Dear Friends,
With 2018 coming to a close, we are reflecting with deep joy and thanks on our work together. We are so grateful to you for the energy, spirit, excellence, and impact brought to our shared quest.
Over the past year, our science advances have opened powerful new capabilities at all scales. One exhilarating frontier is in using satellite data in ingenious ways – from the mosquito to the globe – to track ecosystems, and benefits or risks to people, as never before. With decision-makers, our teams are testing these new capabilities –
tracking mosquito-borne disease risk; sustainable grazing levels for producing cashmere and other goods; and Gross Ecosystem Product for reporting alongside GDP and guiding government investments.
We’re grateful to you for the impact our partner teams have achieved. Eight iconic cities, in China and the U.S., are piloting our new science for urban livability and sustainability. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, our new science for securing coastal communities from climate risks is being adopted. And we are bringing advanced modeling capability to the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and other global initiatives.
We are looking ahead with excitement for the new year. The challenges we face are daunting, but there is growing momentum in our movement. We are intensifying work together to help realize ambitious commitments from our partner leaders in multilateral, government, NGO and business leaders to green, inclusive growth.
We hope you are as inspired by the stories in this newsletter as we are, and know how much we appreciate your many contributions to this work.
Our warmest wishes,
Gretchen and Mary
