Watch Herb Simmens, a trailblazing climate leader, present "The Climate Triad: Restoring a Safe and Healthy Climate" in this powerful talk recorded at the Foundling Museum, London, on Monday, June 23, 2025, during London Climate Action Week 2025. As co-leader of Montgomery County’s historic 2017 climate emergency declaration—the first in the U.S.—and author of A Climate Vocabulary of the Future (praised by Kim Stanley Robinson as “a science poem, an inspiration, and a prophecy”), Herb shares actionable strategies for a sustainable future. Co-founder of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition and co-host of the Climate Emergency Forum with Paul Beck and Peter Carter, Herb delivers critical insights for addressing the climate crisis.

Herb Simmens, noted climate advocate and author, delivers the primary presentation. Herb challenges the prevailing narrow focus on emission reductions, arguing that the crisis is driven by the accumulated stock of greenhouse gases—the “greenhouse gas blanket”—already in the atmosphere. He advocates for a “climate triad” approach: accelerating emission reductions, scaling up atmospheric carbon removal, and—most controversially—directly cooling the planet through methods like solar radiation management and enhanced surface reflection. Herb stresses that only by embracing all available tools can humanity hope to restore a safe and healthy climate, while calling for equitable participation from both the global north and south.

The dialogue continues with a short audience Q&A, where issues of global equity, personal lifestyle changes, and the daunting scale of carbon removal infrastructure are discussed. Herb contends that what must be given up in wealthier regions is “capitalist waste,” not decent living standards. He notes that while planetary-scale efforts to extract CO₂ are possible in theory, political and social inertia make implementation unlikely without massive mobilization—highlighting why fast, direct cooling strategies deserve greater attention. The event as a whole advocates urgent, science-driven action and a willingness to break through conventional thinking to protect the planet’s future.

Special Guest: Peter Dynes - is Managing Director of the MEER Organization (Mirrors for Earth’s Energy Rebalancing), leading global projects focused on innovative climate resilience, heat adaptation, and mitigation solutions. An environmental scientist with experience in sustainable energy and ecological protection, Peter is dedicated to advancing practical responses to the climate crisis.

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