the future is in our hands essay

Our future is in our hands

A measure of courage is required from us now if the world is to address climate change..

A child releases sea turtle hatchlings at Lhoknga beach, Aceh province on April 26.

Raising a child requires hard choices and hard work. There are sacrifices and decisions along the way, and a wise person plans for eventualities based on the best information available.

Today, society faces a similar inflection point. But rather than the birth of a child presenting a stark reminder of the need to make difficult decisions, it is the voice of future generations saying, “Choose now. Choose wisely. Our future is in your hands.”

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change new Sixth Assessment Report is striking in the clarity of its key message: It is “unequivocal” that human influence has warmed the planet and that widespread, rapid changes have already occurred in every region of the globe as a result. The scale and rate of changes are “unprecedented” in relation to the past hundreds to thousands of years. And there are more changes on the way.

Each of the last four decades has, in sequence, been the hottest decade on record. Anyone under the age of 40 has lived in a world unlike anything our ancestors experienced. And our children will inherit a world unknown to any human that has ever lived. The list of changes they will face is long and sadly familiar by now — and includes extreme heat, persistent drought in some areas and flooding in others, more powerful and frequent hurricanes.

The report calls special attention to new sea level rise risks. Here in coastal Massachusetts — and anywhere around the world — a child born today could live to see their world completely reshaped by steadily encroaching seas within the coming century if we do nothing today. Today’s high tide “nuisance flooding” is likely to become the year-round norm within just a few decades. In fact, all of the sea-level forecasts in the report track very closely to one another and predict about one foot of additional rise over the next 30 years, and then diverge widely depending on how likely nations are — or are not — willing to reduce carbon emissions worldwide. The report also points out that instability of certain Antarctic ice sheets in the face of continued, rapid warming has the potential to raise sea level more than twice as fast and as high as projected in any prior IPCC report.

Indeed, all predicted scenarios show that increases are likely to exceed the ability of natural accommodations to coastal flooding, such as salt marshes, to migrate with the changing coastline, something that will not be solved by building seawalls or other hard structures. Recent studies have shown that New England will experience sea level rise significantly greater than the global average.

The IPCC report also considers ways that the ocean might be able to help, if action is taken quickly so that higher rates of future warming are not locked in for future generations. The surest path to limit warming and other impacts such as ocean acidification involves adopting net-negative carbon emissions, in which governments and industries remove more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than they put there, and store it safely elsewhere, including perhaps in the deep ocean or beneath the seafloor.

But ocean-based strategies should not be enacted without a careful assessment of their long-term viability and potential impacts to the marine environment. Before such strategies are considered, there must be in place comprehensive, scalable, and long-term coastal and ocean monitoring systems that track ocean health and vital signs, to ensure the welfare of future generations.

A measure of courage is required from us now. To hand this world to our children in a responsible manner, people should adopt the same stark and unflinching language that the IPCC has used to describe the state of our climate. Governments must be unequivocal in their policies to reverse this change by taking unprecedented action. And we in the science community must demonstrate a greater degree of courage and commitment to seek out bold new solutions, and to communicate them with greater force and clarity.

Peter B. de Menocal is the president and director and Richard W. Murray is the deputy director and vice president for Science and Engineering at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Globe Opinion

Skip to Menu
Skip to Search
Skip to Main content
Skip to Footer
Aller au menu
Aller à la recherche
Aller au contenu
Aller au pied de page

CEB UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination

Duties to the Future

The future of humanity and of our planet lies in our hands. It lies also in the hands of today’s younger generation who will pass the torch to future generations. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The idea that generations living today have an obligation to succeeding generations is one of the foundational concepts of the United Nations. The pledge to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war is its earliest and clearest manifestation. This moral and philosophical current has influenced some of the UN’s most notable global reflections and policy agendas – from the 1987 Brundtland Commission report to the 2012 Rio+20 conference , and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Grounded in the 2030 Agenda and with strong connections to the Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda report , which proposes a Declaration on and a Special Envoy for Future Generations, the High-level Committee on Programmes (HLCP)’s integrated strategic narrative also prioritizes the topic of future generations.

Agreed at HLCP’s forty-second session in October 2021, the strategic narrative includes a thematic pillar on “duties to the future”. In their deliberations members concluded that “intergenerational equity” was an appropriate framing for the work, worthy of deeper exploration by the Committee.

A subsequently established Core Group on duties to the future, currently co-led by UNEP, UNESCO, UNICEF and UNU and consisting of 19 UN system entities, was tasked to explore and unpack the concept of “intergenerational equity” as an initial step towards developing future analytical products.

To this end, at its forty-third session , HLCP considered a discussion paper prepared by the Core Group entitled “ Duties to the Future through an Intergenerational Equity Lens ”. The paper defines key concepts and outlines major challenges and opportunities in going forward, including demographic, institutional, technological, and ecological challenges, knowledge and data challenges, inequalities, skewed political and economic incentives and legal opportunities. It also recapitulates the role of the UN system in drawing on the concept and suggests actions that could be taken forward in support of intergenerational equity. Members of the Committee conveyed their strong support and approved the recommendations set out in the discussion paper. They requested the Core Group on duties to the future to work with volunteering entities to elaborate a plan to pursue the activities outlined, for HLCP’s subsequent consideration.

At its forty-fourth session, the Committee provided guidance on the Core Group’s activities and welcomed the proposal to develop a set of common principles for the UN system that would serve as a basis for a shared understanding of the concept of future generations and intergenerational equity. Subsequently, the core group on duties to the future developed a set of concise principles to help guide and inform the UN system in its work on future generations. The resulting United Nations System Common Principles on Future Generations were approved by HLCP at its forty-fifth session In March 2023 and endorsed by CEB in May 2023. At the same session, the Committee supported the core group’s recommendation to unpack the Common Principles with a view to supporting their operationalization in United Nations system entities.

At HLCP’s forty-sixth session in October 2023, members welcomed the Core Group's proposal outlining its next steps and planned activities, namely,

a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Duties to the Future to provide conceptual clarity and support a UN common language on complex issues and concepts associated with future generations and intergenerational equity;
a series of thematic deep dives, with the collaboration of various UN system entities and other stakeholders, to highlight and promote the application of the Common Principles in various sectoral and practical contexts; and
a commentary on the human rights aspects of the Common Principles, to explore and clarify the human rights dimensions and the interrelationship to international human rights law.

These activities are intended to guide and inform the work of UN system entities but may also serve as inspiration to the intergovernmental deliberations on the Declaration on Future Generations .

High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP)

HLCP Duties to the Future discussion paper (public)

PDF | 307.81 KB

Related resources

Session report.

October 2023

Chief Executives Board (CEB)High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP)

United Nations System Common Principles on Future Generations

September 2022

October 2021

Sample details

Words: 1685
Views: 1,028

The Future Is in Our Hands

The Future Is In Our Hands The article “A Walk in the Woods,” by Richard Louv was published in April 2009 by Orion Press. This article mainly involved the aspect of deforestation and how today’s youth does not spend enough quality time outdoors. This malicious destruction of our natural habitat has been quite the controversy over the past few decades because it has a devastating impact on the environment. This negative impact does not only take a major toll locally, but on a global scale as well.

I found that this article is addressed towards deforestation workers and predominantly parents who coup their children indoors. Obviously, workers are obligated to reap the benefits nature has to offer, but this does not mean it is necessary to decimate thousands of innocent forests. Trees need to be cut down in order for our economy to prosper essentially because the majority of goods contain wood. It is apparent that we cannot stop this action, but the government needs to step forward and address this issue further.

ready to help you now

Without paying upfront

If they simply plot out better areas for deforestation and plant more trees, our problem would be resolved. This movement would entice children to go on nature walks and enjoy the immaculate beauty our planet has to offer. Richard Louv stresses the point that today’s youth prefers performing indoor activities such as video games, to exploiting the pristine beauty of Mother Nature. He visited a classroom of children in Raytown, Missouri who preferred playing video games or other indoor activities, rather than being in the nature. On the contrary, a little girl in the room struck Louv in a special way.

She stated, “When I’m in the woods, I feel like I’m in my mother’s shoes. It is so peaceful out there and the air smells so good. For me, it’s completely different there. ” To this young adolescent, nature seemed to represent tranquility and simply a place to get away from everything. She also went onto explain how she felt free, and how the woods were a place where she could do as she pleased with no one to stop her. Unfortunately, the juggernaut force of deforestation came into effect and the little girl felt like they cut down a part of her.

