Don CheadleI’ve seen how
communities of
color— often hit
first and worst
by the climate
crisis—are
joining forces
with neighbors
of all races
to innovate
solutionsI believe in using fame
for good. From serving
as a global goodwill
ambassador for the
U.N. Environment
Programme to
campaigning against
genocide in Darfur,
I support people
organizing for freedom
and justice. But over the
years, I’ve learned that
systemic change takes
more than one person
acting alone.
One of my most
powerful collaborations
started on the sets of
the Avengers movies—
but it didn’t take
place onscreen. After
speaking with fellow cast
member Mark Ruffalo
about activism, I joined
him on the Solutions
Project’s board to
spotlight communities
at the front lines of the
climate crisis.Working with Mark
and others at the
Solutions Project, I’ve
seen fi rsthand how
communities of color —
often hit fi rst and worst
by the climate crisis—
are joining forces with
neighbors of all races to
innovate solutions. I’ve
seen Black and Latinx
communities fi ght oil
drilling, Indigenous
people and white
farmers defend their
land and water from
pipelines, and Asian and
Pacifi c Islanders power
affordable housing with
solar. These multiracial
coalitions coming
together around such
diverse leadership give
me hope—and clarity
about what it takes
to win.
Take the Solutions
Project’s CEO, Gloria
Walton. Gloria was a
community organizer
in South Central Los
Angeles, and she
brought the values of
solidarity—of showing
up for others in common
purpose—to bear on
the Solutions Project’s
mission to fund and
amplify climate- justice
solutions. She leads
with relationships and
collaboration, and
now we’ve got 139
grassroots grantees in
communities across the
country who can count
on dozens of artists,
industry leaders and
philanthropists to show
up for climate justice.
Climate change
is the world’s most
pressing issue, and
it’s happening right
now. We need all hands
on deck—creatives,
entrepreneurs and
activists alike—to use
our collective power to
protect all people and
the planet.ACTOR AND U.N.
ENVIRONMENT
PROGRAMME
GOODWILL
AMBASSADOR
Reaching citywide
agreements on
strategic and long-term
issues can be diffi cult.
But that reality is
changing. And the
people of Bogotá play
an important role.
It is only with the
support of citizens
that current and
former mayors have
been able to set aside
differences to plan
the construction of a
multimodal transport
network, based on a
metro network and
regional trains.
The COVID-19
pandemic has provided
another opportunity
for collaboration. It
has brought a sense
of urgency to our
efforts to focus on
what unites us. Bogotá
tripled its capacity
for hospital care
during the pandemic,
and our vaccination
efforts have brought
protection to 80% of
the population, in a
joint effort between the
national government
and my offi ce. Together,
we have achieved
this despite being at
opposite ends of the
ideological spectrum,
and even partisan
competitors.
The lessons
learned in 2020 and
2021 have encouraged
us. When an emer-
gency strikes, rivalry
becomes insignifi cant.These lessons
are also applicable
at the national level.
Colombia will elect
a new President
and a new Congress
this year. Elections
often exacerbate
differences.
Governing in the
midst of humanity’s
greatest multisystem
crisis forces citizens,
leaders and govern-
ments to weigh the
temptation of polariza-
tion against the need
to promote collective
action to survive. To
lead in this century is
to have the wisdom
and courage not to
succumb to the former
in order to guarantee
the latter.
Neglecting this duty
would be not only a
failure of government,
but also a disaster for
our species.When an
emergency
strikes,
rivalry
becomes
insignificant