PATHWAY TO PARIS Co-Founders Jesse Paris Smith and Rebecca Foon along with Patti Smith and Eduardo Costantini, founder of KABINETT & RespFor Pathway to Paris Latin America, meet president elect of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, about their 1000 Cities Initiative for Carbon Freedom, before a concert at the Centro Cultural Kirchner (CCK)
Patti Smith joined the meeting, encouraging the president elect to be bold and ambitious with climate action and listen and respond to the youth and women of today. A concert with other local artists, including Juana Molina, at the CCK followed the meeting.
New York, November 25, 2019: Last Friday, co-founders of PATHWAY TO PARIS, Jesse Paris Smith and Rebecca Foon came together with Patti Smith and KABINETT founder, Eduardo Costantini, to meet with President elect of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, to discuss humanitarian and environmental concerns, in particular, the CLIMATE EMERGENCY and the solution driven initiatives of PATHWAY TO PARIS. It was a very positive meeting, as the president shared his motivation for moving out of the era of fossil fuels and into a new era of 100% renewable energy. Together, they believe that Argentina and Latin America can step forward and set an example for climate action for other countries to follow around the globe. Specifically, the 1000 Cities Initiative for Carbon Freedom was discussed, which helps cities to design and implement climate action plans to go 100% renewable and zero carbon emissions by 2040, in order to meet and go beyond the targets outlined in the Paris Accord. The initiative targets cities, and the invitation for Argentina to join would include cities throughout the country and across the continent.
PATHWAY TO PARIS + KABINETT support cities in developing and implementing ambitious climate action plans. 1000 Cities Initiative for Carbon Freedom’s renown climate-modeling technical team works with cities to determine how to transition out of fossil fuel use by 2040. The initiative is also developing a global network of countries and cities advocating for a renewable world, while connecting cities with leading best practices and innovative financing mechanisms in order to push their climate action plans forward.
KABINETT Contacts:
New York: Francesca Craft, francesca@wearekabinett.com
Buenos Aires: Florencia Schapiro, flor@wearekabinett.com
Following the meeting and a short press conference KABINETT + PATHWAY TO PARIS hosted a Concert + Talk at the Centro Cultural Kirchner (CCK), inviting activists, artists & Argentinian musicians, Juana Molina and Salvet, to perform, along with Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye, Tony Shanahan, Tenzin Choegyal and co-founders of Pathway to Paris, Jesse Paris Smith and Rebecca Foon, who are also musicians.
“In the world of music, the best way to improve is through collaboration. This is the same with the critical issue of climate change. We must join together to make this the most ambitious collaboration of our century. We will not be able to implement crucial and challenging solutions to climate change, plastic pollution, and all urgent environmental problems as long as we stand divided. Inseparable from the issue of climate change is the need for world peace, global communication, and an international collaboration unmatched by any event in human history.”– Co-Founder of Pathway to Paris, Jesse Paris Smith
’We are amidst a climate emergency. We need to act. This is why we decided to partner KABINETT with PATHWAY TO PARIS. We will continue to host events with musicians, artists, activists and government authorities all over Latin America, as well as producing short form videos to educate our audiences on the gravity of what is happening. Our first meeting with Alberto Fernandez, elected President of Argentina, was very inspiring, as he revealed that climate change is one of his main concerns. We are looking forward to future collaborations with him and his government, including a Festival in September, 2020, which is already confirmed.”– Eduardo Costantini jr., Founder of KABINETT
“Cities play a critical role in transforming our world out of the era of fossil fuels and into a renewable world. This is our time to make this shift and transform our cities to become sustainable, resilient cities for us all and future generations. This is our chance as our window of time is narrowing.” – Co-Founder of Pathway to Paris, Rebecca Foon
“Artists are blessed with the ability to inspire and incite, but in the end it is the people who facilitate change. Pathway to Paris brings these forces together, art and activism. Their events bring to the forefront our civic duties and the joy and possibilities of unity.” – Musician and Activist, Patti Smith
Bringing together leading musicians, artists, thinkers, and policymakers, this concert served as a call to action, urging the international community to ramp up ambition towards a climate-safe future for all.
PATHWAY TO PARIS is a non-profit organization dedicated to turning the Paris Agreement into reality through innovative public engagement, cultural events, supporting citizen driven initiatives and cities in developing and implementing ambitious climate action plans. Pathway to Paris was founded in 2014 as a platform to bring together artists, musicians, filmmakers, poets with politicians, scientists, activists, innovators, and leading thinkers in order to strengthen the climate movement through diverse collaborations. The organization has held major events all over the world, and has partnered with several other groups including the UNDP and 3 50.org. In 2017, Pathway to Paris launched their 1000 Cities Initiative for Carbon Freedom, based on the idea that if 1000 cities around the world commit to transitioning away from fossil fuels, to 100% renewable energy and zero emissions by 2040, then we can meet and go beyond the targets outlined in he Paris Agreement.
KABINETT was founded by Eduardo Costantini Jr. in M arch of 2016. Costantini is an award-winning filmmaker and musician who has produced various films under his production company, Costa Films, including 2008 Golden Bear winner The Elite Squad, Lula, O Filho do Brazil, a film on the life of Brazilian President Lula, who helped elevate the lives of 20 million impoverished people, and Guillermo Arriaga’s The Burning Plain, for which Jennifer Lawrence won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Emerging Actress at the 2009 Venice Film Festival. Prior to KABINETT, Eduardo co-founded MUBI, another international indie film streaming platform that brings classic, independent, and international films to subscribers in over 200 countries. Costantini also sat as the Executive Director of MALBA Museum in Buenos Aires (Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires), during which time he organized various film, video and photography-related exhibitions, in partnership with the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MOMA), Colección JUMEX from Mexico, Fundación Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, among others