Everyday citizens today take many things for granted, or in other words, they feel they have the “right” to do whatever they please. If these citizens at least attempted to have a different outlook on these important issues, our world would be a better place to live. Strong correlations have been made between a child’s ability to learn, along with positive emotional and physical health when experiencing the natural world. Spending quality time in the nature positively induces children who have stress related predicaments, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, cognitive functioning, and other disorders.

According to Howard Frumkin, director of the National Center for Environmental Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Protecting natural landscapes can be seen as a powerful form of preventive medicine. ” He feels that we need to do more research to come to a solution, but our society as a whole knows enough to strive toward these positive actions. Louv compares this struggle to the civil rights movement; it was fueled by a strongly articulated moral principle. Some of these efforts proved to be successful, whereas others were counterproductive.

In the end, the civil rights movement went forward and strived. It is our responsibility to introduce children to nature because this connection to the natural world is fundamental to humanity’s survival and spirit. According to Thomas Berry’s book The Great Work, he went on to explain “The present urgency is to begin thinking within the context of the whole planet, the integral Earth community with all its human and other-than-human components. When we discuss ethics we must understand it to mean the principles and values that govern that comprehensive community. Our adult society needs to step up and give today’s youth a more opportunistic lifestyle, pertaining to nature as the key element. If these actions occur, communities in general will begin to progress. With every right comes responsibility and if we fail to protect our environment, we will destroy its beautiful landscape. Louv feels that we need to do more than simply converse about the importance of nature, but rather ensure that children in every neighborhood have everyday access to natural habitats. Whether they live in urban or suburban areas, these children need to become unveiled to the outdoors.

Nature has provided life, food, shelter, etc. for everyone, so it is time to return the favor and respect the environment. A flourishing and sustainable society for future generations to come is possible if we act now and expose our children to the true beauty our planet has to offer. These actions are Louv’s purpose for writing this informative article. Louv’s essay is persuasive because he backed up his main points in a logical manner, pertained information in a significant approach, and procured his purpose successfully.

Louv presented a multitude of logical arguments in this article, which strengthened his credibility and kept his audience glued until the end. His writing style immediately entices the reader to think about how our environment tends to our every need, yet we still disrespect it. The relationship that human beings have with our planet has become oppositional over time. Centuries ago, the earth essentially provided every necessity and want to the human race. In return, they treated the earth with great respect, but unfortunately, the trend today has moved towards the latter.

Every day individuals take natures offerings for granted, but do not show a bit of respect in return. If these individuals began to change their outlook on the planet and return favors in respect, our world would be a better place. Louv feels that parents need to do more than simply talk about the importance of nature, but rather ensure that children in every kind of neighborhood have everyday access to nature. If we do not take care of our planet, it will not return the favor for current and future generations to come.

The information in this article was significant and was presented in a professional manner. Most children today do not experience the wonders this splendid planet has to offer. Instead, their eyes tend to be enthralled to the television or their hands are viciously cramped around a controller of a video game. These actions tend to hamper a child’s outlook on life and teach them unethical behaviors. My brother is a great example of this because he loves playing video games and being confined to his room in general.

Every time I come home, I try to come up with outdoor activities to play with him in order to broaden his horizon on nature’s gracious offerings. When parents spend time with their children outdoors, they often develop a better understanding of life in general and grow up with an inferior common sense to overcome life’s hurdles. Louv explains that kids who spend more time outdoors have lower stress levels, and seem to be physically and mentally healthier. This article shows that Louv really took the time to research and analyze this topic because it is straightforward and he gets his point cross with significant information. Richard Louv accomplished his purpose in a number of educated ways. I came across an excellent allusion where he declared that every successful movement, such as the civil rights struggle was jump-started by a strongly articulated moral principle. This movement did not need to be proved numerous times because some efforts were successful, whereas others were counterproductive. In the end, the movement went forth just as his argument can. Thomas Berry stated, “As a society, we need to give nature back to our kids.

Not doing that is immoral. It is unethical. A degraded habitat will produce degraded humans. If there is to be any true progress, then the entire life community must progress. ” This didactic language shows that we need to take care of our planet as a whole, in order to reap the benefits it provides for us. I felt the author’s most significant aspect was his tone that accompanied this article. He used a vast assortment of words and examples, which exemplified his true love and support for Mother Nature.

After reading and analyzing Richard Louv’s article, I agree with him on every aspect covered. I feel children today are too sheltered and do not spend enough time outdoors. Parents need to take an initiative to spend quality time doing outdoor activities with their children. These actions will not only strengthen bonds, but also prepare their kids for the real world. Children also need to take the responsibility to turn the video games off and replace them with outdoor activities.

Today’s youth can partake in numerous outdoor activities that teach good morals, ethics, and how to be a good citizen. On the contrary, most video games promote violence, malice, rape, murder, stealing, etc. These games can hamper a child’s understanding of the true core values in life. To me, nothing is more soothing than playing a round of golf on a beautiful day. I have played golf my entire life and I cannot begin to explain the feeling of happiness and relaxation I get when I am on the course. It is peaceful and quiet with no worries in the world.

Activities such as these will promote children to live a healthier lifestyle, while forming a bond with planet earth’s true beauty. The article “A Walk in the Woods” by Richard Louv was a very educational and interesting piece of work. He manipulated his primary points logically, used significant information to back up his article, and attained a very successful purpose. Mother Nature has done more than enough for us, so it is our time to return the favor and treat our planet with respect. Works Cited Louv, Richard. “A Walk in the Woods. ” Orion April 2009: 68-71. Print.

Cite this page

https://graduateway.com/the-future-is-in-our-hands/

You can get a custom paper by one of our expert writers

Armenian Genocide
Strengths And Weaknesses
Decision Making

Check more samples on your topics

Biotechnology – future outlook future lifespan.

I'm sure you have heard of the Biotechnology field before. It is the field in which living organisms are modified genetically in order to enhance them to make useful products. This has been used widely in the agriculture industry in the past decade with lots of controversy surrounding it. Maybe, you have heard of the

Tone and mood in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Analysis

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”In one of the most famous sermons ever preached, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, preacher, Jonathan Edwards, tries to persuade the ‘sinful’ people to realize that God is real and that they have to live ‘purely’, as in to live as a true Christian who

Enlightenment in Jonathan Edwards’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Sermon

Enlightenment is a product of the Scientific Revolution which began in the sixteenth centuries. The scientific revolution changed medieval beliefs held on for centuries; through the use of reason and scientific method, it had made people look at the universe differently. By the 17th century, thinkers hoped to apply the scientific and systematic ways of

Poem Analysis “My Grandmother’s Hands”

Grandmother

The poem “My Grandmother’s Hands was written in 1980 by Maria Mazziotti, who was an Italian mother. She seems worried in the poem, we will find out why. Also, what does it have to do with Mothers? She seems to have lost faith in herself, and her way of raising children. The quote: “Did I

Power Rests in the Hands of the Consumers Under Globalisation

Globalization

The definition of the ambiguous term globalisation that will be used for the duration of this essay is of a process, initiated and perpetuated by economic action, of global importation and exportation of capital, ideology and culture. The question asks, through careful discussion, to assess the dissemination of power and how it is affected by

Sinners in The Hands of An Angry God Tones Analysis

Authors convey their tones by utilizing diverse rhetorical techniques. In "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," Jonathan Edwards employs the rhetorical techniques of imagery, repetition, and metaphors to communicate his sharp tone. Edwards makes use of repetition to convey this sharp tone, repeatedly emphasizing the word "wrath," which conveys violent anger, to emphasize

Take Upper Limb Rehabilitation Into Your Own Hands

Health Care

Take rehabilitation into your own hands Hand Rehabilitation Quality of life is dependent on healthy hand function. Numerous orthopedic and neurological disease and injuries lead to hand impairments that affect hand function and decrease quality of life. Clinical research shows that the use of the HandTutor, a novel and innovative wrist and finger rehabilitation system,

Analyzing “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards, who was born in 1703 in East Windsor, Connecticut, grew up in a strict and disciplined puritan environment that had a profound impact on his life. Even as a young child, he showed strong devotion to the puritan faith by preaching to both his friends and classmates.Jonathan Edwards, at twelve years old, had

Fear in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

“For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries”(Bukowski). In this quote, the American Poet and Novelist Charles Bukowski succinctly explains the major difference separating the

Hi, my name is Amy 👋

In case you can't find a relevant example, our professional writers are ready to help you write a unique paper. Just talk to our smart assistant Amy and she'll connect you with the best match.

