of the youth, indigenous, and environmental groups with greater volume throughout the summit. To this end, Mr. Alfonso de Alba felt the Climate Action Summit was quite successful.  Key outcomes of the meeting included: greater attention to inclusivity in driving innovation, technology and finances toward in-country climate actions; greater financial commitment to both climate mitigation and climate adaptation; which includes resilience-building for the most vulnerable, developing countries and communities. greater attention by the international community to the gravity and urgency of acting on climate; as well; in collaboration; as everyone’s commitment-large or small now matters; and finally…. a greater commitment by Secretary General Guiterrez to convert commitments to reality; as well, to assist countries in reaching even higher aspirational climate goals. Let’s hear what Mr. de Alba has to say about the big wins from the UN Summit this year in New York and our commitment as a global community forward to rapidly decarbonize our world and to keep our global temperature increase to below 1.5C.

On Being Timelessly Mindful in Designing Our Carbon Neutral, Zero Waste, Pollution Free, Healthy, Happy Future World Bill McDonough CEO of McDonough Innovation, Co-author on Cradle-Cradle   How do we move from a take-make-waste-single use consumer based society to one that designs clean, healthy products, whose elemental parts can be recovered and recycled back into a biological nutrient or a raw material to re-purposed for infinite use? How do we create a new refined lexicon for carbon-differentiating among fugitive, durable, and living carbon to drive correct and specific behavior toward true carbon neutrality in the world? How do we invoke a system’s thinking approach: to halting future production of toxic materials, to shutting down linear systems that continue to pollute our natural world on land and in the oceans, to engaging in effective regenerative activities that are going to help ecosystems heal?How do we inspire a mind shift from unconscious consumption to deeply considerate mindful use and infinite reuse of goods to fulfill a service? How do we lean into higher order questions about our lives, our world, and our impact on the world; now aware that we can— as a species, design the future for greater life in perpetuity or degrade our environments on a planetary scale for a darker days ahead? In my interview with Bill McDonough, he gives cogent answers to these questions and clear direction of travel for every one of us in our global society toward a carbon neutral, clean, healthy, circular world. It's time to ask higher order questions and to be mindful of our actions and lifestyle choices.

Costa Rica's Seventh Generation Ethic: Invest in Nature, Invest in the Future Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Environment and Energy Minister, Costa Rica   Costa Rica is one of the most efficient and healthy countries in the world— tripling their economic growth, while recovering 1.1. million hectares of degraded land, protecting their watersheds, operating on 100% renewable energy, doubling the projected forested area, and advancing a robust eco-tourism industry. It is no wonder that Costa Rica ranks high on the happiness, air quality, life quality indices. What’s their secret?  According to Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Environmental and Energy minister for Costa Rica- intergenerational investment in protecting nature, which stems from a deep cultural understanding of the value of nature to the economic and ecological wellbeing of the country and people- is the key. How do we incentivize other countries and leaders to learn from Costa Rica’s success? Indeed, that is the central question. Currently, the world invests 0.008% of our global GDP in the protection of nature; yet nature has the potential to decarbonize our world and reduce climate stress by 30% while also providing up to $123 trillion USD of value in nature’s services. Clearly, the opportunity for investing in nature is a win-win-win solution for personal, political, planetary health. But, it’s important to realize that our current economic decisions are destroying the life support system of the planet… Thus, it is time to invest in nature.  

From Fringe to Frontline: The Value of Nature is Coming Sharper into Focus for the Finance Community Naoko Ishii, CEO/Chair, Global Environment Facility (GEF) Imagine, $123 trillion USD of value is tied to the resources and services nature provides to our global society and global economy. Yet, for over a century we have taken the gifts of nature for granted. In my conversation with Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chair of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)- it is clear that the voice and value of nature is finally capturing the attention of the banking, investment, finance community.  And, part of the reason for this is that it our planetary impact on the quality of living organisms and ecosystems is becoming more obvious, real, and scary. And, part of the reason for this is that the scientific community has leapt out of their comfort zone to better communicate science more clearly and enter conversations with the business community. In her interview with me, Naoko challenged the finance community to do the same; to educate themselves on the crisis and opportunity for investing in nature- in transforming the energy sector, in transforming the food sector, and for creating circular economies across all sectors of business. The good news is that as we breech ecosystem tipping points-  we realize more and more that not only are the global commons as risk; but so is the global economy.  And de-risking these threats to the ecology and economy of the planet must become everyone’s global mission. In this regard, partnership is key. And, GEF is one of the largest environmental funds-dedicated to advancing transformative, socially good projects to both protect the environment and to develop sustainably in emerging economies through leveraging their capital to attract other partners and create transformative, positive change in our environment. Thank you, Naoko and GEF for your leadership… and thank you for our interview.

