The climate science is clear: if we continue conducting business as usual, our planet will soon be uninhabitable. Averting climate catastrophe will require massive changes in this decade — especially to the policies that shape our collective carbon footprint. And achieving this type of policy change will require all hands on deck: academia and business, nonprofits and government.

For more than a decade, the Climate Leadership Conference has convened leaders across sectors to share ideas that address the climate crisis through policy, innovation, and business solutions. This year, we joined them in Washington, D.C. to learn from leading organizations at the forefront of climate policy, from WWF to Amazon to the U.S. EPA. Here are five best practices for meaningful climate leadership in 2022.

Centralize equity across all climate efforts

1. When everyone is engaged, our results are amplified.
2. Including diverse perspectives is critical to creating effective solutions.
3. A just and equitable future will depend on a successful transition to clean energy.

Embrace nature-based solutions

1. Demand for “blue carbon” as well as other nature-based solutions is growing.
2. The restoration and protection of nature — including forests, marshes, wetlands — are powerful climate solutions.
3. Because biodiversity is critical to the way that we do business and live life, protecting biodiversity is a critical business interest.

Form meaningful partnerships between government and business

1. Climate leadership requires ambitious and effective policy leadership.
2. Political will and investment in climate solutions are swelling — when we align public and private actors, we amplify that momentum.
3. Drafting and supporting effective climate policy will make the difference between managing a crisis and planning for the future.

‍Prepare to play by the SEC’s rules

1. The SEC’s proposed rule to establish mandatory climate disclosure standards for public companies will most likely pass — and it will be transformative. 
2. While only directly applicable to public companies, the rule is bound to affect private companies as well.
3. In the short term, companies should adopt reporting technologies to comply; in the long term, businesses will competing over climate progress to win investors.

Stealing — of ideas — is highly encouraged

1. Sharing best practices allows us to accelerate solutions.
2. When we reframe challenges as opportunities, possibilities for solutions are limitless.
3. We are most powerful when we invite all voices to the table, and listen when they speak.