Jump to the Navigation.
Jump to the Content.

The future of wildlife is in our hands…

… and their future is linked to ours

In today’s Anthropocene era, which is shaped by humankind, we are living in a time of unprecedented risk but also unparalleled opportunity for the future of our planet and our society. A time when the world’s wildlife has been halved in less than a generation; extinction rates are estimated to be 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than natural rates*; the ocean, rivers and forests are struggling to cope with our growing pressure upon them; and when we are still on a path toward catastrophic climate change.

With all the problems facing the planet and our society, why should we care about wildlife? It’s simple. These species are a vital part of the ecosystems that sustain life on Earth. They are the barometer of what we are doing to our planet and the natural systems that all life on Earth, including people, depend on. We ignore their decline at our peril.

The biggest threat to wildlife is still habitat loss, such as the conversion of tropical forests to oil palm plantations, cattle ranches or farms. However, unprecedented levels of poaching and wildlife trafficking, fueled by surging demand and driven by international organized criminal syndicates, pose the most immediate threat to many of the world’s most iconic species, including elephants, rhinos and tigers.

The situation is no different in the ocean, with rampant illegal and unsustainable fishing driving a steep decline in both target and bycatch species, such as tuna and turtles. And in the medium term, climate change is predicted to become the most powerful driver of extinction.

With wildlife crime at an all-time high, the world is finally taking notice

For years, wildlife crime was regarded as a “secondary” environmental issue. But the world is finally taking notice and uniting to address this critical challenge. 2015 was a historic year with all 193 members of the UN adopting the first-ever resolution against wildlife crime and adopting the Sustainable Development Goals, which include a specific target to end poaching and wildlife trafficking. This momentum, which must be followed by concrete action, is crucial for the future of the planet, people and wildlife.

On World Wildlife Day, we must build on this momentum and take this opportunity to make 2016 the turning point in the fight against poaching and wildlife crime.

There is much to do, but the signs are encouraging

2015 was another dire year for wildlife crime, particularly for iconic African species like elephants and rhinos. Controlled by dangerous crime syndicates, wildlife is trafficked much like drugs or weapons. Wildlife criminals often operate with impunity, taking advantage of an illegal trade that has generally been a low-risk, high-profit business. Today, it is estimated to be the fourth largest transnational criminal trade in the world.

Yet, there are also encouraging signs which we need to build on. For the first time since 2007, South Africa announced a decrease in rhino poaching last year, with 1,175 animals killed – 40 fewer than the record set in 2014. After seven years of ever-increasing losses, even this slight reduction is welcome and testament to the high-level political will, public pressure and the tireless efforts of rangers, law enforcement officials and conservationists to stop the poaching. Still, the rate of poaching in Africa is still unacceptably high and the improvement in South Africa is more than offset by an alarming increase in the number of rhinos killed in neighbouring countries.

We can win…

The shining light is Nepal, which has shown that it is possible to stop poaching altogether. Nepal has already celebrated three years of zero poaching of rhinos since 2011 and is close to a fourth – a remarkable achievement, and one that other countries can emulate.

In Thailand, over a million people joined WWF’s “ Chor Chang ” anti-ivory campaign for elephants. Thailand now regulates its ivory trade. Then China and the US announced that they would take steps to halt their domestic commercial ivory trades. And now Hong Kong has committed to phase out its domestic ivory trade. These bold actions will help, but legislation alone is not enough. More work needs to be done to reduce demand for ivory as well as the wide array of illegal widlife products – a critical pillar of WWF and TRAFFIC’s Wildlife Crime Initiative.

In Africa, elephant poaching was lower in 2013 and 2014 than in the peak years of 2011-2012. But it is still too high. Could 2016 be a breakthrough year for elephants across the continent? With governments such as Tanzania, Kenya and Gabon taking strong positions against poaching and unprecedented public pressure, we can win.

The latest censuses in India and Bhutan have shown significant increase in tigers. Amur tigers in Russia continue to benefit from intense on-the-ground efforts, even moving into northeast China, where they have started to breed. The Chinese government and local communities have enthusiastically welcomed their return and are making new commitments to protect them.

Political will and on-the ground-efforts

This shows what is possible! In all cases the key was strong political will and effective work to strengthen anti-poaching efforts and involve local communities. We cannot stop wildlife crime only by trying to stop poaching and trafficking, we also need to address demand and stop people from buying illegal wildlife products. Our collective action can be the difference between a species surviving or disappearing. The struggle to stop poaching and species extinction is part of the broader challenge to build a future in which people prosper in harmony with nature. At WWF, we believe we must and we can close this destructive chapter in human history.

*Experts actually call this natural extinction rate the background extinction rate. This simply means the rate of species extinctions that would occur if we humans were not around.

Marco Lambertini is Director General of WWF International.

Destinations

Churchill Polar Bears

African Safaris

U.S. National Parks

Canada & the North

Galapagos Islands
Latin America
Asia & The Pacific
Antarctica & Arctic

The Future of Wildlife is in Our Hands

Posted by Tania Curry | Mar 1, 2016 | Conservation

March 3 rd was proclaimed as World Wildlife Day by the United Nations General Assembly three years ago to raise awareness of key issues facing our world’s free-roaming species and their habitat.

This year’s theme, “The future of wildlife is in our hands,” focuses on African and Asian elephants and the urgent threats facing them today, including human-wildlife conflict, habitat degradation resulting from agricultural expansion and infrastructure development, and poaching to supply the illegal ivory trade.

As travelers, there is a lot you can do to help. Here are five ways you can make a meaningful difference.

1. Help stop wildlife crime – don’t buy raw or carved ivory .

A study released in 2014 found that 100,000 African elephants were killed within three years alone, in Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve, the elephant population declined from 40,000 to 13,000. Poachers were responsible for many of the deaths. Fueling the poaching crisis has been the incredible demand for ivory by the affluent in Asia, many mistakenly believe that and elephants’ tusks grow back after being removed. The truth is that behind every piece of ivory is a dead elephant.

2. Take a picture or buy a postcard of a rhino but don’t buy rhino product s.

All international trade is illegal. Despite a drop in rhino poaching numbers in South Africa in 2015, it still reached a record of 1,305 killed across Africa. Demand for rhino horn comes from Asia–especially Vietnam and China where it is perceived as a status symbol.

3. Get Involved

Sign WWF’s petition to stop Wildlife Crime . WWF is urging governments, particularly in China, Vietnam, Thailand and the U.S to strengthen law enforcement and demand reduction efforts. Check out these other ideas for how to get involved .

4. Protect tigers by switching to forest-friendly products.

Look for the FSC label when you shop, this label means the product is from a responsibly managed forest and was created by the Forest Stewardship Council ®. Currently, trees are being cut down at the equivalent of 48 football fields per minute in order to meet demand for certain products. The FSC label takes into account procedures that limit clear cuts, restricts the use of hazardous chemicals, and protects rivers from erosion, and protects the rights and resources of the 300 million people that live in forests and rely on this habitat for their livelihoods. Pledge here to buy forest-friendly products and then check out this interactive graphic to learn where you could be using FSC products at home, work and school.

5. Choose conservation travel.

Who you choose to travel with matters, be sure to ask how they have committed to protect the places they travel to and empower and improve local livelihoods. WWF has partnered with Natural Habitat Adventures because of their commitment to conservation and environmentally-friendly travel. Your trip with us is a powerful incentive for local communities to protect their natural resources, making wildlife worth more alive than dead, and wild lands worth more intact than degraded. Natural Habitat Adventures has provided more than $2 million in support to WWF and will continue to give 1% of gross sales plus $100,000 annually through 2018 in support of WWF’s mission.

To follow along and show your support on World Wildlife Day, use #InOurHands and #WWD2016 . Be a part of the larger conversation and tell us in the comments below how the future of wildlife is in your hands.

About The Author

Tania Curry

Tania Curry is a Specialist within WWF's Travel, Tourism and Conservation Program. She manages travel communications, looks for creative ways to expand engagement online and supports WWF’s membership and VIP travel programs.

USDA Wildlife Services Killed More Than 4 Million Animals in 2013. Was It Justified?