Connecting the Other 50% to the Worldwide Web of Future Opportunities in Work, Health, Education Houlin Zhao, Secretary General, International Telecommunications Union Over half of the world society is connected to the internet…but imagine what a fully connected world would look like. Already e-commerce among the 55.1% of the world connected, accounts for 90% of global commerce. As a result, a whole wave of online entrepreneurs have set out into the virtual world to solve society’s problems, and have found their niche markets, even if on the other side of the world.  Digital courses and online education opportunities have proliferated over the past 10 years; such that anyone with a 4G/5G network access could earn a degree in higher education without ever stepping foot on a university campus. Further, digital health information and alerts to potential health threats serves to keep our communities healthier and more resilient to the spread of infectious diseases, like Ebola.   In my interview with Houlin Zhao, the Secretary General of the Intl Telecommunications Union; we explore what current and future benefits exist for our global society to adapt to and to adopt new 4IR technologies available in the global online network…We also discuss the importance in ensuring that everyone in the future- the other 50% of the world population, is connected to the worldwide web…. Why? Local SMEs and entrepreneurs are the most incentivized and best innovative force to solve local problems. So, the more people, esp. in poorer countries we empower with access to the internet to become educated, take care of their personal health, and even grow a business; the more prosperous and peaceful our world will become. This is the work and core mission of the ICT community. And, the ITU is there to support all partners and stakeholders in this mission. Let’s hear what Mr. Zhao has to say further about the importance of the ITU and its work in the world today.  

Balancing Our Account with Nature By Design and Not Disaster Mathis Wackernagel, Founder and President, Global Footprint Network How can we live well within nature’s planetary boundaries? Arguably, this is one of the most important questions for our world to answer today. The Global Footprint Network was founded over 30 years ago by Mathis Wackernagel, currently the President, to help individuals, communities and countries calculate their global consumption of natural resources. According to Mathis, once we understand our Global Footprint and how we are extracting natural resources; then we can better budget and manage our resource use to ensure that we both live high quality lives; but don’t overshoot our annual natural budget by more than 1 Planet worth of resources.  Let’s listen to Mathis and learn how we can better adapt our lives to get to a sustainable world by innovative design; and not disaster.

Title: Trust is the Foundation Upon Which We Must Build our AI Future to Benefit Society Kay Firth Butterfield, Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, WEF   Unless society comes with us on the journey of evolving Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine-learning technology, AI will not fulfill its purpose to benefit humanity. According to Kay Firth Butterfield, the director of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the World Economic Forum, building trust with society must be a foundation for the development and utilization of AI technology in our lives. In my interview with Kay, we discuss how to engage society in designing our AI future. We talk about best practices for governments to incorporate AI education in to our primary schools through high school, to future-proof our children for living and thriving in an AI future. We discuss what new skills and traits may be important for humans to develop- compassion and empathy seeming to be central to our healthy future evolution. Of course, heavy on most people’s mind is what and where will the jobs be in a new AI-enabled workplace. We’ll share some of our insights, and leave the rest up to your imagination. Join us in listening to Kay’s thoughts on unlocking the incredible potential of humanity with AI and what it will take to shape our future toward that goal.  

