Christopher Hohn

Featured Conversation

Cross-cutting Solutions for the Next Generation

Why did you make climate a priority in your philanthropy?

Climate change is the greatest threat to our children’s futures —and the impact is already being felt. I first started my philanthropy to address extreme inequality, which causes some children to go without the basic needs to survive and thrive. Over time, it became increasingly clear that to deliver real change for children, we needed to tackle the climate crisis; otherwise, all of our work improving health systems, increasing nutritional supplies, and providing girls with educational and economic opportunities will be undermined. I didn’t consider myself an environmentalist, but realized mitigating climate change was essential to be successful in our work.

Additionally, climate change is a moral issue—the countries and people most impacted are those who did not cause this problem. We must step up in response to the crisis, and every funder should be taking action.

How do you approach your climate philanthropy?

To address the climate crisis our response must encompass every part of society: We need systemic change and bold commitments, not just greenwashing. CIFF takes a collaborative approach, co-creating projects with grantees, partners and likeminded funders and coordinating strategies with global and local impact. We work globally to strengthen the ecosystem of partners working on climate change. At the same time, we have deep local expertise and have built capacity in CIFF’s key regions for climate work—Africa, China, Europe, India, and Southeast Asia, believing citizens and country leaders are best situated to shape their own futures.

What are the focus areas in climate philanthropy that most interest you and why?

Data and evidence are hugely important to CIFF. We base our funding choices on robust analysis, focused on the impact we want to see. CIFF’s climate portfolio covers different sectors, drivers and cross cutting approaches. We focus on clean energy, industry and food and land use, whilst working to improve air quality cities and transport. We approach change through different routes, whether its shifting financial systems, driving effective climate policy or deploying strategic communications. Where ideas or solutions do not yet exist, we invest in building new institutional capacity to do so.

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is just starting to think about giving to climate?

The urgency of the climate crisis requires bold action. Deciding what and how to fund might seem complex, but it shouldn’t be an obstacle to philanthropists. There is an immense amount of expertise out there to draw from. Giving collaboratively—and partnering with others to combine resources and funding—is a vital way to amplify impact and take action quickly and confidently. Doing so will ultimately create a much fairer and more joyous world.