When Christiana Figueres was a young mother, she longed to share her love of nature with her daughters, a love sparked by watching golden toads shimmer like coins under the moonlight in a Costa Rican forest. Hoping to show them this rare beauty, she returned to the same park, only to learn that the species had gone extinct due to rising temperatures. That moment ignited her mission to leave a better planet for her children. In this episode, Christiana joins Ilana to share her journey to becoming a United Nations Climate Change Executive Secretary and leading global climate efforts, including the historic 2015 Paris Agreement.

Christiana Figueres is a Costa Rican diplomat and former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She is best known for her role in securing the Paris Agreement, a landmark international climate treaty. 

In this episode, Ilana and Christiana will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction 

(01:53) Growing Up as Costa Rica’s President’s Daughter

(06:24) The Life-Changing Experience in Rural Costa Rica

(15:28) The Journey to Climate Change Advocacy

(24:40) Key Lessons from the COP15 Climate Failure

(30:45) Becoming UNFCCC Executive Secretary

(35:50) Leading the Paris Agreement Negotiations

(41:06) Building Trust in Global Climate Negotiations

(47:39) Taking the Climate Mission Beyond the UN

(51:03) Advice for Aspiring Change-Makers

(54:05) Upcoming Projects and Digital Initiatives

Christiana Figueres is a Costa Rican diplomat and former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She is best known for her role in securing the Paris Agreement, a landmark international climate treaty. With decades of experience in climate diplomacy, Christiana is a passionate global advocate for climate action and sustainable development. She is also the co-founder of Global Optimism, co-host of the Outrage + Optimism podcast, and co-author of The Future We Choose.

Connect with Christiana:

Christiana’s Website: christianafigueres.com 

Christiana’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christianafigueres 

Resources Mentioned:

Christiana’s Book, The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis: https://www.amazon.com/Future-We-Choose-Surviving-Climate/dp/0525658351 

Christiana’s Podcast, Outrage + Optimism: outrageandoptimism.org

Global Optimism: globaloptimism.com 

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