August 19, 2014

5 Ways We Make Every Day Earth Day at NHA

April 20, 2012

Amazon Trees: Carbon Holders or Releasers?

March 5, 2013

Announcing Our 2024 Polar Bear Scholarship Grant

April 16, 2024

Thank you for your support of the planet, teaching others, and sharing opportunities to do more.

You’re welcome, Cathy! Thanks for your kind note!

The planet’s outlook is in our hands. Which future will we incentivize?

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to phase out $500 billion in harmful subsidies by 2030 and mobilize $200 billion annually for biodiversity conservation. Image: Alonso Reyes/Unsplash

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Carlos Correa

.chakra .wef-9dduvl{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-9dduvl{font-size:1.125rem;}} Explore and monitor how .chakra .wef-15eoq1r{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;color:#F7DB5E;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-15eoq1r{font-size:1.125rem;}} Climate Crisis is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;color:#2846F8;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{font-size:1.125rem;}} Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:, climate crisis.

Governments allocate $1.8 trillion annually to environmentally harmful subsidies, which leads to an additional $5 trillion in private funding for industries like fossil fuels and industrial agriculture.
Policymakers can leverage fiscal policy, establish new markets through emissions trading systems, and implement conservation payments to redirect private funding towards nature conservation efforts.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to phase out $500 billion in harmful subsidies by 2030 and mobilize $200 billion annually for biodiversity conservation.

When governments allocate money, they send a message. The power of that message ripples through economies, often triggering a wave of private spending. That effect rings true for biodiversity, on which governments have long made their message clear: Companies and citizens should feel free to prioritize activities that destroy our planet rather than sustain it.

Governments spend at least $1.8 trillion on environmentally harmful subsidies each year. That $1.8 trillion leads to another $5 trillion in private funding to the same deleterious industries — fossil fuel extraction, mining, commercial fishing, and industrial agriculture. The result is that nearly 7% of global GDP is dedicated to wrecking our natural world.

Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CEO of the Global Environment Facility, put the problem simply “There is not a single country today that invests more in protecting nature than it spends on activities that destroy it. This has to change.”

Climate change poses an urgent threat demanding decisive action. Communities around the world are already experiencing increased climate impacts, from droughts to floods to rising seas. The World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report continues to rank these environmental threats at the top of the list.

To limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C and as close as possible to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, it is essential that businesses, policy-makers, and civil society advance comprehensive near- and long-term climate actions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The World Economic Forum's Climate Initiative supports the scaling and acceleration of global climate action through public and private-sector collaboration. The Initiative works across several workstreams to develop and implement inclusive and ambitious solutions.

This includes the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, a global network of business leaders from various industries developing cost-effective solutions to transitioning to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy. CEOs use their position and influence with policy-makers and corporate partners to accelerate the transition and realize the economic benefits of delivering a safer climate.

Change starts with a shared vision, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) aligns countries on the path forward. Target 18 of the GBF calls for substantial and progressive elimination, phase out, or reform of $500 billion in annual subsidies that are harmful to biodiversity. With a target of 2030, the GBF has a mandate to mobilize at least $200 billion annually for biodiversity conservation.

Policymakers now have a rare opportunity to leverage their market influence to facilitate a massive reallocation of private money toward saving nature — and there is no shortage of paths to pursue.

These include:

Fiscal policy

Designing fiscal policy — how governments apply and spend tax revenues — is a widely available and immediate avenue for developing positive incentives. For example, India’s Ecological Fiscal Transfers programme uses ecological indicators to determine how public funding is distributed from federal to state governments — with states rewarded for protecting and restoring forest cover.

The setup renders conservation a potential source of income for local governments. This incentive worked in India: localities self-disciplined, voluntarily increasing state forestry budgets by 19% in the three years following the programme’s introduction to attract federal funding.

Environmental taxes are another vehicle for positive ecological incentives. Colombia implemented a carbon tax in 2016 that started at $5 per tonne of carbon. The tax quickly produced hundreds of millions for biodiversity, and it is set to be a key source of revenue for a new national biodiversity fund that aims to manage nearly $1 billion by 2026.

What’s the World Economic Forum doing about deforestation?

Halting deforestation is essential to avoiding the worst effects of global climate change.

The destruction of forests creates almost as much greenhouse gas emissions as global road travel, and yet it continues at an alarming rate.

In 2012, we brought together more than 150 partners working in Latin America, West Africa, Central Africa and South-East Asia – to establish the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 : a global public-private partnership to facilitate investment in systemic change.

The Alliance, made up of businesses, governments, civil society, indigenous people, communities and international organizations, helps producers, traders and buyers of commodities often blamed for causing deforestation to achieve deforestation-free supply chains.

The Commodities and Forests Agenda 2020 , summarizes the areas in which the most urgent action is needed to eliminate deforestation from global agricultural supply chains.

The Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 i s gaining ground on tackling deforestation linked to the production of four commodities: palm oil, beef, soy, and pulp and paper.

Get in touch to join our mission to halt to deforestation.

New markets

Governments can establish new markets through Emissions Trading Systems (ETS) that set a maximum level of greenhouse gas emissions with tradable permits distributed among emitters. This is an increasingly popular solution: OECD data shows over 40% of greenhouse gas emissions covered by carbon pricing in 2021, an 8% increase from 2018.

The EU’s ETS was the world’s first carbon market and remains one of the largest. It’s also a beacon of success: By putting a cap on emissions that decrease annually, EU businesses are investing in clean-energy technologies, helping reduce emissions from the power and industry sectors by 37.3% since 2005.

While carbon markets may be the most well-known application, resource use rights can also be capped and traded. In Argentina, for example, the government introduced a quota in 2010 on allowable catch of high-value seafood. The has effectively stabilized previously overfished stocks while boosting export prices.

Conservation payments

Direct payments to landowners for conservation is another critical tool.

Ecuador, for example, provides economic incentives to rural landowners who conserve native forests as alternatives to unsustainable land-use practices, such as logging and mining. Over 15 years, Socio Bosque has helped protect more than 4 million hectares by providing landowners with direct payments through an established 20-year conservation agreement.

The success of Socio Bosque and other initiatives has helped bolster the credibility of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), with more than 500 programmes worldwide generating tens of billions of dollars in transactions each year.

PES systems have proven, in several cases, to drastically reduce deforestation rates. During the 1970s and 1980s, for example, Costa Rica had one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, with forest cover dropping from over 50% of the land in 1950 to 24.4% by 1985. In 1996, the government introduced a PES programme. Today, forest spans over half of the country's total land area, largely due to the programme’s success.

Critically, well-designed PES programmes often have important co-benefits, including support for local and Indigenous populations to protect their land tenure and secure their rights.

Have you read?

Global risks report 2024.

Governments have spent decades encouraging the destruction of our ecosystems, but we are now at a turning point. Environmental leadership is emerging from every corner of the planet, uniting wealthy, and poorer countries around a shared cause.

Through the GBF, governments around the world took the first step in denouncing the status quo. Destroying nature will only succeed in destroying ourselves. But words only take us so far. With no shortage of solutions at their disposal, governments must now signal to companies, citizens, and the rest of the world that they are committed to protecting our planet.

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

.chakra .wef-1dtnjt5{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-wrap:wrap;-ms-flex-wrap:wrap;flex-wrap:wrap;} More on Nature and Biodiversity .chakra .wef-17xejub{-webkit-flex:1;-ms-flex:1;flex:1;justify-self:stretch;-webkit-align-self:stretch;-ms-flex-item-align:stretch;align-self:stretch;} .chakra .wef-nr1rr4{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;white-space:normal;vertical-align:middle;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:0.75rem;border-radius:0.25rem;font-weight:700;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;line-height:1.2;-webkit-letter-spacing:1.25px;-moz-letter-spacing:1.25px;-ms-letter-spacing:1.25px;letter-spacing:1.25px;background:none;padding:0px;color:#B3B3B3;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;}@media screen and (min-width:37.5rem){.chakra .wef-nr1rr4{font-size:0.875rem;}}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-nr1rr4{font-size:1rem;}} See all

Why recycling metal is an opportunity too good to waste

Nick Pickens and Julian Kettle

April 22, 2024

Earth Day 2024: These 4 innovators have big ideas for developing a sustainable plastics ecosystem

Simon Torkington

This Earth Day we consider the impact of climate change on human health

Shyam Bishen and Annika Green

Earth Day: We are almost certainly all eating plastics, says report, and other nature and climate stories you need to read this week

Johnny Wood

We’ve trapped nature action in a silo. An ecological mindset in leadership can help

Shruthi Vijayakumar and Matt Sykes

April 19, 2024

Why zero-emission green hydrogen production is so challenging

Flor Lucia De la Cruz and Simon Flowers

Skip to main content
Keyboard shortcuts for audio player
Official Biz
Behind The Stories
Station Stories
I Heart NPR

From NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher: Thoughts on our mission and our work

The message below was sent by NPR's President and CEO to all staff:

This has been a long week. I'll apologize in advance for the length of this note, and for it being the first way so many of you hear from me on more substantive issues. Thanks for bearing with me, as there's a lot that should be said.

