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Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Podcasts.
Imagine if the most effective climate solutions weren’t coming from Congress or global summits, but from mayors working city by city, block by block …
In this episode, co-hosts Cleo Carney and Victoria Riskin have a conversation with Eric Garcetti, former mayor of Los Angeles and U.S. Ambassador to India — and Victoria’s longtime friend. “I was thrilled to reconnect with my good friend Eric, whom I’ve known and admired since the beginning of his career,” Victoria says. “Eric remains a wellspring of inspiration for me, and even more so when I learned other new things about my old friend in this conversation.”
In this part-interview, part-conversation-among-friends, Eric reminds us to focus on local action, because cities have become the real engines of climate progress, and community resilience and everyday leadership matter now more than ever. He reveals how mayors quietly kept the U.S. in the climate game even when the federal government stepped out, in part because of the rise of Climate Mayors, a coalition that began with a handful of leaders and has since exploded into hundreds of cities across red, blue, and purple states. “I knew the depth of his commitment to human rights,” Vicki says. “But I was so excited to hear how he has galvanized hundreds of mayors in the U.S. and the world to work together on the climate in their communities … sharing ideas and supporting one another.”
We also explore how practical, local solutions cut through partisanship, the global climate crossroads in India, L.A.’s vision for the first carbon-reducing Olympics, and the emotional side of leadership: courage, joy, and staying connected to community during moments of crisis.
In This Episode, You’ll Hear:
- Why cities — not nations — are driving the most meaningful climate action
- How the Climate Mayors coalition grew into a nationwide movement
- Why climate work is inherently nonpartisan when it stays local and human
- What L.A. is doing to make the 2028 Olympics the greenest games ever
- Why India may shape 40% of global climate outcomes in the next 20 years
- How Eric’s background in human rights and foster parenting influences his leadership
- Eric’s “Imagine if…”: A simple invitation to reclaim joy and personal agency
About Eric Garcetti
Eric Garcetti is the former mayor of Los Angeles and former U.S. Ambassador to India. He helped launch the Climate Mayors coalition and has spent his career at the intersection of human rights, city leadership, and climate resilience.
Meet the Hosts:
- Janet Kraus: I’m Janet, a serial start-up founder and CEO, a twin-girl mom, and wife to a fun and funny guy. I am on a mission to build healthier thinking in young people, stop toxic division, spotlight hopeful climate action, and advocate for safe AI.
- Cleo Carney: I am Cleo, a student at Harvard University, and I strongly believe that conversations, businesses, and the private markets can create profound change. I also love to cook nourishing food, work out in nature, and find sustainable swaps for everyday items and habits.
- Victoria Riskin: I am Victoria Riskin. I’m always looking for the best life has to offer despite a turbulent world. I find comfort in the environment and joy in friendships. We have a great team of all ages at Bluedot who inspire me every day as we work together to build community.
- Ally Giebutowski: I’m Ally, a freshman at Lafayette College. I believe that a sustainable life is a happier life and that human connection is at the heart of it all. Every day, I try to weave greener, more intentional living into every part of my life, whether that’s in the college classroom, in the kitchen, or through meaningful conversations with others.
Transcript
Hosts: Victoria Riskin and Cleo Carney
Guest: Eric Garcetti
Eric Garcetti: Most pollution out of a gas-powered car really comes from the acceleration at a stoplight. By having roundabouts, there's a huge reduction in emissions. They also work better for traffic, by the way. That's not Democratic; that's not Republican. We used to joke that there's no such thing as a Democratic or Republican pothole. There really isn't when it comes to climate resilience, despite climate deniers and people trying to make it partisan.
Victoria Riskin: Hi everyone. Welcome back to the Bluedot Living podcast, where we imagine if people were actually making progress on climate change because they are. Every episode we talk to great people in the trenches doing big and small things to make a difference. As you just heard, today we'll be talking to former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti. Imagine if mayors around America or around the world shared ideas of how to address climate change on the ground in their community.
