Climate Olympics : Why do we have a 2-year window of opportunity?

RelatedPosts

দীপৰ বিলৰ নীৰৱ বিননি আৰু উন্নয়নৰ কুঠাৰঘাত : “তহঁতে মোক মাৰি পেলালি”

May 13, 2026

Anti Consumerism and the Fight Against Billionaire Power: Why More People Are Rejecting Capitalism

May 13, 2026

CLIMATE CHANGE: What Africa and Global South Should Canvass at COP31 in Türkiye

May 13, 2026

Climate Olympics : Why do we have a 2-year window of opportunity?

Claudia Laricchia

The most important global sporting event is trending in our feeds, newspapers, and media platforms. The Paris Olympics have monopolized summer conversations, amidst controversies and some exploitation.

From July 26 to August 11, 206 countries showcased their best talents in 32 sports, building a business that cost 8,3 billion euros, with the return on investment yet to be calculated, encompassing infrastructure, innovation, and tourism.

In this context, the power of sport emerged as a unifying element, a fundamental ingredient for feeling part of one human community, capable of coming together around common values that transcend the sacred diversity that characterizes us as individual countries.

So we are able to feel the spirit of a unique voice, composed by multiple and multifaceted diversities? 

We definitely should bring this spirit in the most impactful challenge we are facing as humanity. The climate emergency. 

The Climate Olympics are the Conferences of Parties (COP).

Cooperation prevails over competition, which remains a healthy factor aimed – more clearly than ever in these Olympics too – more at the success of the process than at the mere result. New generations have given brilliant lessons in sportsmanship, fair play, inclusion, and resilience.

The COP is the United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).

Rituraj Phukan – President of the Indigenous People’s Climate Justice Forum and co-founder of the Smily Academy -, has became one of the most relevant landmark of this annual crucial event for tackling the climate emergency, raising the voice of climate leaders and indigenous populations. Global media cover his commitment, insights, analysis and reflections for messages to be delivered all over the world, with a perfect Olympics spirit.

The next two editions of the Conference are: COP29 to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024, and COP30 to be held in Belem, in the Amazon, in the State of Para, in November 2025, as announced in a tweet by Lula, President of Brazil.

The world’s eyes are on these events, which represent a torchlight of hope for the entire humanity.

As Rituraj Phukan teaches us, the key to attend these events is not only to just observe. 

It’s about not delegating our future to a few individuals, who indeed are calling for the participation of civil society and, of course, the major players involved in both the cause (greenhouse gas emissions) and the effects (damages at all levels, from health to finance) of the climate crisis. Even SMEs have a significant role in social and environmental responsibility.

Economic operators know they are within a double-edged impact on their business due to these major global events: changing regulations (the law and its adoption in various national frameworks) obligating them to comply with sustainability requirements; and the market, dealing with compliance to standards, brand reputation, environmental rating, and changing consumer preferences (which are also evolving, not just GenZ). 

This entails not only a great responsibility but also a significant opportunity.

Being there with an Olympic spirit means being able to grasp global trends that will directly or indirectly impact each and every one of us.

The reflection is not to just be cheering this time. This time, the common goal is greater and requires an acceleration of the transformation in how we understand the need to contribute with our voice, talent, expertise, and even excellence, to the collective intelligence these events demand.

Both events (the Olympics and the COP) require the use of collective intelligence capable of valuing individuals within a broader design and projecting diversity onto a higher plane, capable of expressing a single voice, indicating a direction, and hopefully changing course for a future of genuine regeneration.

Both events enable this team play because they have a common goal.

Both events require strong international collaboration, for which a kaleidoscope of skills is necessary, some hard (technical knowledge) and some soft (related to leadership, negotiations, human relational factors, open-mindedness, and systemic approach).

Both events look straight and open to the future, and particularly to a long-term future, that goes beyond the “climate clock” ticking less than 5 years to avert climate collapse, but manifests another timeframe, assuming that humanity will collectively deploy everything necessary and urgent to conserve, protect, and regenerate life on Earth, despite some already talking about the so-called “Noah’s Ark” on the Moon (a project already underway: Earth’s endangered species might be sent to the moon in Noah’s Ark to avoid extinction).

The Olympics and the Conference of the Parties remain grounded on Earth.

That’s why right after the COP29, Rituraj Phukan and I will attend the Global Summit on Food, Nutrition and Health organized by the Cambridge based Global Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health and award-winning interdisciplinary think-tank, NNedPRO.

The Global Summit will be held in Kolkata (India) from December 17th to 20th. 

Specifically, our Smily Academy will lead a Masterclass on “Indigenous Populations and Planetary Health, with a special focus on women leadership”. These topics are crucial and transversal in the challenge to tackle the climate crisis for the hyper connections they have with finding a global solution. “One Health” and women leadership are a matter of sustainability and the indigenous factor cannot be excluded anymore in the global decisions, at all levels.

You can find the Summit page: https://www.nnedpro.org.uk/summit

Summit programme: https://www.nnedpro.org.uk/_files/ugd/eba92e_c96c2cc58fd54602b1638224bf4c9e39.pdf

Summit registration (international delegates): https://www.nnedpro.org.uk/events/main-summit-in-india

And you? What are your intentions? Which team will you play for? The solution or the problem?

Claudia Laricchia, Smily Academy, President and founder of the Smily Academy, the first Indigenous Eco-business Academy for international young ecopreneurs. www.smilyacademy.org. Claudia is the Correspondent of Mahabahu too.

Mahabahu.com is an Online Magazine with collection of premium Assamese and English articles and posts with cultural base and modern thinking.  You can send your articles to editor@mahabahu.com / editor@mahabahoo.com (For Assamese article, Unicode font is necessary) Images from different sources.