I joined this organization because public media is essential for an informed public. At its best, our work can help shape and illuminate the very sense of what it means to have a shared public identity as fellow Americans in this sprawling and enduringly complex nation.

NPR's service to this aspirational mission was called in question this week, in two distinct ways. The first was a critique of the quality of our editorial process and the integrity of our journalists. The second was a criticism of our people on the basis of who we are.

Asking a question about whether we're living up to our mission should always be fair game: after all, journalism is nothing if not hard questions. Questioning whether our people are serving our mission with integrity, based on little more than the recognition of their identity, is profoundly disrespectful, hurtful, and demeaning.

It is deeply simplistic to assert that the diversity of America can be reduced to any particular set of beliefs, and faulty reasoning to infer that identity is determinative of one's thoughts or political leanings. Each of our colleagues are here because they are excellent, accomplished professionals with an intense commitment to our work: we are stronger because of the work we do together, and we owe each other our utmost respect. We fulfill our mission best when we look and sound like the country we serve.

NPR has some of the finest reporters, editors, and producers in journalism. Our reporting and programming is not only consistently recognized and rewarded for its quality, depth, and nuance; but at its best, it makes a profound difference in people's lives. Parents, patients, veterans, students, and so many more have directly benefited from the impact of our journalism. People come to work here because they want to report, and report deeply, in service to an informed public, and to do work that makes a difference.

This is the work of our people, and our people represent America, our irreducibly complex nation. Given the very real challenges of covering the myriad perspectives, motivations, and interests of a nation of more than 330 million very different people, we succeed through our diversity. This is a bedrock institutional commitment, hard-won, and hard-protected.

We recognize that this work is a public trust, one established by Congress more than 50 years ago with the creation of the public broadcasting system. In order to hold that trust, we owe it our continued, rigorous accountability. When we are asked questions about who we serve and how that influences our editorial choices, we should be prepared to respond. It takes great strength to be comfortable with turning the eye of journalistic accountability inwards, but we are a news organization built on a foundation of robust editorial standards and practices, well-constructed to withstand the hardest of gazes.

It is true that our audiences have unquestionably changed over the course of the past two decades. There is much to be proud of here: through difficult, focused work, we have earned new trust from younger, more diverse audiences, particularly in our digital experiences. These audiences constitute new generations of listeners, are more representative of America, and our changing patterns of listening, viewing, and reading.

At the same time, we've seen some concerning changes: the diffusion of drivetime, an audience skewing further away in age from the general population, and significant changes in political affiliations have all been reflected in the changing composition of our broadcast radio audiences. Of course, some of these changes are representative of trends outside our control — but we owe it to our mission and public interest mandate to ask, what levers do we hold?

A common quality of exceptional organizations is humility and the ability to learn. We owe it to our public interest mandate to ask ourselves: could we serve more people, from broader audiences across America? Years ago we began asking this question as part of our North Star work to earn the trust of new audiences. And more recently, this is why the organization has taken up the call of audience data, awareness, and research: so we can better understand who we are serving, and who we are not.

Our initial research has shown that curiosity is the unifying throughline for people who enjoy NPR's journalism and programming. Curiosity to know more, to learn, to experience, to change. This is a compelling insight, as curiosity only further expands the universe of who we might serve. It's a cross-cutting trait, pretty universal to all people, and found in just about every demographic in every part of the nation.

As an organization, we must invest in the resources that will allow us to be as curious as the audiences we serve, and expand our efforts to understand how to serve our nation better. We recently completed in-depth qualitative research with a wide range of listeners across the country, learning in detail what they think about NPR and how they view our journalism. Over the next two years we plan to conduct audience research across our entire portfolio of programming, in order to give ourselves the insight we need to extend the depth and breadth of our service to the American public.

It is also essential that we listen closely to the insights and experiences of our colleagues at our 248 Member organizations. Their presence across America is foundational to our mission: serving and engaging audiences that are as diverse as our nation: urban and rural, liberal and conservative, rich and poor, often together in one community.

We will begin by implementing an idea that has been proposed for some time: establishing quarterly NPR Network-wide editorial planning and review meetings, as a complement to our other channels for Member station engagement. These will serve as a venue for NPR newsroom leadership to hear directly from Member organization editorial leaders on how our journalism serves the needs of audiences in their communities, and a coordination mechanism for Network-wide editorial planning and newsgathering. We're starting right away: next week we plan to invite Members to join us for an initial scoping conversation.

And in the spirit of learning from our own work, we will introduce regular opportunities to connect what our research is telling us about our audiences to the practical application of how we're serving them. As part of the ongoing unification of our Content division, Interim Chief Content Officer, Edith Chapin, will establish a broad-based, rotating group that will meet monthly to review our coverage across all platforms. Some professions call this a retro, a braintrust, a 'crit,' or tuning session — this is an opportunity to take a break from the relentless pressure of the clock in order to reflect on how we're meeting our mandate, what we're catching and what we're missing, and learn from our colleagues in a climate of respectful, open-minded discussion.

The spirit of our founding newsroom and network was one of experimentation, creativity, and direct connection with our listeners across America. Our values are a direct outgrowth of this moment: the independence of a public trust, the responsibility to capture the voice and spirit of a nation, a willingness to push boundaries to tell the stories that matter. We're no strangers to change, continuously evolving as our network has grown, our programming has expanded, and our audiences have diversified — and as we look to a strategy that captures these values and opportunities, the future holds more change yet.

Two final thoughts on our mission:

I once heard missions like ours described as asymptotic — we can see our destination and we strive for it, but may never fully meet it. The value is in the continued effort: the challenge stretches on toward infinity and we follow, ever closer. Some people might find that exhausting. I suspect they don't work here. I suspect that you do because you find that challenge a means to constantly renew your work, and to reinfuse our mission with meaning as our audiences and world continues to change.

The strongest, most effective, and enduring missions are those that are owned far beyond the walls of their institution. Our staff, our Member stations, our donors, our listeners and readers, our ardent fans, even our loyal opposition all have a part to play: each of us come to the work because we believe in it, even as we each may have different perspectives on how we succeed. Every person I have met so far in my three weeks here has shown me how they live our mission every day, in their work and in their contributions to the community.

Continuing to uphold our excellence with confidence, having inclusive conversations that bridge perspectives, and learning more about the audiences we serve in order to continue to grow and thrive, adding more light to the illumination of who we are as a shared body public: I look forward to how we will do this work together.

SUGGESTED TOPICS
The Magazine
Newsletters
Managing Yourself
Managing Teams
Work-life Balance
The Big Idea
Data & Visuals
Reading Lists
Case Selections
HBR Learning
Topic Feeds
Account Settings
Email Preferences

6 Common Leadership Styles — and How to Decide Which to Use When

Rebecca Knight

Being a great leader means recognizing that different circumstances call for different approaches.

Research suggests that the most effective leaders adapt their style to different circumstances — be it a change in setting, a shift in organizational dynamics, or a turn in the business cycle. But what if you feel like you’re not equipped to take on a new and different leadership style — let alone more than one? In this article, the author outlines the six leadership styles Daniel Goleman first introduced in his 2000 HBR article, “Leadership That Gets Results,” and explains when to use each one. The good news is that personality is not destiny. Even if you’re naturally introverted or you tend to be driven by data and analysis rather than emotion, you can still learn how to adapt different leadership styles to organize, motivate, and direct your team.

Much has been written about common leadership styles and how to identify the right style for you, whether it’s transactional or transformational, bureaucratic or laissez-faire. But according to Daniel Goleman, a psychologist best known for his work on emotional intelligence, “Being a great leader means recognizing that different circumstances may call for different approaches.”