New Digital Doors to HealthCare that Are Ethical, Human-centric, and Inspired by Lifelong Wellness Jeff Dean, Google Senior Fellow in Artificial Intelligence at Google Sangita Reddy, Chair of the Apollo Health City Frans van Houten, CEO, Royal Philips When discussions on healthcare include AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning; many people raise their guard and advocate immediately for protecting our healthcare information from exploitation. As someone also concerned with cyber-security issues around digital financial, health, and personal information; I can relate to this fear. And that said, I am inspired by the incredible advances in lifelong wellness that are possible when—as Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips, says- vast amounts of health data are unlocked and available for AI analysis and machine learning. Essentially, when health data- anonymously labeled, are entered into a database and queried for certain conditions and analyzed for particular correlations; new health information arises that could benefit the entire health community. How? Unique profiles and patterns of health can be identified, cause-effect relationships between pre-conditions and disease can be more robustly defined with higher confidence intervals—when given more, relevant, high quality data. Thus, more high quality data actually helps lead to disease prevention, so we can create a positive feedback loop to the healthcare community when more people contribute to the database. So, the first question becomes: Does sharing healthcare data with our providers in a digitally-accessible, secure (heavily encrypted) environment with specific conditions on who has access to this information (e.g. just our personal physicians, healthcare providers, and families) catalyze greater health in society? Does building a robust health database allow the healthcare community to shift roles from curative care providers to lifelong partners on the journey toward greater health and wellness? The next question for me is: How does creating digital health identities for individuals and a digital platform for exchange between healthcare providers and patients open up “tele-medicine” opportunities for those who have not been able to access healthcare in the past? This is NOT a small issue. In the US alone, 44 million people have no health insurance, and another 38 million people have inadequate health insurance. (PBS, Healthcare Crisis, 2019) Globally, 3.5 billion people (50% of the world’s population in 2017) do not have access to basic healthcare. (WHO, 12/2017) True, many of these people do not have access to the internet as well…so we have to solve a two-pronged problem. But let’s imagine that as Houlin Zhao, Secretary General of ITU (the International Telecomunication Union) suggested in another NIW interview that we can cover the other 50% in the next decade — then all of the sudden digital healthcare and tele-medicine opens up for the entire world. That’s exciting!!! At the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, healthcare and technology designed for global good was a hot topic of discussion…. and remains important in the global dialogue. I was fortunate to have interviewed these leading voices, advocating for opening: “New Digital Doors to HealthCare that Are Ethical, Human-centric, and Inspired by Lifelong Wellness”.  

How will the Lightning Fast Speed of Technology Strike Society? Zvika Krieger, Head of Technology, Policy, and Partnership @ the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, World Economic Forum The world and the world of technology is changing so fast. And, the question is: Can society keep up? How? Do we have the governance infrastructure and the policy frameworks in place to ensure that technology serves the greatest common good? The Center for the 4th Industrial Revolution was created (seemingly overnight) by the World Economic Forum to ensure that there is a global governance architecture in place; so technology developed around the world: benefits all humans supports all life in the biosphere is unbiased is non-destructive to the environment is agile, adaptive, and inter-operable…. In our interview today, Zvika Krieger, the Head of Technology, Policy, and partnership at the Center for the 4th Industrial Revolution.. shares with us his thoughts about how the Center can create the right environment and necessary multi-stakeholder discussions to mitigate technology used for bad purpose; and inspire technology used for good purpose in agile, adaptive, and inter-operable ways. From AI to IOT and cyber-security, my conversation with Zvika is a fast and fascinating one.

David Nabarro is the Former Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change. He is currently the director of 4SD- Skills, Systems, and Synergies for Sustainable Development. David has spent his professional life re-designing the present and re-imagining the future that is healthy and sustainable and in service to all of humanity, as well, the natural world. He has one word to describe HOW we unlock the UN Global Goals and advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change. That word is Love. In our interview, he speaks to the human heart, which he (along with notable others, like EO Wilson) believes is hard-wired for altruism and concern for all of humanity. We want the best for those on the planet today and those who have yet to arrive tomorrow. Then the question becomes, how do we do that when we are 7.7 billion people, living in 193 nations, coming from different cultural backgrounds, environments, and socio-economic conditions. The answer is that the work is work of a lifetime; and it is hard work.  The good news now is that we have a plan to serve as a compass for us, and world leaders in business, government, and society are planning for the future using this plan with 17 goals and 169 targets. Let’s listen as David makes the case for integrated, systems-based, universal thinking as the design framework and love at the center of activating the UN Global Goals. As we are “all entire oceans in a drop, not merely drops in an ocean,” Rumi; then let’s go make some waves.

On Dispelling Dark Psychic Forces- Creating Mindfulness and Joy Laurie Santos, Professor of psychology and cognitive sciences at Yale University Hedy Kober, Expert on Mindfulness @ the Clinical and Effective Neuroscience Lab, Yale University Molly Crockett, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Cambridge University   How can we become more mindful of our actions and compassionate with our speech? How can we dispel those “dark psychic forces” Marianne Williamson called out in the US Democratic Debates, alive in our world today; in order to create a more just, peaceful, brilliant world tomorrow? It’s crystal clear that citizens of the US and the world are hungry for moral leadership. We are seeking guidance to transform future fears about climate change, the unraveling of our biosphere, personal prosperity, and dignity lost… into fruitful actions with positive outcomes for all. I am grateful to have with us today on our Natural Intelligence Worldwide podcast  three world experts on mindfulness and joy- Laurie Santos, Hedy Kober, and Molly Crockett. Together, they ran the hugely popular Ideas Lab on the Science of Happiness at Davos where we met this year. And, today we dive into a variety of important health and wellness topics; answering questions, like: What’s the recipe for healthy life balance in order to optimize good decision-making and positive, productive dialogue? How are we most effective in getting people on board the Climate Action and New Deal for Nature train in meaningful, transformative ways? How do we create true empathy among world leaders for people vulnerable to the affects of war, climate change, environmental degradation; so abundant investment goes toward building resilience and positively impacting underdeveloped communities?

