Column: Horner On U.S. Environmental Task Force
[Column written by Patrice Horner]
The newly elected President Trump was not expected to be climate friendly. This week he again surprised everyone with the appointment of Ed Russo, his environmental advisor for 24 years, to head the White House Environmental Advisory Taskforce. Dr. Edward Russo has served on the Forida Keys Coalition for protection of marine coastlines and 34 endangered species in a National Marine Sanctury which is “a Migratory Superway”, as well reef in relief for protecting the Florida Keys archipelago, the largest in the Norther Hemisphere. He was nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for a technology that uses atmospheric water to extract safe drinking water for people in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Dr Russo was introduced via video link by Dominque Kun to the participants at the Hub Culture ICON at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday. Dominque is a philanthropist with tremendous impact by funding climate solutions that make economic sense. A participant of the Hub Culture, she had just left a meeting wherein she was appointed to the Task Force. She explained how she met with the men of Trump’s inner circle including Dr Russo to promote the economic value of restoration.
“Trump has always been committed to clean water, air, and soil,” which he said people may find surprising. “The US is focused on global efforts to preserve and protect the environment for future generations.” This session is about the most pressing transformative ideas of our time, shaping the value creation, investment, and sustainability for positive change. “We believe in common sense solutions to the environment.” Nature generates the feedback loops for to keep us in planetary boundaries,” for the power of existence.
Dr Edward Russo Head of Trump’s Environmental Advisory Taskforce with Dr Raul Hinojosa and Philanthropist Dominque Kun as introduced by Founder of Hub Culture and the Ocean Fund Stan Stalnaker.
Dominque explained “we are tasked with the most important task of all times.” The Existence Fund she created is to promote substantial growth possibilities for indigenous, migrant, and frontline communities for sub-funding and iterative solutions evolving the nature investment space at the nexus point of humanity. It adheres to Article 9 of ‘Do no harm’ of the Five Pillars of Planetary health. The fund can invest anywhere in the World, with the vision to derisk communities. This creates jobs for ecological livelihoods, while maintaining sustainability of water and food sources,” she elaborated.
With the ability to make money and improve their communities, people will not migrate which can reduce conflict. As a blended fund that supports the ability of the earth and the communities to restore and regenerate. Indigenous people are the best stewards would best understand their land and biodiversity as it is their home. “Nature positive and people positive” with appropriately designed incentives to restore species, improve the ocean, create jobs, and sequester pollution.” In summation, “It couldn’t be a better time for a shift to nature.” at the Hub Culture Oceans Group at the World Economic Forum. “Its all about the economic co-benefits that nature can generate and macroscale cost-savings.” According to experts, valuing nature and its purpose will increase GDPs by trillions, not only to sequester carbon, but also to create oxygen and increase freshwater production.
Dr Raul Hinojosa Professor at UCLA with Oxford is co-founder the Existence Fund and met Dr Russo at the Nobel Sustainability Trust in a panel at UC Berkley. Raul had for decades worked on creating relationships between Democrats and Republicans administrations, starting with the issues surrounding NAFTA, trade, migration, and infrastructure investing. There was bipartisan support for his suggestion to establish a North America Development Bank [NADBank]. Noted Raul “it was the first bi-national environmental development bank in history”, started in 1993 under a the Border Environment Cooperation Agreement. Once established, in the first few years over $10 billion was allocated to infrastructure work along the Mexico and United States border. It evidenced the ability to bridge political divides on behalf of nature.
There has not been given sufficient attention to the financial flows of migrants that transfer over $700 billion of remittances through the cash payment systems worldwide. The question became how to direct some of the flows going back to indigenous front-line communities most effected by climate to engender real projects that are nature positive. The new Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who is an environmental engineer, collaborated to launch a mechanism to allow migrants in the US to direct 10% of cash flows to sustainable development bonds to address issues prompting immigration, working with national savings banks. The aim is to “Empower the flows…” to engage front line communities to confront the challenges they face, in partnership with hundreds of community-based Credit Unions around the world.
Dr Rosso explained that to him MAGA stands for Make America Green Again. “The environment is too important to politicize.” Trump has invested in every project I have advanced over the years, he noted. There are demands and solutions. Funds are there, along with the technology. “Leadership is missing to start stopping things that are making people sick today,” he exclaimed. “We are not doing enough for coral reliefs such as those in Florida,” they are in trouble he noted. The water quality is seriously failing, from plastics and discharges from treatment plants. “Start with making the water quality better, with something we know how to do. Then we have a fighting chance.” Focus on getting things done in the field. “Filter the oceans with seagrass to get the oceans going.” Climate solutions are possible, but the hard work needs to be done. He emphasized to get things going in the field. Focus on the top 5 environmental threats at home and work on them!” That will make the difference. Dr Rosso will do the best he can to make the US a leader in environmental remediation around the world. Watch this space.
- Patrice Horner
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Category: All, Environment
