Today, the Joyce Foundation is proud to announce that we have joined with 28 other foundations to commit a collective $4 billion over the next five years to combat climate change. Philanthropy is committed to supporting the vast array of solutions required to tackle this global problem because we know that every moment, and every dollar, counts.

Each day it seems there is new evidence of climate change affecting lives—from extreme weather events, to increased food insecurity, to tragic impacts on human health. We see the suffering that a steadily warming planet is causing to people around the world.

But we also see hope. And we see the real actions that are being taken to address one of the biggest challenges our planet and its people has ever faced. Clean energy markets are scaling, governments are stepping forward, and people across the globe are rising to solve this problem.

The Clean Energy Trust’s clean energy industry study found that 714,257 people in 12 Midwestern states work in renewable energy generation, clean transmission, energy efficiency, clean fuels, and advanced transportation. Some 108,000 in Ohio alone do, compared with 38,000 in the coal, oil and gas fields.

While this announcement is the largest climate-related philanthropic commitment ever made, we know that it is only a down payment. Everyone has a role to play—and philanthropy must be prepared to invest many billions more.

Our investment will help accelerate proven climate strategies and spur the innovation and adoption of promising climate solutions. It will also catalyze action at the national and local levels, and support the millions of people fighting to protect the air they breathe and the communities they call home.

The next few years will determine whether the world can slow the rise in our global temperature. 

At the Joyce Foundation, we are committed to doing our part.