Tom Rivett-Carnac

“We generally try to help the world stay on track, to be where it needs to be to protect all of our futures.”

Tom Rivett-Carnac is a political strategist, author and co-founder of Global Optimism. The organization works with partners and citizens to inspire action on climate change and to help cut global emissions, throughout a defining decade in human history. Previously, Tom served as senior advisor to the executive secretary at the UN Climate Convention, where he focused on political strategy to achieve the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015. In this in-depth conversation, Tom discusses the importance of individuals taking responsibility for their own role in the climate crisis, and how attitude change in itself, is a powerful tool for transformation; shares his concern for the rate in which carbon emissions are being cut, in comparison to the goals needed to prevent the temperature rising any more than 1.5°C; and considers how the pandemic has taught us lessons in “listening to the science”, as well as society’s ability to cope and adapt to disruption.