Aerofarms- Pesticide-Free Food Production for Everyone, Everywhere 360-days of the Year David Rosenberg, Co Founder and CEO, Aerofarms   How are we going to solve the world’s food and water security problem? We’ve lost 30% of earth’s arable land over the last 40 years. We’ve contaminated 70% of our freshwater with agricultural contaminants from herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. AND, given the UN’s population growth trajectory for the next 20 years; we will need to grow 50% more food by 2050. David Rosenberg, Founder and CEO of Aerofarms has a revolutionary, zero-pesticide, zero-herbicide solution that is truly transformative for local and global agriculture. In our interview, he shares with us how Aerofarms is helping solve the food desert problem in developed countries, like the United States. He shares with us how he is solving the food waste problem within the supply chain. And, he shares with us how his plant whispering botanists are optimizing plant growth in a soil-less, sun-less environment, everywhere, 360- days of the year. Amazing. This podcast you have to hear.

Title: Tectonic Plates Shifting on World Commitment to A Circular Economy Leanne Kemp, CEO Everledger While it is true that blockchain technology is in an embryonic state, world leaders are still seriously evaluating the core provenance of their products, rethinking their value chains of trust, and seeking greater efficiencies in their manufacturing, operations, and distribution. This year especially, we have seen a lot of real progress. The circular economy has been at the heart of global trade discussions.    Tech companies and global consumer brands are innovating products and labeling to put a transparent price tag on waste, but also to convert waste into wealth again and again in their supply chains… or even in the supply chains of other companies in other industries. In my interview with Leanne Kemp, Founder and CEO of Everledger, she shared with me how companies are re-thinking their products, re-thinking their supply chains, and even re-thinking how they can recycle resources among companion supply chains outside their industries to optimize the circularity of their products. Leanne is in the center of that Loop conversation on what a circular world looks like in the future. Let’s tune in to hear what she has to say.

Creating a World that Genuinely Works for Everyone and Respects Nature's Boundaries Aron Cramer President and CEO, Business for Social Responsibility The world is changing very fast. Businesses are building technologies at lightning speed that enable connection and agency; but it’s really important for development teams to engage social scientists and experts in cultural transformation to understand better the entire social picture of a technology before it goes to market. The problem is that institutional understanding and system’s thinking approaches to the deployment and use of technology lag well behind the pace, scale, and rate of change happening in technology. Imagine, there are 2.6 billion users now on Facebook. And, over 50% of the world is connected on the internet. Globalization and connection are good; when done right and when technologies provide a positive social, economic, or environmental benefit. Take for example, Indian rural dwellers using voice recognition to communicate more effectively to others in different languages and dialects. That’s a service. And even if we can’t remove 100% of the negative and false cyberbot activity on the internet; we can do a lot to remove much of the misinformation, Aron suggests. We just need to stay true and business accountable to developing a world forward the genuinely works for everyone and respects nature’s boundaries.

Nature is our Best Prescription for an Integrated Health Insurance Policy Inger Andersen Executive Director to the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) Did you know that 9/10 people breath polluted air? Did you know the 90% of our food from the ocean is contaminated with micro-plastics? Did you know that we are today losing species at 1000 x greater the natural extinction rate? According to Inger Andersen, former Director of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and recently appointed Executive Director to the UNEP (UN Environmental Program); there is a direct correlation between our personal health and our planetary health… That means that sustainable living must translate into protecting not only our personal health, but the health of individual species, their communities, ecosystems, and the entire biosphere. In our rich conversation, Inger and I explore what cities will look like in 2030 when they are green and biodiverse. We talk about what we to do in our personal lives to review our nature footprints. We talk about the need to have clear, measurable, science-based targets for evaluating our global nature footprint and framing a New Deal with Nature. Sustainability is the name of the game and none of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals can be delivered without investing in the integrity of nature and our earth systems. In Inger’s final words, there is no delaying this priority.