RK Rebecca Knight is a journalist who writes about all things related to the changing nature of careers and the workplace. Her essays and reported stories have been featured in The Boston Globe, Business Insider, The New York Times, BBC, and The Christian Science Monitor. She was shortlisted as a Reuters Institute Fellow at Oxford University in 2023. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade as an editor and reporter at the Financial Times in New York, London, and Boston.

Partner Center

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

Publications
Our Methods
Short Reads
Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

How Pew Research Center will report on generations moving forward

Journalists, researchers and the public often look at society through the lens of generation, using terms like Millennial or Gen Z to describe groups of similarly aged people. This approach can help readers see themselves in the data and assess where we are and where we’re headed as a country.

Pew Research Center has been at the forefront of generational research over the years, telling the story of Millennials as they came of age politically and as they moved more firmly into adult life . In recent years, we’ve also been eager to learn about Gen Z as the leading edge of this generation moves into adulthood.

But generational research has become a crowded arena. The field has been flooded with content that’s often sold as research but is more like clickbait or marketing mythology. There’s also been a growing chorus of criticism about generational research and generational labels in particular.

Recently, as we were preparing to embark on a major research project related to Gen Z, we decided to take a step back and consider how we can study generations in a way that aligns with our values of accuracy, rigor and providing a foundation of facts that enriches the public dialogue.

A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years. As many critics of generational research point out, there is great diversity of thought, experience and behavior within generations.

We set out on a yearlong process of assessing the landscape of generational research. We spoke with experts from outside Pew Research Center, including those who have been publicly critical of our generational analysis, to get their take on the pros and cons of this type of work. We invested in methodological testing to determine whether we could compare findings from our earlier telephone surveys to the online ones we’re conducting now. And we experimented with higher-level statistical analyses that would allow us to isolate the effect of generation.

What emerged from this process was a set of clear guidelines that will help frame our approach going forward. Many of these are principles we’ve always adhered to , but others will require us to change the way we’ve been doing things in recent years.

Here’s a short overview of how we’ll approach generational research in the future:

We’ll only do generational analysis when we have historical data that allows us to compare generations at similar stages of life. When comparing generations, it’s crucial to control for age. In other words, researchers need to look at each generation or age cohort at a similar point in the life cycle. (“Age cohort” is a fancy way of referring to a group of people who were born around the same time.)

When doing this kind of research, the question isn’t whether young adults today are different from middle-aged or older adults today. The question is whether young adults today are different from young adults at some specific point in the past.

To answer this question, it’s necessary to have data that’s been collected over a considerable amount of time – think decades. Standard surveys don’t allow for this type of analysis. We can look at differences across age groups, but we can’t compare age groups over time.

Another complication is that the surveys we conducted 20 or 30 years ago aren’t usually comparable enough to the surveys we’re doing today. Our earlier surveys were done over the phone, and we’ve since transitioned to our nationally representative online survey panel , the American Trends Panel . Our internal testing showed that on many topics, respondents answer questions differently depending on the way they’re being interviewed. So we can’t use most of our surveys from the late 1980s and early 2000s to compare Gen Z with Millennials and Gen Xers at a similar stage of life.

This means that most generational analysis we do will use datasets that have employed similar methodologies over a long period of time, such as surveys from the U.S. Census Bureau. A good example is our 2020 report on Millennial families , which used census data going back to the late 1960s. The report showed that Millennials are marrying and forming families at a much different pace than the generations that came before them.

Even when we have historical data, we will attempt to control for other factors beyond age in making generational comparisons. If we accept that there are real differences across generations, we’re basically saying that people who were born around the same time share certain attitudes or beliefs – and that their views have been influenced by external forces that uniquely shaped them during their formative years. Those forces may have been social changes, economic circumstances, technological advances or political movements.

When we see that younger adults have different views than their older counterparts, it may be driven by their demographic traits rather than the fact that they belong to a particular generation.

The tricky part is isolating those forces from events or circumstances that have affected all age groups, not just one generation. These are often called “period effects.” An example of a period effect is the Watergate scandal, which drove down trust in government among all age groups. Differences in trust across age groups in the wake of Watergate shouldn’t be attributed to the outsize impact that event had on one age group or another, because the change occurred across the board.

Changing demographics also may play a role in patterns that might at first seem like generational differences. We know that the United States has become more racially and ethnically diverse in recent decades, and that race and ethnicity are linked with certain key social and political views. When we see that younger adults have different views than their older counterparts, it may be driven by their demographic traits rather than the fact that they belong to a particular generation.

Controlling for these factors can involve complicated statistical analysis that helps determine whether the differences we see across age groups are indeed due to generation or not. This additional step adds rigor to the process. Unfortunately, it’s often absent from current discussions about Gen Z, Millennials and other generations.

When we can’t do generational analysis, we still see value in looking at differences by age and will do so where it makes sense. Age is one of the most common predictors of differences in attitudes and behaviors. And even if age gaps aren’t rooted in generational differences, they can still be illuminating. They help us understand how people across the age spectrum are responding to key trends, technological breakthroughs and historical events.

Each stage of life comes with a unique set of experiences. Young adults are often at the leading edge of changing attitudes on emerging social trends. Take views on same-sex marriage , for example, or attitudes about gender identity .

Many middle-aged adults, in turn, face the challenge of raising children while also providing care and support to their aging parents. And older adults have their own obstacles and opportunities. All of these stories – rooted in the life cycle, not in generations – are important and compelling, and we can tell them by analyzing our surveys at any given point in time.

When we do have the data to study groups of similarly aged people over time, we won’t always default to using the standard generational definitions and labels. While generational labels are simple and catchy, there are other ways to analyze age cohorts. For example, some observers have suggested grouping people by the decade in which they were born. This would create narrower cohorts in which the members may share more in common. People could also be grouped relative to their age during key historical events (such as the Great Recession or the COVID-19 pandemic) or technological innovations (like the invention of the iPhone).

By choosing not to use the standard generational labels when they’re not appropriate, we can avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes or oversimplifying people’s complex lived experiences.

Existing generational definitions also may be too broad and arbitrary to capture differences that exist among narrower cohorts. A typical generation spans 15 to 18 years. As many critics of generational research point out, there is great diversity of thought, experience and behavior within generations. The key is to pick a lens that’s most appropriate for the research question that’s being studied. If we’re looking at political views and how they’ve shifted over time, for example, we might group people together according to the first presidential election in which they were eligible to vote.

With these considerations in mind, our audiences should not expect to see a lot of new research coming out of Pew Research Center that uses the generational lens. We’ll only talk about generations when it adds value, advances important national debates and highlights meaningful societal trends.

Age & Generations
Demographic Research
Generation X
Generation Z
Generations
Greatest Generation
Methodological Research
Millennials
Silent Generation

How Teens and Parents Approach Screen Time

Who are you the art and science of measuring identity, u.s. centenarian population is projected to quadruple over the next 30 years, older workers are growing in number and earning higher wages, teens, social media and technology 2023, most popular.

1615 L St. NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries

Research Topics

Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Economy & Work
Family & Relationships
Gender & LGBTQ
Immigration & Migration
International Affairs
Internet & Technology
News Habits & Media
Non-U.S. Governments
Other Topics
Politics & Policy
Race & Ethnicity
Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

Terms & Conditions

Cookie Settings

Reprints, Permissions & Use Policy

College of Engineering

Cbe alumni spotlight - zachary hachmeister.

Zachary Hachmeister is a Chemical Engineering alumnus from the University of Iowa. He is currently working as the President of Fauske & Associates. Learn more about Zachary and how he has utilized his ChemE degree throughout his career!

Graduating Class: 2009

How did you choose the University of Iowa?

I grew up a Hawkeye fan as a kid and had friends and family enrolled at Iowa. I actually started my collegiate journey at a different university but didn't really have the right level of focus to be successful. These experiences and failures helped me gain perspective which enabled me to embrace the opportunities the ChemE program provided.

Describe your career path and the work you are currently doing.

I started my professional career at Fauske & Associates which is a process safety consulting firm as an individual contributor working in the Combustible Dust Testing & Consulting department. This was a pretty fast-paced work environment that offered a high volume and large variety of projects. I also had direct access to world class experts in their respective fields. This combination really accelerated my professional development. During this time I was able to get involved in a variety of more business administration related tasks as well. Doing the technical work and being exposed to the business side provided a good connection with how we deliver our services, why what we do is important, and what it means for our customers. These experiences were really the building blocks which unlocked my next few roles; Manager, Combustible Dust Testing and Consulting Business, Operations Manager, Director of Business & Services, Chief Operating Officer, and my current role as President of the Fauske business.

