I’m writing this shortly after returning from the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), held in Glasgow, Scotland. It was a two-week marathon of negotiations, speeches, panel discussions, and hallway conversations, all in the name of helping the world navigate climate change as equitably as possible. And while some important progress was made, there is still so much more to do. Because with every passing year, more scientific evidence accumulates that we are facing the destruction of our planetary systems at a scale not seen since the last ice age.
One implication of this reality is that we need to accelerate our work to match the speed of that destruction. The other implication is that we need to operate at a scale that can bend the curve of destruction before it’s too late. That means taking on issues that are global in nature, creating replicable and adaptable models, and then driving with unrelenting focus to deliver those models at a pace and scope that will make a difference.
In the pages of this magazine, you’ll find two examples of what it means to be big enough. In one case, leaders in 13 tiger range countries made common cause with NGOs like WWF to reverse the steep decline of wild tiger populations over the past 100 years. In 2010, the previous Year of the Tiger on the Chinese lunar calendar, we joined a goal of doubling wild tiger numbers by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger, in an initiative dubbed TX2. And we’re seeing real progress.
Certain areas of Bhutan are recording their first-ever tiger sightings. In India, home to 60% of the world’s tiger population, all tiger reserves—including 14 newly created sites—are now managed using international best practices. Tiger populations in Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park have tripled. All this reminds us that if you work with local communities and like-minded partners to reduce poaching pressures and give tigers the space they need, they can thrive.