I love Eric Garcetti. He was a great mayor for Los Angeles for nine years, and then he was U.S. ambassador to India, where he was wildly popular. Before he left, he built an amazing coalition of hundreds of mayors across the United States to work on climate resiliency and then went global, bringing together mayors from cities like Paris, Mumbai, and Boston to tackle climate solutions. We know action has to happen locally. And not least of all, he's a devoted father and husband. That's important too. Alright, let's do it. As always, I'm Vicki Riskin, founder of Bluedot Living.
Janet Kraus: She is so humble. Founder of Bluedot Living, founder of this incredible movement, frankly. I'm so proud to be here with you, Vicki. I'm Janet Kraus. I'm a serial entrepreneur, I'm a coach of CEOs and growing businesses, and I'm a board member of Bluedot. I'm so excited for our podcast.
Ally Giebutowski: Hi everyone. I'm Ally Giebutowski. I am a Bluedot intern, and I am also a freshman at Lafayette College. I'm studying environmental studies and economics. I'm also the daughter of Janet Kraus.
Cleo Carney: Hi guys. I am Cleo Carney. I actually began working for Bluedot Living in high school, and now I'm a sophomore at Harvard studying social studies with a minor in economics. I continue to work for Bluedot Living. I'm also on the board of Bluedot Institute, so I love the Bluedot-verse.
Janet Kraus: The Bluedot-verse?
Ally Giebutowski: Oh, that was…
Janet Kraus: The Bluedot-verse!
Victoria Riskin: Yay. Good for you.
Cleo Carney: I'm trying to stay hired.
Victoria Riskin: OK, we'll see about that because now we need to battle it out to see who's the one to interview our guest, my longtime friend, Eric Garcetti.
Janet Kraus: All right. Now let me just say it. I think it's great that you really like him and that he's your pal, but I don't think you're right to interview him. I think it is me. I think you are crazy and do so many things. This guy is everywhere and feels so right. I'm excited to talk to him.
Victoria Riskin: Yeah.
Janet Kraus: Battle me out for it, girls.
Ally Giebutowski: Well, here's what I'll say. I'm nervous; he's a mayor. I'm 18. Do I have the capabilities to talk to a mayor? But because I feel that way, because I'm a little bit scared about it, maybe that's important. I need to lean into my discomfort. So that's my stake. That's why I feel I need to face that challenge.
Cleo Carney: Well, what I will say is I definitely think Vicki can't interview him alone because she is a great friend of his, and there might be some bias there. However, I do think Vicki, being a good friend of his, will know where to push him, where we can get the most out of him. I would say my benefit, my unique angle, is that I am not American. I have a different perspective on the political system. I grew up in Canada and the UK, so that might be interesting. I've been to L.A. once. However, Ally, you also have a good point.
Janet Kraus: Well, here's the thing I've got going on in my mind. Ally, you're scared of talking to mayors, and I don't know, Cleo, if we're allowed to let it out of the bag, but you talk to leaders of countries on a regular basis. I don't know, just saying.
Cleo Carney: I yell at leaders of countries on a regular basis. “Talk” is too diplomatic.
Janet Kraus: Oh, that's very funny. So is this going to make you … you're not really bound by the normal expectations of how we treat the leaders of cities, states, and countries?
Cleo Carney: Gotta keep them in check.
Victoria Riskin: I just have to make my own case here a little bit. I haven't seen him since he left for India. It's been a long time, and I would just really love to spend time with him. If I can't do it, I'm out of here.
Ally Giebutowski: As in out of Bluedot? Oh no!
Cleo Carney: That's an ultimatum if I ever heard it.
Victoria Riskin: Put it to the vote. Everybody writes on a piece of paper who you think should be the two interviewers. OK.
Janet Kraus: All right. All right.
Ally Giebutowski: Ready? Are we ready?
Cleo Carney: One, two, three. Yay!
Janet Kraus: We don't have to go to war. Look, we're bridging. We're bridging.
Cleo Carney: This was not predetermined at all.
Janet Kraus: No, it wasn't.
