Sequoia Climate Foundation

As part of our first "Grantee Impact" series, we profiled the Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT). The TPT provides a guiding framework for private sector climate transition plans. By integrating this framework into international standards, the TPT is helping to ensure that corporate climate commitments are supported by robust action and accountability mechanisms, contributing to countries’ efforts to reach net-zero emissions. “While it’s positive to see companies and financial institutions announcing net zero ambitions, these are meaningless if there’s no action or accountability,” explained Ben Caldecott, Co-Head of the TPT Secretariat. “That’s why net zero targets need to be backed up with firm plans.” Read more about the TPT’s ambitious frameworks and transition plans on our website. #netzero #transitionplan #climatechange

At #UNGA, our President, Christie Ulman, joined Beyond Oil and Gas (BOGA)'s High Level Dialogue on Financing the Global Transition away from Oil and Gas, chaired by Eamon Ryan. Christie and other panelists underscored the urgent need to move away from fossil fuel extraction and reduce countries' dependence on oil and gas revenues. Without this shift, a rapid global transition to clean energy risks creating entrenched opposition and causing economic and social harms to the countries least able to bear them. Christie also emphasized the central position of philanthropy in supporting the transition away from fossil fuels. In her words: "philanthropy has a critical role in addressing these challenges by providing fast, flexible funding to catalyze the analysis and support needed to start envisioning a different future." At Sequoia Climate Foundation, we’re proud to support initiatives like BOGA that provide the analytical, policy, and technical assistance for countries navigating #justtransitions away from oil and gas. #ClimateAction #CleanEnergy #JustTransition #Philanthropy

After India endured some of the highest temperatures on record this summer, the urgent need for sustainable cooling solutions is more apparent than ever. During #ClimateWeekNYC, Bishal Thapa, Senior Director at CLASP, emphasized the crucial role of appliance efficiency in providing effective cooling for over a billion people. Doubling energy efficiency over the next four years is essential to achieving this goal. For policymakers, this is a bold decision, and CLASP is working to providing them with the technical assistance, evidence, and tools they need to pursue it confidently. Visit clasp.ngo to get our research, tools and resources. Thank you to the Sequoia Climate Foundation and the Harvard Club of New York City for hosting these vital conversations. Photo Credit: Monica Tiwari, SPI

Thank you to our “Sustainable Cooling in India” panelists at New York Climate Week for an inspiring discussion on how equitable access to cooling can be a cornerstone of India’s climate resilience and economic prosperity. Richard Duke, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate; Mirik Gogri, Climate Tech Investor, and Philanthropist; Reema Nanavaty, Director of Self Employed Women's Association; Bishal Thapa, Senior Director of the India Program at CLASP; and Dipa Singh Bagai, Director of NRDC India, discussed India’s growing cooling need and innovative ways to address extreme heat, ranging from passive cooling solutions to energy efficiency to supply chain solutions. Some of these strategies were also central to a new U.S.-India roadmap announced earlier this week, aimed at building secure global clean energy supply chains. The bilateral initiative focuses on expanding manufacturing capacity in key areas like solar, wind, batteries, energy grids, and high-efficiency air conditioners and ceiling fans. Equitable access to cooling ensures that vulnerable communities are not left behind, and sustainable cooling solutions are a win-win for public health and economic development. Sequoia Climate Foundation is proud to support efforts that alleviate the strain on energy systems and reduce emissions. #ClimateWeekNYC  #climatechange #energyefficiency

Against the backdrop of New York Climate Week 2024, Sequoia Climate Foundation joined with the Council on Foreign Relations, Observer Research Foundation America, and MIT - Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research to convene experts and practitioners across the climate, economics, and foreign policy communities for a dialogue on global decarbonization and its role in advancing a wide range of policy objectives. Speakers Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for the United Kingdom’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Mari Elka Pangestu, Indonesia’s Special Envoy for Climate Finance, and John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy and Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation, traded perspectives on how civil society can deploy levers like technical expertise, advocacy, and diplomacy in concert to ensure new domestic and foreign economic policies are implemented in a way that delivers climate action for leaders, the people they serve, and to future generations. The consensus was clear: decarbonization isn’t just a mechanism to advance rapid emissions abatement. It’s a powerful tool to create jobs, drive economic growth, and build resilience, all while advancing national interests at home and abroad. We’re excited to continue the conversation with our partners and policymakers as they implement domestic and foreign policies that deliver economic growth today alongside a clean energy future for everyone.  #ClimateWeekNYC  #climatechange

Sequoia supports ambitious organizations and coalitions catalyzing rapid emissions reductions, transforming global markets, and accelerating the transition to clean energy around the world. Our grantee Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP)’s combined “top down” and “bottom up” approach empowers its key partners to build local capacity for renewable energy projects that result in economic growth, energy security, and improved quality of life for millions of people. In the Philippines, for example, ETP is helping the Philippines Department of Energy – Energy Utilization Management Bureau and a multi-stakeholder working group to cultivate what is known as Demand Side Management (DSM). “With DSM in place, the Philippines will have a robust grid system that balances the supply of clean and variable renewable technologies, such as wind and solar power,” says Yoshiko De Villa, ETP’s Programme Management Officer for the Philippines. “The combined impact of DSM allows for an energy transition that will equitably displace fossil-fuel based power generation and reduce energy intensity, thereby contributing to significant greenhouse gas emissions reduction.”   You can read more about ETP’s work on our website. #climatechange #cleanenergy #renewableenergy