Shortly ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Mongabay spoke with Antha N. Williams, the head of the environment program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, the foundation launched by businessman and former New York city mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. During the interview, Williams discussed how Bloomberg puts data at the center of its programs, which on the environmental front include combating climate change by accelerating the transition to clean energy, improving the sustainability of the world’s cities, and protecting the health and productivity of oceans.
A lot has changed in the six months since that conversation, so Williams granted Mongabay another opportunity to talk about some of the recent developments on the policy front, as well as go deeper into a few of Bloomberg’s program areas, including the Beyond Coal campaign, which has expanded well beyond the borders of the United States; efforts to persuade the finance sector to better incorporate climate risk into decision-making; and work to build a broader base of support for the transition to greener sources of energy.
For readers who missed the first interview, Williams got her start as an environmental campaigner and organizer before taking up leadership roles in the world of philanthropy. She’s been at Bloomberg Philanthropies since 2013.