Victoria Riskin: Alright, it's Cleo and me, and we're going to interview Eric, and then we'll report back our thoughts afterwards if that's okay. So, hey everybody, stay with us.
Ally Giebutowski: Can't wait to hear.
Cleo Carney: Perfect.
The Interview
Victoria Riskin: Hi. Hey, Eric.
Eric Garcetti: Vicki!
Victoria Riskin: So nice to see you, Eric.
Eric Garcetti: Nice to see you.
Victoria Riskin: It's been so long.
Eric Garcetti: How are you doing?
Victoria Riskin: I'm doing great. Thank you for coming to join us today.
Eric Garcetti: Of course.
Victoria Riskin: The requirement here is that we have dinner in Los Angeles when I come.
Eric Garcetti: Absolutely.
Victoria Riskin: Can you tell the audience who you are? Who are you?
Eric Garcetti: So, I'm Eric. I am a father of Maya, a 13-year-old, a husband, son, and brother. I'm an Angeleno, first and foremost a rare fourth-generation native of Los Angeles, one of the world's great cities. But I'm also a committed activist, urbanist, and artist, somebody who believes in creativity and joy in celebrating our accomplishments and fighting for the values we believe in. I've dedicated my whole life to either human rights or political work, engaging my fellow citizens so that we can break down the idea that there are those who govern and those who are governed, and try to find joy in every single day.
Victoria Riskin: Yeah. And you do it beautifully. I always like to start at the beginning. Eric, if you don't mind, I want to take you back to your childhood. What did you envision for your future?
Eric Garcetti: It's so funny that we always ask that, and it's a very professional and work-oriented question where we identify ourselves by what we do. It's funny, having lived around the world where one of the first things Americans ask, to some degree less so with Europeans, and the further you get away, even not at all, is “What do you do?” It was interesting living in India for the last two and a half years because people might get around to what you do the third or fourth time you meet them. They actually meet people first and then try to figure out what you do.
When I was young, I had some professional ideas, but it was more interesting. I think I had impulses of who I wanted to be, not what I wanted to be. I grew up in a very loving family — half Jewish, half Mexican-American, great-grandson of immigrants — and they impressed upon me the idea that you need to be in and of the world. My parents met on opposite sides of the tracks in L.A. My mom on the ritzier Westside; her father owned a clothing company. Dad was the son of a barber and a meatpacker in South Los Angeles. But they both met at Pan Am Airlines. They raised my sister and me with the idea of traveling not as vacations, but trips. Whenever they had an extra nickel or dime, it wasn't going into a nicer home or a fancier car. It was: “Let's go to China now that it's just opened.” “Let's go to India.” “Let's go to Egypt.” “Let's see Morocco.” “Let's go to Rwanda.”
They impressed upon me that I wanted to be in and of the world. I was trained as a musician; I thought I'd maybe be a musician, maybe an actor, maybe an astronaut. I had no idea. Maybe a baseball player, if I look at my old notebooks. I have been able to do many of those things, and my advice for anybody listening is you don't have to be something. You can do lots of things in life, and you don't have to assign yourself one track. I think this generation knows that you're going to have many different careers, experiences, engagements, and connections. That's probably what I wanted to do as a kid. And so far, so good.
Victoria Riskin: So far, you are doing a fantastic job. It makes me think about how I wanted to be a school teacher or a mom or something. It was a very narrow vision, but I also felt I could see people gravitated to me and that I had leadership skills. Like you obviously have had all your life, Eric. You begin to see you have a much bigger mission, which is to bring people together to do good things.
Eric Garcetti: It's funny, some people call it leadership skills. I think half the people called leaders just have a volunteer impulse. When nobody else says “I'll do it,” you go, “I'll do it.” And they're like, “Oh, you're a leader.” It's just because everybody stepped one step back and you're the only one still forward sometimes.
Victoria Riskin: So you and Amy have fostered seven kids. Can you touch on that?