How did the CBE Department prepare you for your career?

The ChemE program is challenging. At the time I was attending the class sizes were relatively small, maybe 20 students or so and there was a good mix of lectures and hands-on learning. I think the challenging coursework coupled with a more intimate environment helped me learn how to be a good teammate, how to ask for help when I/we needed it, and how to navigate intense workloads. After finishing the program I left with a feeling of accomplishment and some really great relationships with both classmates and professors.

What advice would you want to share with current or future ChemE students?

College is a really fantastic period of your life where you're exposed to a variety of opportunities and experiences. My advice is to utilize this time to really invest in yourself. Obviously, your education is a key area but more broadly speaking, take advantage of all the opportunities that are around you. Get involved with different organizations, take some risks, try some things that put you outside your comfort zone, embrace the lessons that accompany failure, and enjoy the experience.

A major bonus - I was lucky enough to also find my life partner who was also attending the ChemE program, though she was in a class behind me.

River City Live
Newsletters

WEATHER ALERT

2 warnings and an advisory in effect for 5 regions in the area

Wild video: florida man uses bare hands to remove 8-foot gator from busy road, he’s done it—again..

Carianne Luter , Digital Media & Engagement Manager

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – No shoes, no equipment, no problem for our good friend Mike Dragich , a.k.a. “Blue Collar Brawler.”

Dragich, a licensed Florida alligator trapper, MMA artist, veteran, and nonprofit leader in Florida, trapped and removed an 8-foot alligator wandering the streets on Jacksonville’s Northside.

Dragich told News4JAX he was at a Jacksonville Icemen game with his family when he heard the nuisance gator call from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office seeking a trapper. He jumped in the car and when he arrived near a shopping plaza on Edgewood Avenue W and Vernon Road, he saw the large beast.

He didn’t have his equipment with him so he caught the gator in True Florida man style — with his bare hands! And bare feet...

“I was at a hockey game (in) downtown Jacksonville with my family!” Dragich told News4JAX. “Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office called the emergency alligator situation to FWC and I was dispatched. It was only five minutes from the game, so I literally left the game, caught the alligator, and then went back to the game!”

April is the start of mating season for alligators. That’s why we keep hearing these crazy stories of gators popping up in random places.

Related Video: ‘Blue Collar Brawler’ removes alligator from construction site near Cecil Field

Reminder: Do not try this on your own. If you see an aggressive or nuisance alligator, call the FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286) .

Dragich has gained notoriety for past gator removals, including one he wrestled from a Jacksonville school campus. He’s amassed tens of thousands of followers for his gator wrestling skills and his daringness. He’s used the fame to draw attention to his nonprofit, Project Savior Outdoors , which provides retreats for military veterans to prevent suicide.

Related Video: Meet the trapper who removed a 10-foot alligator from a Jacksonville elementary school

About the Author

Carianne luter.

Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines.

Can you write essays for free?

Sometimes our managers receive ambiguous questions from the site. At first, we did not know how to correctly respond to such requests, but we are progressing every day, so we have improved our support service. Our consultants will competently answer strange suggestions and recommend a different way to solve the problem.

The question of whether we can write a text for the user for free no longer surprises anyone from the team. For those who still do not know the answer, read the description of the online platform in more detail.

We love our job very much and are ready to write essays even for free. We want to help people and make their lives better, but if the team does not receive money, then their life will become very bad. Each work must be paid and specialists from the team also want to receive remuneration for their work. For our clients, we have created the most affordable prices so that a student can afford this service. But we cannot be left completely without a salary, because every author has needs for food, housing and recreation.

We hope that you will understand us and agree to such working conditions, and if not, then there are other agencies on the Internet that you can ask for such an option.

Finished Papers

The fate of sustainable aviation fuel is in the hands of Biden regulators

Farmers would suffer significant losses if policymakers place stringent carbon-reduction requirements on them without a regulatory framework based on reality..

Emily Skor is the CEO of Growth Energy, a biofuels trade association.
Growth Energy is a founding member of Americans for Clean Aviation Fuels, a coalition of companies and organizations promoting the benefits of building a robust U.S. market for clean aviation fuels.

President Joe Biden predicted last summer that in the next 20 years, U.S. farmers will provide the feedstock for 95% of all sustainable aviation fuel , or SAF — a vision that lines up with his administration’s Grand Challenge to increase American SAF production to 35 billion gallons annually by 2050.

Given the inherent challenges of reducing carbon emissions in air travel, the president’s goal is significant. That’s because SAF, a homegrown fuel source from America’s heartland, represents the most promising, in-production and scalable lever to help airlines achieve a net zero future. However, the reality is that today, there’s not enough SAF produced annually to fuel global commercial aviation for even one week.

SAF is a win-win for American farmers, the economy and our environment. In fact, building the domestic SAF market with American-produced bioethanol will provide an economic boon to our nation’s farmers and growers. A recent study commissioned by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association predicts 224,440 new jobs associated with SAF in the Midwest alone in the coming decades.

SAF, a clean alternative to traditional fossil fuel-based jet fuel, is essential to decarbonizing air travel and will make America more energy secure in the face of increasing global instability. But the market for SAF can’t build itself — the Biden administration must put the right framework in place to catalyze production.

Whether SAF reaches its full potential depends largely on regulatory decisions the president’s administration is making right now. A key flashpoint in this process is how pending revisions to the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Technologies — otherwise known as GREET — model will be used to calculate the total environmental impact and lifecycle greenhouse emission reduction from bioethanol-produced SAF.

The Department of Agriculture and the Argonne National Laboratory have already found that corn-based bioethanol cuts lifecycle carbon emissions , and with climate smart agriculture practices, SAF has the potential to remove even more carbon than is generated in its production cycle.

Many farmers understand the importance and value of climate-smart agricultural practices to the environment and future of their farms. We are already seeing farmers across the Midwest deploy practices that improve the integrity of the soil, which acts as a carbon sink, such as no-till farming, planting cover crops and using sustainable fertilizer. Using a method like no-till ensures that less carbon is released into the atmosphere than through traditional practices by not disrupting the soil as much while using less tractor fuel. Coupling that technique with sustainable fertilizers can truly make a difference across hundreds of acres. But reducing the carbon footprint of American agriculture is a collaborative effort. If we want to advance sustainable farming more widely, we must first invest in encouraging more farmers to deploy these practices.

Farmers would suffer significant financial losses — and be unable to make their practices more sustainable — if policymakers place stringent carbon-reduction requirements on them without a regulatory framework based on reality. For example, the use of cover crops has been demonstrated to protect against yield loss , particularly after heavy rains or storms, mitigating risk to the farmer; however, the cost of crop insurance under the federal government is rising due to climate risk and does not yet appropriately value these practices. We must incentivize and reward farmers for reducing their carbon footprint; breaking down the financial barrier to practicing climate smart agriculture is a win-win for farmers and the environment alike. We cannot demand that carbon reduction goals be met without thinking through the entire value chain, starting with our farmers and growers.

Heartland farmers await the administration’s decision process with bated breath. If the revised GREET model includes updates that appropriately value climate smart agricultural practices to calculate the lifecycle greenhouse gas impact of SAF, American farmers will be a step closer to reaping immense economic benefits — an opportunity they cannot afford to lose. GREET stands to incentivize emission reduction, encourage further climate smart agriculture practices — by raising the value of low-carbon corn and soybeans for those farmers that utilize no or low-till farming, for example — and catalyze our domestic SAF production, all while helping our nation’s growers. What is there to lose?

The president’s SAF Grand Challenge hangs in the balance. Decisions that regulators make in the coming weeks about the revisions to the GREET model will determine whether SAF is a boon or a bust for American farmers.

The Biden administration can’t miss this opportunity — and neither can this country.

Emily Skor is the CEO of Growth Energy, a biofuels trade association. Growth Energy is a founding member of Americans for Clean Aviation Fuels, a coalition of companies and organizations focused on promoting the economic benefits of building a robust U.S. market for clean aviation fuels.