Healthy Forests Lie at the Heart of A Healthy Humanity Justin Adams Director of the Tropical Forest Alliance, World Economic Forum In our rich and heart-centered conversation, Justin Adams, the NEW Director of the Tropical Forest Alliance at the World Economic Forum, speaks about our vital need for a new human narrative, where we remember our deep connection to nature, where we realize that we are not separate from the natural world, nor are we separate from one another. In the same way, Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si that we have a stewardship responsibility to the natural world. As well,  we have a human responsibility to one another to figure out ways for business, governments, communities to prosper and to regenerate our natural capital; while ensuring we don’t leave anyone behind. That’s a tall order, but partnership is the key. The cultural transformation happening now is going to require that we create new radical forms of collaboration, that we expand our perceptions and physical boundaries for our human communities — to include “nature’s supply shed” of resources surrounding the city upon which we depend. These include the wetlands that filter and clean our water and the forests that filter and clean our air. And that’s not all. Forests, for example, literally stand at the nexus of our biodiversity, climate, social justice challenges and forward-thinking, problem-solving discussions. Imagine, forests represent 1/3 of the climate solution by naturally drawing down carbon in its stem, needles, leaves, roots, and soil. Yet, forests receive only 1% of the attention that other energy solutions to climate change receive. Forests hold 80% of the terrestrial biodiversity found on earth. And, 1.6 billion people live in and are dependent on the forest ecosystem and natural marketplace of goods for survival. Recognizing our dependence on nature to thrive as many indigenous cultures already know; may hold the key to remembering our stewardship responsibility to protect and conserve nature.

Nature Fuels our Economy; So There is No Dichotomy Between Ecology and Economy Enric Sala Resident and Explorer at the National Geographic The perception that we have to choose between a healthy economy and a healthy ecosystem is a false dichotomy. According to Enric Sala, Resident and Explorer at the National Geographic Society, unless we take care of the life support of our planet, there will be no raw resources for companies to create, market, and sell products. The economy is a subset of the environment. We are a part of the natural world. We depend on  other species, plants, and earth systems to breath, eat, drink, and survive. EO Wilson and other prominent ecologists claim that we need 50% of the planet to persist in a sustainable healthy state for us to thrive. Yet, some business leaders are still motivated by quarterly returns and short term profit. They continue to externalize the real costs of destruction of natural capital to achieve unenlightened business goals. It’s insane. Why not now look to nature for solutions to drawing down carbon, for example? There is no better carbon vacuum than a tree its roots and ecosystem of soil. Nature is a treasure trove of naturally intelligent solutions to our unsustainable lifestyle challenges. Time to tune into nature.

REV-ing up A Revolution in Entrepreneurial Solutions to Ocean Challenges Nina Jensen, CEO Rev Oceans Peter Thomson, UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for the Oceans Nina opens our hearts and minds to the incredible ocean tragedy - a loss of 40% of life in the oceans over the past 40 years, mostly due to human impact. As a city girl turned marine biologist; Nina fell in love with the oceans as a young girl. Now as a powerful voice and force of change for the oceans, Nina is leading the ReV Ocean’s research efforts to build the world’s largest, most advanced, James Bond-like research vessel to travel the world’s oceans. Her mission is to engage teams of scientists and business experts in entrepreneurial ventures that create scaleable solutions to some of our world’s most intractable global ocean challenges- overfishing, plastic pollution, ocean acidification.   Her charge to engaged global citizens is simple: vote into office political leaders who care about the oceans, reduce meat consumption, cut out all single use plastics in your life.   Peter Thomson grew up in Fiji; so the ocean was an every day part of his life. As the president of Fiji is buying land in other countries to ensure Fijians have a place to live when sea level rise claims the island; it’s clear that the health of the ocean is tied to the health of the Fijian community. Thus, Peter works tirelessly in his role as Special Envoy to the Oceans to keep business and government on track with their commitments to ocean sustainability; while encouraging them to dive deeper- reduce-recycle waste faster. The secret: put value in the trash- create employment.    

Chris Luebkeman ARUP Fellow, Global Director of Foresight and Innovation at ARUP Foresight on Digital Technologies and Design to Create a Regenerative Renaissance in Society   We know that we need to decarbonize our world. We know that we need to re-design our urban communities according to regenerative principles. We know that the human context matters when we are re-imagining our transportation infrastructure to be most efficient. We know that our datasets for earth observation are now incredibly robust and reliable; so we can track our global footprint and the footprint of our ancestors on the natural world now with great precision.   We know that our linear, one-way, throw away society is a dead end for our human civilization; literally.   We recognize that natural systems are crashing and that we have created a more toxic environment for life to thrive by polluting our air and water, however unintentionally. But, we also know that young people are depending on us to use our collective intelligence and act on solutions that course-correct our planetary impact… according to scientific targets.   Welcome to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where I’ve interviewed some of the most committed and intelligent individuals on the planet to help provide insight on the state of our planet and foresight on how to live as good humans, part of the natural biosphere and a new renaissance in regenerative design.   How is artificial intelligence helping us better query more robust, reliable datasets to understand transportation patterns?   How can we shift our perception on carbon and ensure we hit science-based targets to effectively decarbonize our world?   How can we re-frame waste as wealth to design non-linear loops to re-allocate resources in a circular economy?   These are some of the questions we’ll answer in our NIW podcast today on: Foresight on Digital Technologies and Design to Create a Regenerative Renaissance in Society

