From Local to Global Impact #5
1. Introduction
When politics is executed masterfully, it is our greatest tool for social transformation (Centro de Liderança Pública, 2025). And it's not restricted to the government; every individual and institution should have the voice to influence policies, that's the core of democratic thought. Especially because governments are designed for the people, and policies should attend to their needs.When a local community has space to share their burdens with policymakers, its people feel understood and the government gains their trust (European Commission, n.d.). Besides that, according to The Forum of Young Global Leaders (2025), the synergy of strategic clarity with empathy enhances leadership effectiveness. In other words, when policies are designed by empathetic leaders, they are more effective.
At the moment the government fails to support its people, the citizens affected have the right to unite against its bad management. Mature citizens are the foundation of a cohesive society (Nova Acrópole Brasil, 2023). As stated by Wayne State University (2023), citizenship values vary from one country to another, but the fundamental concept of a citizen remains:
"(...) a participatory member of a political community. Citizenship is gained by meeting the legal requirements of a national, state, or local government. A nation grants certain rights and privileges to its citizens. In return, citizens are expected to obey their country's laws and defend it against its enemies."
2. Green Citizenship
In this sense, among the common enemies across all nations that demand not only local citizenship but also global citizenship, climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss are imposing adversaries, which are known as the triple planetary crisis (UNCC, 2022). And it's our duty to fight against them. This is the green citizenship, and it is defined by the COST Association - European Cooperation in Science and Technology (2022) as:
"(...) the responsible pro-environmental behaviour of citizens who act and participate in society as agents of change in the private and public sphere, on a local, national, and global scale, through individual and collective actions, in the direction of solving contemporary environmental problems, preventing the creation of new environmental problems, achieving sustainability as well as developing a healthy relationship with nature."
The future of the planet and of humanity depends on our actions. And it also depends on your actions. What will you do? To be an agent of change, do what you can with what you have at your reach. But to maximize your impact, you'll need the right tools. Invest in knowledge, develop new skills, network, mobilize resources. To help you build your leadership towards sustainability, take a look at these previous editions of the newsletter: The Humble Steps of a Changemaker #2 and Change Starts With Care #3.
Every person can make a positive impact, at least on a local scale. Take a look at the Citizen Impact Model below. What kind of positive impact would you like to bring to your community? What is the potential positive impact of your organization? How could the governmental institutions in your country be more effective? Develop a systemic view, identify the opportunities, and bring your contribution.
Looking beyond the triple planetary crisis, Al Gore (2008) points out that we cannot forget about the democracy crisis and the growing culture of distraction. The climate crisis is urgent, but people have been misled by falsehoods (fake news). Following this logic, quoting Noam Chomsky:
"If the truth threatens power, it will be buried under noise."
In 2007, Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States, was awarded a Nobel Prize as a consequence of his tireless campaign to put the climate crisis on the political agenda. He has been disseminating knowledge regarding climate change and also laying the foundations for counteracting this man-made problem (The Nobel Prize, 2007). In 2006, he founded The Climate Reality Project to catalyse a global solution to this problem (The Climate Reality Project, n.d.). I had the opportunity to participate in his climate leadership training in Rio this year. Now I feel even more empowered to make my contribution.
In 2004, he founded the Generation Investment Management. It is an investment management partnership dedicated to profit while confronting the world’s greatest challenges. With an integrated sustainability research, it doesn't compromise the economic returns (Al Gore, n.d.). With a long-term investing strategy that supports prosperity and sustainability for generations to come, it proves that the financial system can be a powerful socioenvironmental tool. As he says, all the financial community must have fiduciary and moral responsibility, and show leadership towards sustainable development (Generation Investment Management, 2025).
In the last edition, Sustainability - Unveiling the Green Blood in Society's Veins #4, I mentioned that I planned to discuss sustainable finance further, and I will always strive to bring a new perspective on this topic. Capital is essential to catalyse change, and so is political will. As Al Gore (2008) said:
"We have work to do. And we can mobilize resources and political will. But the political will has to be mobilized, in order to mobilize the resourses."
In this direction, the C40 Cities is a global network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities (C40, n.d.). They are confronting the climate crisis with an inclusive, science-based and collaborative approach to reduce their emissions in half by 2030. In line with the Paris Agreement, C40 Mayors foster innovation, international advocacy and diplomacy, climate best practices, and green jobs. As Eduardo Paes (2012), Mayor of the city of Rio de Janeiro, said:
"A city of the future, I really do believe it's a city that cares about its citizens, integrates socially its citzens. A city of the future is a city that can never let anyone out of this great party, which are cities."
3. Conclusion
If you are reading this, I believe you really want to contribute to a better world. My tip: if you already are contributing, challenge yourself, contribute more; if you are just beginning on this journey, start small, but don't be a bystander. Commit to talking the truth and spreading scientific knowledge, democracy becomes fragile without this. Your voice has power. Use it as your best political tool. Be a local citizen. Be a global citizen. Be a green citizen. Make your impact.
Strengthen your worldview, learn about the world, identify the opportunities that are usually hidden behind the problems; and bring your amazing contribution. Consume good content, don't be distracted, be mindful about where you invest your attention, invest in education, develop new skills, network with like-minded people. And subscribe to ignite your leadership towards sustainability.
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4. References
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. (n.d.). About C40. C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://www.c40.org/about-c40/
Centro de Liderança Pública. (2025). LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/clp-lideranca-publica_clp-activity-7359288713035546626-jKoH
Climate Reality Project Australia. (n.d.). Our story. https://www.climatereality.org.au/ourstory.html#:~:text=Founded%20by%20former%20US%20Vice,branches%20exist%20in%20strategic%20regions
European Commission. (n.d.). Leader II teaching kit: Chapter 4. https://ec.europa.eu/enrd/sites/default/files/leaderii_teaching-kit_booklet-chap4.pdf
Generation Investment Management. (2025). LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/generation-investment-management_investors-have-to-stand-firm-in-their-commitment-activity-7342823755888357379-1Lsf
Gore, A. (n.d.). Generation Investment Management. https://algore.com/project/generation-investment-management
Hadjichambis, A. C., & Paraskeva-Hadjichambi, D. (2020). Education for environmental citizenship: The pedagogical approach. In A. C. Hadjichambis, P. Reis, D. Paraskeva-Hadjichambi, J. Činčera, J. Boeve-de Pauw, N. Gericke, & M. Knippels (Eds.), Education for environmental citizenship: The pedagogical approach (pp. [colocar páginas do capítulo]). Springer. https://kykpee.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Hadjichambis-Paraskeva-Hadjichambi2020_Chapter_EducationForEnvironmentalCitiz.pdf
Nobel Prize Organization. (2007). The Nobel Peace Prize 2007: Al Gore – Facts. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2007/gore/facts/
Nova Acrópole. (2023). O que é cidadania?. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IUmgF1obB8
TED. (2008). Al Gore: New thinking on the climate crisis. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUO8bdrXghs
TED. (2012). Eduardo Paes: The 4 commandments of cities. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Z2G7d2kzs
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). (2022). What is the triple planetary crisis? https://unfccc.int/news/what-is-the-triple-planetary-crisis
Wayne State University. (n.d.). What is citizenship? https://csc.wayne.edu/what-is-citizenship#:~:text=A%20citizen%20is%20a%20participatory,defend%20it%20against%20its%20enemies
Young Global Leaders. (2025). Leadership and empathy [Webinar, Annual Summit 2025]. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/events/leadershipandempathy7367093311762751489/
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