IMAGES

Is The Future In Our Hands? Essay Speech Example (600 Words)
⇉The Future Is in Our Hands Essay Example
(PDF) The Future is in Your Hands
The Future is in our Hands.pdf
The future is in our hands ARGUS Poster
Winston Churchill Quote: “Our future is in our hands. Our lives are

VIDEO

The Future of Humanity: A Conversation with Elon Musk
Session 4: Our future lives Q&A (YorkTalks 2024)
the future is in our hand
Helping hands article || Handwriting || beautiful english handwriting ||
Imagine Our World in 2050 A Glimpse into the Future of Humanity and Life in 2050
What is the Future of Humanity?

COMMENTS

The Future Is In Our Hands
We need to change before our future goes down the drain. Right about now we can't afford to let the little future we do have slip away from us. Our generation is dying out and we need the younger generation to come and step up. They can only step up if we allow them to, I believe we should give them the opportunity to do so and stop putting ...
The Future Is in Our Hands
The Future is in Our Hands - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site.
Our future is in our hands
Choose wisely. Our future is in your hands.". The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change new Sixth Assessment Report is striking in the clarity of its key message: It is ...
Introduction: The Future is in Our Hands
Introduction: The Future is in Our Hands. Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 August 2018. Marc Fleurbaey. With. Olivier Bouin , Marie-Laure Salles-Djelic , Ravi Kanbur , Helga Nowotny and. Elisa Reis.
Duties to the Future
The future of humanity and of our planet lies in our hands. It lies also in the hands of today's younger generation who will pass the torch to future generations. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable DevelopmentThe idea that generations living today have an obligation to succeeding generations is one of the foundational concepts of the United Nations.
3197 The Future Is in Our Hands
3197 the Future is in Our Hands - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. The document is a high school graduation speech that challenges graduates to meet future challenges with confidence and strive for excellence. It notes that graduates are leaving as adults to pursue individual paths and will shape the future.
PDF LOVEOKNOW Logo will not print with document
The Future Is In Our Hands Author: LoveToKnow Subject: The Future Is In Our Hands Keywords: The Future Is In Our Hands - Sample High School Graduation Speech Created Date: 11/22/2016 1:02:22 PM ...
The Future is in our hands
The Future Is In Our Hands. We stand here today on the precipice of the future. It's not a distant reality anymore. It begins here. It begins today. We began high school as children, but we're leaving here as adults. We've completed a basic education that will serve as the platform we use to launch ourselves into our futures.
Is The Future In Our Hands?
Little Decisions And Big Consequences Essay. In the article titled "Decisions and destiny" It's stated that "whatever you focus on, you experience. Wherever focus goes, energy flows." (paragraph 5). People's thoughts, words, actions, beliefs, character and much more all come from the choices that are made.
Our Children's Future Is In Our Hands Essay
Our Children's Future Is In Our Hands Essay. 715 Words3 Pages. Our Children's Future is in Our Hands. A school is where kids learn the value of the environment and how to grow in it. If we remove our children's connection with the earth that sustains them, they will be much lesser people. We must dispose of this idea indefinitely.
⇉The Future Is in Our Hands Essay Example
The Future Is In Our Hands The article "A Walk in the Woods," by Richard Louv was published in April 2009 by Orion Press. This article mainly involved the aspect of deforestation and how today's youth does not spend enough quality time outdoors. This malicious destruction of our natural habitat has been quite the controversy over the past ...
Essay About My Future
Essay About My Future. 700 Words3 Pages. Thinking of my future, learning from mistakes from the past, enjoying the moment in my present. Life is about achieving dreams and never losing hope. Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain. I enjoy every single moment in my life like if there's no ...
Is The Future In Our Hands?
Order custom essay Is The Future In Our Hands? with free plagiarism report 450+ experts on 30 subjects Starting from 3 hours delivery Get Essay Help. The shaping of the character depends to the unique nature of a man, environment, family, education etc. Not all people have the same personality, character and nature.
Free The Future In Our Hands Essay Sample
The future in our hands As we know, the future is something that worries us all, knowing that it can happen, if it is we who handle our life or if there will. ... Free The Future In Our Hands Essay Sample. Share: Read more. Related samples. Zika Virus: Transmission Form. 0 (0)
The Future Is in Our Hands
Filter Results. The Future Is In Our Hands. The article "A Walk in the Woods," by Richard Louv was published in April 2009 by Orion Press. This article mainly involved the aspect of deforestation and how today's youth does not spend enough quality time outdoors. This malicious destruction of our natural habitat has been quite the ...
The future is in our hands ll
THE FUTURE IS IN OUR HANDS We stand here today on the precipice of the future. It's not a distant reality anymore. It begins here, it begins today. We began high school as children, but we're leaving here as adults. We've completed a basic education that will serve as the platform we use to launch ourselves into our futures.
The future of wildlife is in our hands…
The future of wildlife is in our hands…. Posted by EcoLogical in Conservation, General, Species on March 3, 2016 -. … and their future is linked to ours. In today's Anthropocene era, which is shaped by humankind, we are living in a time of unprecedented risk but also unparalleled opportunity for the future of our planet and our society.
The Future of Wildlife is in Our Hands
March 3 rd was proclaimed as World Wildlife Day by the United Nations General Assembly three years ago to raise awareness of key issues facing our world's free-roaming species and their habitat. This year's theme, "The future of wildlife is in our hands," focuses on African and Asian elephants and the urgent threats facing them today ...
Our Children's Future Is In Our Hands Essay
Words 715. Pages 3. Our Children's Future is in Our Hands. A school is where kids learn the value of the environment and how to grow in it. If we remove our children's connection with the earth that sustains them, they will be much lesser people. We must dispose of this idea indefinitely.
The planet's outlook is in our hands. Which future will we incentivize?
Nature and Biodiversity. The planet's outlook is in our hands. Which future will we incentivize? Apr 22, 2024. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to phase out $500 billion in harmful subsidies by 2030 and mobilize $200 billion annually for biodiversity conservation. Image: Alonso Reyes/Unsplash.
Essay on the future is in our hands
Answer. Explanation: Children are our future; they are our doctors, lawyers, teachers, preachers, nurses, congress women and men, and maybe even the next president of the U.S.A. if we keep shooting them down they will not be our anything. They will then become our alcoholics, drug addicts, homeless, beggars, minimum wage workers, or even dead!
From NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher: Thoughts on our mission and
Our staff, our Member stations, our donors, our listeners and readers, our ardent fans, even our loyal opposition all have a part to play: each of us come to the work because we believe in it ...
6 Common Leadership Styles
Much has been written about common leadership styles and how to identify the right style for you, whether it's transactional or transformational, bureaucratic or laissez-faire. But according to ...
Our world is in our hands Free Essays
The Future Is In Our Hands The article "A Walk in the Woods‚" by Richard Louv was published in April 2009 by Orion Press. This article mainly involved the aspect of deforestation and how today's youth does not spend enough quality time outdoors. This malicious destruction of our natural habitat has been quite the controversy over the ...
How Pew Research Center will report on generations moving forward
What emerged from this process was a set of clear guidelines that will help frame our approach going forward. Many of these are principles we've always adhered to, but others will require us to change the way we've been doing things in recent years. Here's a short overview of how we'll approach generational research in the future:
I Believe the Future Is In Our Hands
Explore. Featured Essays Essays on the Radio; Special Features; 1950s Essays Essays From the 1950s Series; Browse by Theme Browse Essays By Theme Use this feature to browse through the tens of thousands of essays that have been submitted to This I Believe. Select a theme to see a listing of essays that address the selected theme. The number to the right of each theme indicates how many essays ...
CBE Alumni Spotlight
At the time I was attending the class sizes were relatively small, maybe 20 students or so and there was a good mix of lectures and hands-on learning. I think the challenging coursework coupled with a more intimate environment helped me learn how to be a good teammate, how to ask for help when I/we needed it, and how to navigate intense workloads.
WILD VIDEO: Florida man uses bare hands to remove 8-foot ...
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - No shoes, no equipment, no problem for our good friend Mike Dragich, a.k.a. "Blue Collar Brawler.". Dragich, a licensed Florida alligator trapper, MMA artist, veteran ...
The Future's In Our Hands Essay
We have experts even in very specific fields of study, so you will definitely find a writer who can manage your order. Kaylin G. 4.8/5. About Us. (415) 397-1966. 12Customer reviews. Feb 15, 2021.
Biden regulators hold fate of sustainable aviation fuel in their hands
President Joe Biden predicted last summer that in the next 20 years, U.S. farmers will provide the feedstock for 95% of all sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF — a vision that lines up with his ...