Tejpreet Chopra President and CEO, Bharat Light and Power Empowering 1 Billion People in India with Clean Energy in Smart Ways Imagine a world where IOT (Internet of Things) platforms link your electric vehicle to your home energy management system to your energy storage and distribution system. Imagine the digitization of renewable energy production lines that optimize transmission of energy across communities by readily predicting failures or generation errors. Imagine the major oil and gas companies shifting their portfolios over to renewable, clean energy and electrifying the world. Welcome to the future. It is already here. And why is it here? People like TP Chopra, President and CEO of the Bharat Light & Power group are committed to powering 1 Billion people in India with renewable energy. According to TP, investment in renewable energy has doubled in the last century; and NEW Chinese investments account for a significant part of that growth. Meanwhile, the cost of solar and wind production have dropped rapidly and significantly. In India the cost of solar energy is 3.5 US cents for every KW hour. In fact the cost is so low that governments have to now create other incentives for investors to get a fair return on their future investment…. and maybe that means investment will shift more toward transformative advances in the AI and IOT technologies which are ensuring that power is delivered optimally, efficiently, effectively, and safely. Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

Richard Socher Chief Scientist, Salesforce The Future of Artificial Intelligence is Bright If you are curious about the future of AI and how AI both reflects the truth of humanity and propels us forward as a species; our interview with Richard Socher is for you. In this podcast we explore AI — advancing us toward a world where manufacturing and services are optimized for automation across industries from health to finance to food to agriculture. In our interview, Richard uses tangible examples of AI plus X in healthcare, finance, agriculture to avoid speaking about AI in the abstract. He also shares how different industries are viewing AI. For example, in healthcare, jobs are not the issue with AI, as much as delivering highest quality health benefit to patients as effectively and efficiently as possible. In his thoughtful remarks on training data and machine learning, Richard warns against biases integrated into the AI models  and encourages careful and conscious evaluation of data and algorithms we use to train them. We talk about the perception and use of AI technology in different countries and how that will inevitably shape our future cultures and countries. Acknowledging the challenges of AI, Richard enthusiastically expresses the incredible opportunity for humanity to unlock greater creativity in the workforce. Although we don’t yet know what those “new jobs” will be in an AI future; we can expect that the efficiencies AI creates with mundane, manual tasks may lead to upwards of 85% new job opportunities. Further in this power-packed conversation; Richard offers a few ways to become AI Ready. He also shares ways AI is being used today on land and sea to reduce deforestation and loss of marine wildlife- to meet the world’s greatest environmental and social challenges. Finally, he closes with what makes him so excited about AI today and tomorrow. So, tune in to learn more about the bright future of AI.   Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

Rescuing the Humanity of Humanity David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee.   David is a former Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom. As the son of refugees, he brings a personal commitment to IRC’s work. As today is the UN’s World Refugee Day; we wanted to spotlight a few statements made by David in our interview; which we will replay in full later in August 2019.   According the UNHCR UN Refugee Agency, 68.5 million people are forcibly displaced in the world. The developing world is host to 85% displaced people with Iran, Lebanon, Uganda, and Turkey being the top refugee-hosting countries. Thus, even though Western Europe has experienced an influx of refugees (many climate refugees fleeing damaged, destroyed, or drought-ridden environments); Western countries have not born the burden of migration. Second, the young, hearty, determined, and physically strong refugees survive the transition and relocate successfully. Thus,one would imagine that these people would be high value contributors to receiving countries when given the opportunity.   David Miliband, President and CEO, of the International Rescue Committee; speaks to us about the need for more and better aid needed to rescue refugees. He calls for the integration of 68.5 million people displaced by conflict or persecution back into society in healthy, positive, and progressive ways with smart money focused on education.    Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

