The second plenary, "Ensure Sustainability: Preserve Earths' Biodiversity & Physiology" began with an Ingenuity Spark from artists Richard Lang and Judith Selby Lang. As part of a new GPF initiative, these sparks are meant to incorporate more creative thinking into the Conference's offerings. The artists explained their motivations for what they create and the meaning of their work, "One Plastic Beach, A Sustainable Art Collection."
Following the artists' talk, Nancy Birdsall, president of the Center for Global Development, delivered remarks and urged philanthropists to embrace data, "get wonky" and be more active in broader policy debates focused on the environment. Birdsall then turned over the stage to the panel, who began by addressing how the patterns of economic growth, population migration and human migration are radically altering the environment. Larry Brilliant, president and CEO of the Skoll Global Threats Fund, called climate change the "great exacerbater" -- making work on global threats harder in every way. President and CEO of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation Carol Larson followed by saying the philanthropic sector is in a great position to do something about climate change. Citing examples of smart investments in marine reserves, Larson said success in philanthropy comes from the ability to step back, look at an entire ecosystem and finance the most critical parts of it. Chief Scientist with Conservation International Sandy Andelman remained hopeful despite the challenge, in part because the corporate sector has shifted and is beginning to worry about their supply chains. She also cited social media as a powerful force in changing behavior.
The consensus at the end of the talk was that we are all interconnected and this makes climate change everyone's problem and there is a strong need to quantify the negative impact that some commercial endeavors have on the environment and make people accountable.
