Becoming a climate person was never my plan. And yet, here I am.
My background is in film, television, and tourism. I owned a shopping tourism company in Shanghai. Climate action was... not exactly on my radar. If you'd told past-me, wandering around Shanghai helping tourists find the perfectly tailored cashmere coat, that future-me would end up deeply invested in climate philanthropy, I would have cracked up laughing.
The Ocean Revelation
Fast forward to me back in Aotearoa, researching our ocean on behalf of my family. First crazy thing I came across… did you know that every second breath we take comes from the ocean?
Scientists estimate that at least half of Earth's oxygen is produced by marine photosynthetic organisms like phytoplankton and seaweed. Basically, tiny plant-like things in the ocean are keeping us all alive. Boom. Mind blown. I got that science-y stuff from an article here.
The ocean has always been part of my life - swimming, wildlife, fishing, experiencing that sense of expansiveness. So when I started researching ocean issues back in Aotearoa, I recall saying “this will be easy”. Ha, I had no idea about the rabbit holes I was about to fall down. I'd be researching marine ecosystems and suddenly find myself reading about ocean temperatures, then acidification, then carbon absorption. Then... hold on... it all connects to climate?
And suddenly, the fog lifted and I could see the full horizon.
Climate isn't just another issue sitting alongside conservation, education, arts, healthcare, and all the other important initiatives we need to support. Climate is the thing that affects literally everything else.
It's not that other causes don't matter - they totally do! This isn't an either/or situation. It's a "yes, and" situation. If you haven't read my last blog about this, you can find it here. Yes, we need incredible education programs, AND we need a stable climate for those kids to grow up in.
Yes, we need arts and culture to thrive, AND we need to address the climate crisis that threatens those communities.
Climate isn't competing with other causes - it's the umbrella over everything else. It's the foundation. If we don't get this right, everything else becomes exponentially harder.
The Numbers That Changed My World
And then I learned something else that blew my mind. Climate action receives less than 2% of all global philanthropy.
Yep. That umbrella issue that affects literally everything else we care about receives less than 2% of philanthropic dollars.
So, I love a good news story and the good news here is that climate giving has slowly been growing over the past few years. But even with that growth, it's still far short of what's needed to avert the worst climate impacts.
In New Zealand, all environmental causes (including climate!) combined receive just 4% of philanthropic funding in 2017/2018. While we await updated sector-wide data, we know the need still remains urgent.
I wondered whimsically about that number for a while. Then I got inspired. Then Pip and I got motivated together as a team.
Women and Wealth
Right now, we're in the middle of the greatest wealth transfer in history. Globally, an estimated $124 trillion is changing hands by 2048. Here in New Zealand, we're expecting around $1.6 trillion to transfer by 2050:
You might be thinking - "wealth transfer?! Aren’t we in the middle of a cost of living crisis?” Crazy, right? Both of these things are happening simultaneously. I’m fascinated by the idea of this transfer being underway, and that nearly $100 trillion of that global transfer is going to women! By 2030, women worldwide are expected to control roughly two-thirds of all private wealth. The girl power is real, folks! This is the largest wealth transfer by gender in history.
This isn't about all women suddenly becoming wealthy (although how cool would that be?!) - it's about some women inheriting significant wealth, and those women having the opportunity to make different choices about where that money goes.
Why does this matter for climate action? Because the next generation of donors - the ones inheriting this wealth - are reshaping philanthropy.
Research from our friends at AEGN in Australia shows that 83% of next generation donors cite the environment as their top cause to fund. Looking ahead to 2035, 93% expect the environment to remain the defining issue they fund. And women are expected to inherit more than 65% of this wealth transfer, positioning them as powerful players in the future of giving.
These younger donors also embrace that "yes, and" approach to giving - they favour funding advocacy, legislative change, and building the foundations within organisations. They see how these issues connect and support multiple pathways to change, not just single solutions.
What if all these women about to inherit unprecedented wealth decided that 2% going to climate action isn't good enough?
What if we could channel even a fraction of that wealth toward climate action?!
This isn't just about money - it's about who gets to make decisions about where resources go. And if women are going to control more wealth than ever before, we need to make sure they know how much impact their giving can have and make it as easy as possible for them to do so.
This is another reason The Climatics exists - to create an easy, community-driven way for anyone (especially women who want to make a difference but don't know where to start!) to pool resources and support incredible climate organisations together.
Finding My Place in this Climate World
I'm not going to solve climate change. The girl who worked on TV shows like Power Rangers and then ran a shopping tourism company in Shanghai is not about to crack the climate code! But I’ve realised that even playing a tiny role like putting some time and funds in, connecting people, bringing community together, maybe waving my jazz hands around enough to make a few folks laugh along the way… now that's something I can do.
We don't all need to be the experts. YES, thank goodness for the researchers and the policy folks and the scientists. AND we also need the community builders, the connectors, the people who make climate action feel accessible and yep, even a little bit fun sometimes. I’m thinking a climate concert, who’s down?!
We need people who can look at that less than 2% number and think "well, that's ridiculous, let's do something about it."
Pip and I believe that bringing people together around collective giving is one small way to shift that number. To get more funding to the incredible organisations doing the hard work of climate action. To build a community that helps people feel empowered rather than overwhelmed or disengaged.
So if you're reading this and feeling some resonance here, or if you just want to be part of something bigger than going it alone - come join us. There's a place for you in this community, whether you're able to donate, want to spread the word, or just want to learn and connect with others who care about climate action.
For those who can contribute financially - whether you're one of those women about to inherit wealth or you're just someone who can spare a little once off, or each month - every donation to The Climatics goes directly to incredible organisations doing the hard mahi of climate action. And every person who joins, in whatever capacity, adds their voice, energy, and ideas to what we're building together.
Together, we can shift that 2% number. And we can have some laughs and build connections along the way. Jazz hands not compulsory (though they're always welcome).
Donate here or learn more about the pillars we're funding at theclimatics.org