Eric Garcetti: Yeah, I think a couple more than that, actually, in the end. Thinking of the things you want to do or things you want to be, I never considered growing up what a foster parent would be or what that experience would be like. My wife, Amy, grew up in a family that had halves and steps and some kind of unofficial fostering of siblings. She grew up with a much more fluid understanding of what family was. It was one of her goals. She said, “I always wanted to be a foster parent.”
At that point, I was an elected official, which made things a little bit complicated. But as a city council member, I said, “I've inflicted this life of politics on you. If you want to do this, it's the least I can do to say absolutely.” And it wound up being the best thing that I've ever done in life being a father and a foster parent. It's funny, people distinguish between those two. I think we've just been parents.
Victoria Riskin: Beautiful. Would you mind telling me, when was that first moment when you said, “I really need to focus on climate change?”
Eric Garcetti: I don't know if there's ever been just one. I think my work as an environmentalist started small and just kept continually building without one spiking moment. I think it was when I became an intern in high school at something called the TreePeople. Andy Lipkis is this great hero who transformed everyone's thinking about trees — that trees weren't just trees, they were shade. In a dry area like Los Angeles that has paved over all of our land and water can't infiltrate, they are places that absorb water and create so much good. That transformed me in a very personal way to work around climate and connectivity.
Then I think the real thing that sparked it was my human rights work, which brought us together, Vicki. Looking at the multiple generations of human rights, it started with civil and political, went to economic and social and cultural rights, but then people were talking about third, fourth, and fifth-generation rights — group rights, Indigenous rights, and environmental rights. The idea that connection to the environment was a human right.
I spent two summers that were very formative. When I graduated from college and as I was studying for my master's in human rights and international law, I was in the jungles of Burma working with the democratic resistance. They had risen up and were about to overthrow the government democratically, but the government started killing them, mowing them down, and imprisoning them. They fled to the jungles, where ethnic minority groups had for a long time been in conflict with the central government. Living there in the jungle, I came across some Greenpeace people and others working on the environment in one of the last remaining countries that still had amazing teak reserves, which unfortunately have been decimated in Burma. I saw that impact on climate.
The last thing I'll say is I was also really lucky to try to take the easiest science class I could take at Columbia. It was called “Design and Maintenance of a Habitable Planet” and was taught by Wallace Broecker — Wally. He was the professor who coined the term “global warming.” I took that class when the first U.N. scientist report came out on global warming. When I look back, I still have my book and notes from that class. That changed everything for me. He's passed away now, but Wally's predictions of what would happen with the rising heat of the Earth have come within 0.1 or 0.2 degrees; they have been exactly on time. The good news is he predicted we will curve that down. The question for all of us is when. But that was so far ahead of its time, before people were commonly using the terms global warming and climate change. That certainly had a huge impact.
Victoria Riskin: Powerful how a teacher can have such an important impact on a student for the rest of their lives.
Cleo Carney: I've just finished my first year and I've taken some courses that have changed the way I've thought about life and society. University is an amazing experience. We are very fortunate, particularly in the States where higher education is of such high caliber. But I want to shift from your time as a student to your time as the mayor of Los Angeles. In that capacity, you started the Climate Mayors. First of all, if you could explain to our audience what that is, that'd be great. And then we'd love to know, where did that idea come from and how did you actualize it?
Eric Garcetti: Thank you, Cleo. To me, one of the nicest things in life you can do is to work with others to start something. I started a couple of organizations in college; some of them survived, some didn't. I've done that as a city council member and as a mayor. One of the best feelings in life is to come back to something. By the way, if you find something, don't stick around forever. Pass it on to the next generation. One of the most satisfying feelings you can ever have is to have had a hand in starting something that others then take forward.
