The One World One Vote campaign is a simple initiative intended to give politicians a groundswell of support for bold action on the climate. Specifically, it is a pledge that the climate will be our number one priority when voting in the next election—that no matter what our traditional political affiliation or pet issue, this one comes first. The OWOV campaign does not come from any political party or climate organization. Indeed, it has no formal organization behind it. And it proposes no specific solutions—it simply says that we want this issue to be #1 on the agenda.
ABOUT
The One World One Vote campaign is a simple initiative intended to give politicians a groundswell of support for bold action on the climate. Specifically, it is a pledge that the climate will be our number one priority when voting in the next election—that no matter what our traditional political affiliation or pet issue, this one comes first.
The OWOV campaign does not come from any political party or climate organization. Indeed, it has no formal organization behind it. (If I could have kept it anonymous, I would have.) And it proposes no specific solutions—it simply says that we want this issue to be #1 on the agenda.
When the idea for OWOV came to me, back in 2014, I dismissed it as being too simple or too obvious. I assumed that someone else would do it. But, for years, this idea kept knocking at my door.
It seemed to solve a lot of problems.
Wildfires, floods, and heatwaves focus attention on the climate crisis momentarily—then we get distracted by the next shiny thing. Angry protests make headlines but alienate many. Pleas for us to act, such as “39 Ways to Save the Planet,” give us so much choice that we do nothing.
More dangerously, predictions about a cataclysmic future are too scary to contemplate. And yet growing anxiety about the crisis, often unconscious, if not addressed or channeled positively, can become toxic.
But what if we had a simple way to show that finding solutions is important to us?
What if we could do something positive and unifying, choosing hope over fear and action over denial?
What if we could raise this issue—which will affect everything we hold dear—to be number one in our attention?
And what if we could force leaders to take bold action—simply because they can’t avoid the sound of our collective voice?
This past summer, I took some time for reflection, and in that time, began to feel as if OWOV had a will of its own, and my job was just to stop stopping it.
I began to ask for help from people involved in climate issues from the ‘left’ and the ‘right,’ from business leaders and from agitators, from marketing experts, and from a lot of people who care about this issue but, like me, had been doing almost nothing about it. Their advice has helped to make the campaign simpler and sharper, and political but not partisan.
As the campaign took shape, a curious thing began to happen: I started evaluating how I spent my time based on this one issue. In other words, the process of saying to others that the climate is my number one priority began to make it my number one priority. I began to say ‘no’ to other things, in order to say ‘yes’ to this.
OWOV is not asking you to do that.
It is simply asking you to make one simple pledge: that the climate will be your number one priority in the next election (or, if you can’t vote, that climate is your number one priority, period).
If taking the pledge also inspires you to become more involved, great. But that’s not the point. Just take the pledge. Display the logo. And see what conversations happen.
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) begins on Oct 31, 2021 and is considered our last chance to avert catastrophe.
Let’s make sure that from right now until the end of the conference on November 12, 2021, at least, political leaders have no doubt how important this is to us.
And then let’s remind them of that in every election cycle—whatever kind of election, whenever that is for you.
There will, of course, be big debates about the how, i.e., which specific policies, rules, incentives, investments, and lifestyle changes are needed, and who should commit to doing what by when. We certainly won’t find all the right solutions right away.
But let’s make sure that everyone is talking about this, rather than just worrying about it (or trying not to think about it).
Let’s make sure leaders know how many of us believe this really is the most serious and urgent issue facing humanity, and that we will vote accordingly.
And let’s make sure that leaders are jumping over each other to demonstrate the boldness of their vision and will maintain a commitment to protect life on earth.
Why?
Because everything else comes second.
Martin Boroson
October 1, 2021
THANK YOU to the many people who advised me on the creation of this initiative, or agreed, in advance of launch, to share it with their communities; these wonderful people include Chris Duncan, Andrew Dood, Mike Zeidler, Emily Gould, Barbara Boroson, Mark Piatelli, Taiso Byran Bartow, Carmel Moore, Jennifer Garvey Berger, Nienke Merbis, and Doug Paxton.
PRINCIPLES
Some of the thoughts that inform the OWOV campaign:
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Those who care about the climate crisis, face a huge range of possible actions to take and campaigns to support. But too much choice can create confusion and inertia. OWOV gives you a simple call-to-action. It only takes a minute to say ‘yes’.
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Any threat to survival triggers a dramatic response. It’s natural to feel angry (“fight”) but anger is not always the smartest response and can alienate others who also care. It’s also natural to turn away, shut down, or distract ourselves (“flight” or “freeze”). OWOV helps you acknowledge the severity of this crisis while also staying positive and connected to others.
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The climate crisis makes headlines for a few days, e.g., when there is a wildfire, flash flood, or heatwave, but then we get distracted by the next big thing. The goal of OWOV is to keep the climate crisis front of mind. We are committing to focus on this issue. Everything else is a distraction.
