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Sharon Lavigne knows first-hand the effects of climate change. At the inaugural TIME100 Climate Leadership Forum in New York City on Monday, the founder, director, and CEO of the faith-based grassroots environmental justice nonprofit RISE St. James Louisiana named her friends, family members, and neighbors who had been diagnosed with or died from cancer in a community that has a high concentration of industrial plants. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “We are dying so fast,” Lavigne said, emotion evident in her voice, on a panel moderated by TIME senior correspondent Justin Worland.

Climate leaders from various fields gathered for the inaugural TIME100 Climate Leadership Forum in New York City on Monday to discuss how icons, politicians, activists, policymakers, and business leaders can all work, often together, to find innovative climate solutions and prioritize sustainability. A series of five panel discussions featured environmentalist Jane Goodall, a number of business executives, industry and government energy experts, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and those fighting to achieve climate equity.

Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, is prioritizing optimism in the movement to combat the climate crisis—as well as expectation for leaders to do their jobs. If we resign ourselves to destruction, she says, politicians will never act to prioritize sustainability and reversing the effects of climate change. “I have an expectation bias,” the 44-year-old said during a panel, moderated by TIME Editor in Chief Sam Jacobs, at the inaugural Climate Leadership Forum in New York City on Monday.

Three experts in the energy sector spoke about the progress and future of transitioning to clean energy at a panel, moderated by TIME senior correspondent Justin Worland, at the inaugural TIME100 Climate Leadership Forum in New York City on Monday night. U. S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said the energy transition in the U.

Sustainability strategists from five different companies in key industries spoke about how their businesses are working to build sustainable and transformative climate solutions at the inaugural TIME100 Climate Leadership Forum in New York City on Monday. During the panel, moderated by TIME’s Chief Climate Officer Shyla Raghav, the business leaders covered issues of decarbonization, corporate culture around sustainability, and the role and responsibility of the private sector to partner with policymakers. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The panelists, all of whom represented sponsors of TIME’s Climate Leadership Forum, included Ezgi Barcenas, chief sustainability officer of L’Oréal Groupe; Haley Lowry, global sustainability director of Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics; Claire Lund, global vice president of sustainability of GSK; Matt Mayrl, vice president of strategy of American Family Insurance; and Mary de Wysocki, chief sustainability officer of Cisco. “Of the $3-5 trillion necessary for climate action, 80% of that will need to come from the private sector,” Raghav said, pointing towards the importance and power of each panelist as sustainability and strategy leaders. Though each panelist represented vastly different companies, from makeup to insurance, Raghav highlighted how they tended to unite around the theme of “innovation.” “We’re a very science based, innovation driven company,” said GSK’s Lund, speaking of the pharmaceutical company’s culture of prioritizing science and thus how it’s “not actually difficult” to focus their efforts on combating the climate crisis and to ingrain sustainability in their culture.

Famed conservationist Jane Goodall had a simple wish for her 90th birthday earlier this year: that people “choose leaders committed to protecting our natural world.” “I think it’s incredibly important for us to realize that every single vote matters in this critical time,” Goodall said during the inaugural TIME100 Climate Leadership Forum in New York City on Monday night.