Our world needs a lot more institutions and structures than we do today. Most of our activism is like, “OK, I tweeted something, I made a comment, I'm done for the day.” It's armchair activism as opposed to real-world action. Climate Mayors was something that came out of three of us who were mayors: the mayor of Houston, the mayor of Philadelphia, and myself. We saw a need for work across cities. I love mayors, I love cities, and I love the sub-national level because it moves so quickly. There's a joke we make: “Good mayors borrow, great mayors steal.” Constantly, whether you're in Mexico City or Topeka, you're looking at the sidewalk, the bus line, the architecture of the buildings, and you're like, “I want to take that. I want to do that. Tell me how you did that.” I remember talking to a mayor in the South, I think in Alabama, who set up a system for reading because literacy rates were low. In all the restaurants, there were just kids' books when you came in. Kids could read them and then take them if they wanted. The library moved to the restaurants. Things like that are just so smart.
Climate Mayors came out of that. The three of us were very committed to bringing together a nonpartisan, bipartisan, tri-partisan group of mayors who would be focused on solutions. We brought our buying power together to purchase electric vehicles when those were still new and expensive, helping smaller towns that didn't have the buying power to get the same price as a big city. We looked at how we could begin to count our carbon — both of the people in our city and of the operations of our governments — and set goals to do the hard work necessary to arrest the damage.
It isn't just about science and carbon reduction; it's about real communities. What do we do when there are fires? What do we do with floods? How do we prepare communities to be resilient and adapt? We started as a few dozen mayors. Then when President Trump was elected the first time and said the U.S. would be the only country to withdraw from the Paris Accords, I was in Madison, Wisconsin, giving a speech. Instead of crying in a corner, we decided to pick up the phone and start calling. That day we went from a few dozen to over a hundred members. The pitch was this: “If he says we're out, then as a country we're going to be in as communities.” Within a week we had two or three hundred. We were getting calls from mayors saying, “My constituents are harassing me. Why haven't I signed on to Climate Mayors?” By the end, we had mayors from 49 states. Democrats, Republicans, independents — over 737 mayors and cities have now signed on to this. It's become this force for good, to play defense in times like this, but also to be on offense together when we have those opportunities.
Victoria Riskin: So many of the problems that people are going to be facing are very local, and they have to be dealt with on a local basis.
Cleo Carney: I took a climate course last semester where we learned all about state and local solutions and how those can blossom on a larger scale. What came to mind for me when you were talking about the original coalition being bipartisan is: How did you overcome some challenges that inevitably came up? We want to learn from past successful initiatives to hear about how we can continue to work together with anyone of any political ideology, particularly on matters of climate.
Eric Garcetti: Constituents want to not be harmed. They want to be safe. The greatest threats, besides things like poverty and crime, are usually the disasters that come from and are accelerated by climate change or the suffering of living through extreme heat. When I lived in New Delhi serving as ambassador for the last two years, New Delhi hit a new high. It was 125 Fahrenheit one day with close to 100% humidity. We had the most rain, the most pollution, and the most heat that city had ever experienced, all in a single year.
Those practical things bring the conversation back to what this is really about: human survival. Then there's a whole bunch of geeky stuff. We had a Republican mayor who was part of the Obama task force on climate with me, Mayor [James] Brainard in Carmel, Indiana. He became the go-to guy on roundabouts. Roundabouts are used all around the world, but not really in the U.S. The most pollution out of a gas-powered car really comes from the acceleration at a stoplight. By having roundabouts, there's a huge reduction in emissions. They also work better for traffic. That's not Democratic or Republican. There is no such thing as a Democratic or Republican pothole. Bring those conversations back to what a sea wall in New York or Miami has in common; people will lose their homes otherwise, regardless of whether it's a red or blue state.
Victoria Riskin: Yeah. I think that's what's exciting: there are ways that people can feel bonded and find solutions. At Bluedot, we try very hard not to be political, but that doesn't mean we don't focus on policy. That's a different matter.
Cleo Carney: You brought the bid for the 2028 Olympics to Los Angeles. Can you tell me what that means for the city and how that fits in your vision for the climate future of Los Angeles?