They Made a Mistake Attacking an Historian-Truth in the History and Science of Climate Revealed Naomi Oreskes, Professor of History and Science Naomi Oreskes is a professor of History and Science at Harvard University. She is the author of numerous publications and books; including, Merchants of Doubt (also a documentary film). Her research areas of focus include: History of Environmental Sciences, Science Policy, Philosophy of Science, Science and Religion, STS, Technology and Society, Women and Gender Studies. Naomi is a world-renowned geologist, historian and public speaker. She is also a leading voice on the role of science in society and the reality of anthropogenic climate change. She speaks to us today on a number of topics, including: the universal agreement in the scientific community on the reality of climate change; organized disinformation to discredit climate change, and the internet as a pointer to peer-reviewed, scientifically-vetted,  information; rather than an information source itself, vulnerable to corruption.  In her interview, Naomi reveals her terrifying story about the unholy alliance between oil and gas interests and conservative think tanks; whose collusion and disorienting communications- media tactics (she discovered) closely resemble those the tobacco industry used years earlier. She agues that while digital media has expanded conversation on environmental and social issues to a global society and has given voice to many silenced before; the technology remains vulnerable to corruption. Thus, disinformation can spread like wildfire on the internet. Her Solution: Use social media as hooks to point to peer-reviewed, scientific information and journal articles, which are well vetted. Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

Sheila Warren Blockchain Expert, Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Blockchain Benefits Beyond Imagination We expect the blockchain technology to be at the center of 4th Industrial Revolution technologies to capture the value exchange of innovative companies and social enterprises in transparent and secure ways. True, the blockchain technology is in its infancy, but imagining how blockchain can be used to benefit humanity is exciting—consider wealth enhancement, land titling, supply chain tracking and efficiency, micro-credit accounting, tracking digital creative rights, and even distribution of energy. Imagine, handling remittances ($ 600 billion USD/annually)- the exchange of money from residents in one country to residents in another country; in a safe, secure, irrefutable, and cost-effective way.  That’s blockchain technology at work. Imagine, distributed ledger to protect indigenous land rights, to ensure the record of property following a natural disaster. Now, that’s a smart contract. And, what if energy credits, or services, or utility use could be tracked, measured and distributed across energy grid systems? That’s smart blockchain. What happens when we track the digital rights of a music piece or an article written online or a collaborative art piece; would we then be able to value and compensate with micro credits, those value creators? What about  new business opportunities and markets open for direct exchange of value from coffee bean grower to coffee bean distributor to coffee bean customer (me)…? The provenance of the coffee would be transparent to everyone across the supply chain; likely having the effect to drive greater profit percentages back to the grower, right?!  In our interview, Sheila offers our listeners a thoughtful colorful array of reflections on the use of blockchain to serve humanity and ensure a better future. Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

Awakening Natural Cultural Intelligence Today- a few days ahead of World Day to Combat Desertification, we have with us someone who knows how to be resilient in the face of extreme climate and an ever-changing, harsh environment.  She is Hindou Ibrahim, Chair of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad. I caught up with her at the Annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos 2019 and asked her why it was especially important for indigenous people to be part of creating a new architecture for the fourth industrial revolution. We spoke at length of the inherent earth wisdom indigenous peoples naturally intelligently have within their cultural DNA. As they grow up so close and so dependent on the natural earth cycles, the migration of animals, and the seasonal climate; they are very attuned to living in harmony with the natural world. They know how to be a part of nature. There is no distinction (nor need to distinguish) between nature and humanity. They are one. Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

Manuel Pulgar Vidal Leader of Climate and Energy at WWF International Title: Caring for Nature, We Care for our Climate Manuel brings his passion and lifetime experience working for the ecology and the economy of the planet to the New Deal for Nature. As the Minister of the Environment to Peru and host to the COP 20 - the Climate Change Conference of Parties that constructed the Road to Paris, Manuel was a seminal force of nature in ensuring at COP 21 in Paris we left with the Paris Climate Agreement. He shares that we need to respect nature laws and bend the curve of our exploitative, destructive human actions toward nature. We need to realize that we are part of nature.. and that by defining clear targets for protecting nature, for protecting biodiversity; and orienting our behavior rightly as stewards to nature; then we can ensure a healthy biosphere, a healthy economy, and a healthy human society, as well. By caring for nature, we care for our climate. 30% of the carbon budget is tied to forests, lands, and food. Thus, if we reduce deforestation, adopt more plant-based diets, and regenerate degraded lands; we are already dealing with 30% of the carbon challenge. We also know that our health is tied to the health of the planet.  It is time for a New Deal with Nature. Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