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It’s not that the other causes you believe in don’t matter—it’s just that the climate crisis is fundamental. The climate is the one thing that affects everything, and the consequences of not addressing it will severely impact on whatever else matters to you. For this reason, everything else comes second
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Solving the climate crisis requires political action. But to find solutions fast, we can’t let this be a partisan issue. We must encourage any leader who is taking this seriously and trying, in good faith, to come up with solutions, regardless of our traditional political affiliation, group membership, or social identity.
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We cannot let the complexity of this situation cause us to abdicate responsibility. Nor can we get attached to our own “pet” solution. The climate is a complex system and finding solutions will be an evolving process. We may not get everything right, first time, and new problems and solutions will emerge. The important thing is that we keep supporting the process of finding solutions. We can participate in the conversation even though we don’t know the answer.
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Although independent (“bottom up”) behavior is important, averting climate catastrophe requires more than each person reusing plastic bags or doing something locally. It requires significant “top down” decisions that will incentivize and regulate new behavior on a large scale, quickly. OWOV is a “bottom up” initiative to show leaders our support for “top down” solutions.
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While there are many worthwhile groups agitating for progress on the climate, each has its own agenda or angle. To make an impact, we may also need one overarching demand or unifying message.
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Even the most well-meaning leaders will not take bold action if the people are not demanding it. Bottom line: politicians in democracies want to get elected. OWOV is intended to tip the balance—to give leaders the electoral nudge they need to take bold action quickly.
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Few people sacrifice for the common good unless they see other people making a similar sacrifice—this is the “tragedy of the commons.” Same goes for countries. To get over this, we can encourage leaders to act unilaterally—i.e., to take bold action regardless of what any leaders in other countries or regions are doing. OWOV makes politicians accountable in their own regional elections.
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Although it is politicians who make decisions of policy, we are the ones who have to live with their decisions, we who have make changes to our lifestyle, and we who have to support these decisions over time. For that reason, it’s vital that we “own” or have “buy in” to these decisions. Averting climate catastrophe is not a remote, bureaucratic exercise—we need to know that we were the source of the solution—that it was our choice and our victory.
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Although many people are concerned about the climate, our concerns are often amorphous, and the right course of action even less clear. But we can channel concern into consequence. We can hold accountable any politician who fails to address this issue sufficiently.
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The climate crisis is a threat unlike any other that humanity has faced. But it is also an opportunity, a transformational moment. Smart politicians will seize this moment on behalf of their constituents, and lead us in developing new capabilities, new business opportunities, new technology, and better ways of thinking, relating, and caring. To fully grasp the opportunity, however, we may need to be willing to face, rather than avoid, our worst fear, and focus on the one thing more important than anything else.
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Success breeds success. By making this one, simple commitment, we might just be more inclined to make further commitments and other changes to the way we live and work. If we feel that we made an impact, we are more likely to do something else that might have an impact.
THE PLEDGE
“The climate crisis will be
my number one priority in the next election.*
Everything else comes second.”
43,217
people have taken the pledge so far
Please display this logo,
wherever you can, on Day One of every month.
* Too young to vote? Take the pledge anyway—you’ll be a voter soon.
No elections in your country? Take the pledge anyway—show your leaders what matters.
GET THE LOGO
Please display the OWOV logo at least on Day One of every month.
#EverythingElseComesSecond
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Short Version
Are you feeling anxious about the climate but just don't know what to do to help? Here is one simple, positive thing that you can do ... Take the One World One Vote pledge: “The climate crisis will be my number one priority in the next election. Everything else comes second.” Visit www.oneworldonevote.org and share widely. #everythingelsecomessecond
Long Version
One World One Vote is a simple campaign designed to show political leaders that there is overwhelming public support for taking bold action on the climate.
Political but not partisan, OWOV invites you to take this pledge: “The climate crisis will be my number one priority in the next election. Everything else comes second.” Then display the #OWOV logo on Day One of every month. World leaders should be in no doubt that this matters to us.
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FAQs
Common questions about the OWOV campaign:
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Please display the logo on your social media and wherever you can. Our goal is to make this unavoidable.
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Just do it. Start a group, write a poem, make a video, whatever ... As long your idea has integrity, and you feel it is consistent with the spirit of this campaign, go for it. Don't hold back.
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Instructions and downloads can be found here.
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The idea is to display the logo at least on Day One of every month, particularly in the run-up to an election in your country, region, or organization.
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To preserve the impact of the campaign, please keep the outline of the logo as it is. But you are free to personalize it by changing the colors, background, inserting your photo, adding it to your cover photo, etc.
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This campaign is not coming from any political party, climate organization, or company—just one individual, with a lot of help. It is non-partisan. It does not advocate any particular solution to the climate crisis, just that this issue is our number one priority.