Eric Garcetti: We're an Olympic-crazy city. We're now going to join London and Paris as the only cities to host the Olympics three times. We've always been “games changers.” In 1932, it was the first profitable Olympics, the first Olympic Village, and the first photo finish. In 1984, the model was broken; the Montreal Olympics had almost bankrupted them. We brought private sponsorship and showed how the Olympics could be sustainable, earning $350 million in profit. We put that into a foundation that has funded youth sports ever since.
When we came back to this, it was actually my first day as mayor. The first letter I wrote on anything was to the U.S. Olympic Committee saying we want to host. I was 13 when it came in 1984. The civic pride and the way people volunteered was unforgettable. Environmentalism really won us the bid this time. We looked at the Olympic Village; usually, everyone builds housing that turns into dorms or family homes, but they build subway lines that aren't used afterward. Places like Athens and Rio have empty venues.
We said, “Let's take all that off the table. Let's do the most sustainable games by using what we already have.” Nothing permanently new will be built. We'll do temporary stuff that will be recycled. For the athletes' village, we'll use the dormitories at UCLA where students already are. We're going to see not only the first carbon-neutral games but the first carbon-reducing games. We'll show what a green sustainable model can be. Paris went first in 2024, and we were given 2028. We're going to take the profit and put it back into sustainable communities. Environmentalism isn't just about carbon; it's about communities that thrive. In too many communities in Los Angeles, kids don't have access to a park, a coach, or uniforms. Our vision is to make sustainability about greening those communities to make them healthy too.
Victoria Riskin: It's so exciting. My mother was at the 1932 Olympics, and I have a picture of her sitting next to Amelia Earhart. If that's not a blast from the past!
Eric Garcetti: That's incredible.
Cleo Carney: This last Olympics, break dancing was there for the first time. Vicki, do you have any…
Victoria Riskin: Yeah, we heard a rumor. Well, first of all, Eric, you loved your time in India. There's no question. I saw your love letter to India, which was so beautiful. It's clear you love the culture. However, we also saw a clip of you doing some I don't know, do you call it break dancing? Could we run that clip?
[clip of Eric Garcetti dancing]
Victoria Riskin: What ambassador does this? I don't think anyone in the history of ambassadorships has done that.
Cleo Carney: Sorry, Eric, we didn't tell you we were going to share this.
Eric Garcetti: Oh yeah, that's bhangra dancing and some Hindi film dancing. We stole some moves. I didn't even know this was ever going to be on the internet. There's a big celebration every year for Diwali at the U.S. Embassy. It was a really great way to connect with Indian people. It's tough to be in the public light; it's a pretty merciless place to be. I tell young people who want to go into politics to really consider it hard. But on the flip side, if you can figure out a way to be active, make sure you connect with people. Don't be a formal elected official; don't be somebody who doesn't show your heart.
Victoria Riskin: I was visiting the Indian Embassy in Washington under Biden, and I said to somebody, “What do you think of your American ambassador to India?” And he said, “Oh, we love him.” They pulled out a little video you had done. It was very funny. But I think, Eric, you just took off all the artifice about that position and were able to connect heart-to-heart.
Eric Garcetti: India is a tremendous place for our climate work, to both learn from and work with. By some measures, 40% of the delta of carbon change in the next 20 years will happen in India. If we do it right, we can help India and India can help itself. There's a lot of opportunity technologically and energy-wise if they can produce low-cost green energy.
Then there are also incredible environmental assets like the Himalayas. There's a great Himalayan forest that is second only to the Amazon; we should be collectively enhancing this green lung of the Earth. I talked to women in my first month in the western state of Gujarat, in Ahmedabad. There's an organization called SEWA, the Self-Employed Women’s Association. I was talking to a bricklayer, and she said, “It's so hot here now that even with my gloves on, I can't hold the bricks, and I don't know how I'm going to support my family.” It was women's work, environmental work, and anti-poverty work all coming together.
The flip side is, a foundation from the U.S. helped do something where there's insurance now for those workers. On days that it's too hot, they get paid. Their family doesn't have to worry when they're living paycheck to paycheck. We know these are predictable things. Let's get insurance for those days. That kind of creativity is coming out of India.
