Annual Letter on Philanthropy

“I always believe that tomorrow will be better than today. But I’m also a realist, and I know that believing and hoping won’t make it so. Doing is what matters.”

Michael R. Bloomberg

Will our country and our world be better or worse off two years from now?

I’m an optimist: I always believe that tomorrow will be better than today. But I’m also a realist, and I know that believing and hoping won’t make it so. Doing is what matters.

One of our board members, Walter Isaacson, recently published a biography of Leonardo da Vinci. A half a millennium ago, da Vinci wrote: “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

Da Vinci was an artist, engineer, mathematician, inventor, scientist, musician, architect, writer – a Renaissance man, sure. But a doer. My kind of guy.

We can’t all have da Vinci’s genius. But we can all learn from his drive and the emphasis he placed on action. That’s a big reason why I first ran for mayor in 2001: I was tired of seeing paralysis where progress was possible, especially on public education. And, ultimately, it’s a big reason why I decided not to spend the next one to two years campaigning to be president of the United States – and, instead, to double down on the work that Bloomberg Philanthropies is already leading.

America and the world face enormous challenges. And it’s safe to say that at least for the next two years, given the leadership vacuum in the White House and partisan gridlock in Congress, the federal government will make virtually no progress in meeting them.

We can’t afford to lose two years. Every day, the window for avoiding the worst impacts of climate change grows smaller. More Americans lose loved ones to opioid overdoses and gun violence. More students miss out on a good education and the opportunity to go to college. And communities that were once home to thriving industries slip further behind in the changing economy. Proposing ideas for 2021 isn’t good enough. We need to get things done in the here and now, and I’m lucky enough to be in a position to help do that.

Of course, philanthropy can’t replace action by the federal government. But it can spur progress from the bottom up – from communities, cities, states, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. Leaders in all of those groups are taking action – and getting things done. Philanthropy can help them do more, faster. And that’s exactly what we will do.

In the year ahead, as political candidates debate what to do in the future, we will work to improve the present by expanding our efforts across all of our major areas of focus.

Climate and Environment

It’s been clear for a long time that we’re in a race against time on climate change. But over the past year, it’s become clearer just how far behind we’ve fallen. The most recent scientific evidence shows that the climate is changing even faster than previously expected, bringing more deadly and destructive storms, wildfires, and droughts. Millions of people around the world have seen that evidence with their own eyes and in their own lives.

Unless we act, we will be much worse off in two years than we are today – with dirtier air and water, more carbon emissions, and diminished chances of avoiding the worst impacts of climate change.

We can’t accept that – and so we are ramping up the work we have been leading to end the single biggest global source of air pollution and carbon emissions: coal. Since 2011, working with the Sierra Club, we have helped communities in red and blue states stand up for their right to clean air and water. As a result, over that time, more than half of all U.S. coal-fired power plants have closed or committed to closing. Last year, U.S. coal production fell to a 40-year low – even though Washington is working against us, trying to prop up the coal industry with taxpayer bailouts and eliminating rules that protect the public from toxic pollution.

When we began the Beyond Coal campaign, 13,000 Americans were dying from coal pollution each year. By 2017, that number had fallen to 3,000. That’s good progress, but it’s not enough. So this year, we set a new goal: to close every remaining coal-fired power plant by 2030. It is an ambitious goal, but we can reach it – and we won’t stop there.

Recently, I announced a new campaign, called Beyond Carbon. Our aim is to end America’s dependence on gas and oil as soon as possible and accelerate our transition to a 100 percent clean energy economy.

To do that, we’ll employ and expand the same types of legal, advocacy, and electoral strategies that have proven so successful in the Beyond Coal campaign – supporting governors who are committed to 100 percent clean energy, helping activists demand that elected officials stop kicking the can down the road, and building a coordinated, nationwide grassroots army to get results and win elections. We will also continue to support mayors who are leading by example. Last year, we challenged the 100 most populous U.S. cities to propose bold plans for cutting carbon emissions and are working with the 25 winners to put those plans in motion.

With cities and states leading the way, we will be better off in two years than we are today – with cleaner air, cleaner power, more good green jobs, and lower carbon emissions.