Oceans matter, but the deep blue is under siege by humanity.  We’ve trashed the oceans with nearly 2.4 million tons of plastics. We’ve exploited 80% of the world’s marine wildlife.  Thankfully, this year the oceans have been featured across global media and protecting the oceans has become a major global priority. National governments are stepping up around the world to support the blue economy. Many countries are investing in expanding marine protected areas. Ocean's Day at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, Catherine Cunningham interviews Jim Leape and Marco Lambertini, past and present director generals of WWF International; Marc Benioff, Chair of Salesforce and Founder of the Benioff Ocean Institute @ the UC Santa Barbara; and Prince Albert II of Monoco, a lifetime ocean ambassador.  Let's hear what they had to say. Happy Ocean's Day. Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

M Sanjayan; CEO, Conservation International We Need a New Deal with Nature We’ve already noted the unconscionable loss of species abundance @ 60% among animals in the last 40-50 years (WWF Living Index, 2019). Nearly 20% of our tropical forest ecosystems have also been degraded or destroyed in a similar time frame. Why do we need a New Deal with Nature? Nature is the Real Deal. For one, forest ecosystems alone can drawdown 10 gigatons of CO2/ year– nearly 25% of the 40 gigatons of CO2/year we need to take out of the atmosphere to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Imagine! “But sadly now, if current tropical forest emissions from deforestation were a country, it would be behind China.” M. Sanjayan So, what do we do? We conserve our healthy forests, rejuvenate degraded forests, and reforest denuded lands to recover 30% of that lost carbon. We also innovate new ways companies can offset their carbon footprints by sponsoring conservation projects, while inspiring greater private resources- currently less than the marketing budget of a block-buster film, to go into ocean and land conservation. Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

Visionary leaders share their insights in Davos 2019 on how to play our chess game with natura and climate forward in order that everyone wins, and together we thrive as a global society, living in harmony with one another and nature. Christiana Figueres (former executive secretary to the UNFCCC who was a seminal figure in advancing the Paris Climate Agreement) contends that we are in a race with climate change and nature has picked up the pace. We now have to double-down on our carbon emissions and across all industries- all sectors of society, and, all walks of life- exponentially decarbonizing our economies. Achim Steiner (Director of UNDP) stresses that we need to become more intelligent now re-designing a system- a new deal with nature that not only feeds and supports the 7.7 billion people on the planet, but that supports the life system of our planet. Brune Poirson (Secretary State- Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Energy) takes Achim’s vision into a strategic discussion with me, asserting that we need to create a new society- one founded on new nature-based values with new ways of doing business- whose first consideration is what is best for nature and people. Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

The Growth Story of the 21st Century: Investing in our Sustainable Future Lord Nicholas Stern, Professor of Economics LSE and President of the Royal Economic Society, advises that if we invest in sustainable infrastructure, clean energy, and smart transport systems now; we will catalyze a flood of investment and awaken a stream of innovation that inevitably will transform our world. Good economic decisions and healthy trade discussions considers all forms of capital that shape our wellbeing now and the wellbeing of those who come after us in future generations. These forms of capital include; physical capital— infrastructure, roads, buildings, technology; human capital- health and education; social capital— equity, good governance, safety, security, trust, community; and natural capital—biodiversity, healthy habitats, clean air and water, vibrant oceans. It is vitally important now that we encourage healthy, relevant discourse on social-human-natural capital among foreign trade ministers and finance ministers; so that they think long term, consider future generations, and account for the health of planet and people in framing national and international policies. Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

In exclusive interviews with Catherine Cunningham from Natural Intelligence Media; world leaders in business, government, and civil society share their insights on the state of the planet, on measures taken to address these global challenges, and on future vision of a world committed to peace, justice, and prosperity for all. Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.

Johan Rockström, Potsdam Institute for Climate Action Research (PIK) speaks about the pressure that unsustainable human development puts on planetary equilibrium, challenging 12,000 years of interglacial stability, known as the Holocene. Only exponential action and an earth-system’s approach to course correcting our global carbon footprint will avert a climate crisis, and avoid reaching an irreversible tipping point toward an undesirable and potentially catastrophic state for humanity and life on earth. In his interview, Johan explains the carbon law and its scalability and how individuals, communities, companies and governments can and ought to take immediate action.  Now that global change is accelerating faster than scientists have predicted. “The accelerated speed, scale, and scope of earth system’s change should give us good cause to be nervous…” Johan Rockström Thank you for listening in to our Natural Intelligence Worldwide Podcast, where we’re committed to spotlighting intuitive vision, nature-inspired knowledge, and native wisdom in our world. You can find us at https: //naturalintelligence.com/worldwide  to listen to our growing portfolio of podcasts with world leaders on nature, sustainability, climate, and tech for good.