Victoria Riskin: And do you feel like there's support at the highest levels of the government in India?
Eric Garcetti: The goals are slower there, but their point is that they have further to go, and they're still growing. India is adding population. There's really no country besides the U.S. where there's any debate about climate change. So even in India where they produce coal and refine oil, they are doing both at the same time. People from the outside say “stop doing that,” and it's true, we need solutions so they don't add coal on top of renewables. Renewables are almost 40% there now in capacity. We need to help with battery technology, water batteries, and even nuclear power plants. I grew up thinking it was bad, but technologies now are there; it's one of the few zero-emission technologies that can replace coal in a steady-state way. It's going to be challenging because they are going to add almost another America to their population.
Victoria Riskin: You came back to Los Angeles after big swaths of Los Angeles had burned from climate change. People you and I know lost their homes. How are you processing that?
Eric Garcetti: It's devastating. We have to take these moments as wake-up calls. I'm now working as a C40 Ambassador and with the Global Covenant of Mayors, representing cities and regions in climate negotiations. Three-quarters of those cities are on track or ahead of Paris science. If cities can do this and they're complex and political, so can countries. When people get depressed, I would say if we had done nothing, we would be on track for a four-degree rise. We're on track for a two-degree rise right now. That's too much, but it shows human beings actually have power.
Cleo Carney: Yeah.
Eric Garcetti: I think it's time for us to feel that power we have.
Victoria Riskin: Yeah. Take it in, adjust, and help each other. Help your neighbors. This has been a wonderful conversation, Eric. Cleo and I have one closing question for you. Our podcast is called “Imagine If,” and I'd like you to fill in the blank. Imagine if… do you have an “Imagine if” you would share with us?
Eric Garcetti: It's a small one and a personal one. I imagine if you found joy in every day and felt your power every day. We're living through a moment with so little joy where people feel powerless. Do something and smile at something. Today you will feel that joy and power. If everybody did that, we would feel collectively in a very different place, and our ambition would soar.
Victoria Riskin: Absolutely. A perfect closing because that's exactly what we need right now. A great medicine.
Victoria Riskin: All right, so Cleo, what did you think of my friend Eric?
Cleo Carney: Well, first off, I thought he was lovely. He was so sociable and interesting and really a humble person. But I had three main takeaways. The first was about our scope of action. I really liked how he talked about us hitting two degrees of warming instead of four degrees. While that's still warmer than we would like, it shows how much impact our small daily habits can have. We're making a change even if we don't feel like it's necessarily fast enough.
Victoria Riskin: Right. He's basically saying things would be much worse if we didn't do the things we have been doing. So we have to do those things and more.
Cleo Carney: I couldn't agree more. One of my other takeaways was about action — that we can come together. When there are wider issues at play, like the Climate Mayors coming together after the U.S. pulled out of the Paris Accords, it shows that individuals have advocacy. Whether you're a mayor or an everyday person, together we're strong.
Victoria Riskin: Together you're strong. I like that. I love the fact that even though it was disappointing that they pulled out of the Paris Accords, it mobilized a bunch of mayors who said, “OK, let's jump in.”
Cleo Carney: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And so, Vicki, now it's your turn to be on the hot seat. What is your third and final takeaway?
Victoria Riskin: Well, I thought it was pretty interesting that they put so much time and thought into how to decarbonize during the Olympics. That's exciting, and it led me to think about how we can decarbonize in our own little orbit. And of course, I loved his “Imagine if.” Imagine if we found joy in every day, especially since we're going through so much in the country right now. That really touched my heart.
Cleo Carney: I couldn't agree more.
Victoria Riskin: Thank you, Cleo. It was great to be with you. And to the audience, thank you so much for imagining with us this week. Take that note of joy that Eric suggested with you. For more conversation, we'd love to have you subscribe to the podcast and follow us on Instagram or at bluedotliving.com. We all have the tools to make life better. Imagine if we did it together. Join us next time to meet more great people doing big and small things to take care of our little pale blue dot. Thank you and bye.
