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When Ben Stiller goes out to dinner, he drinks between one and three Shirley Temples. But a fully-grown adult ordering a classic childs beverage can elicit funny looks. So, to help cut the stigma, and the sugar, the actor, director, and producer launched his own soda company last monthcalled Stillers Sodawith a grown-up version of a Shirley Temple as one of its three flavors. He simply wanted a version that he could feel good about drinking himself, says Stillers Soda cofounder Alexander Doman, a serial food and beverage entrepreneur. Stillers isnt the only soda company suddenly flirting with the Shirley Temple. In the past year, soda powerhouses and drink disruptors from 7UP and Gatorade to Spindrift and Bloom Pop have debuted Shirley Temple products. Even frozen yogurt chain 16 Handles got into the game. The fizzy drink, ordered previously mostly at bars, has been a staple of American childhoods since the 1930s, when Shirley Temple herself was a young star on the big screen. Legend has it that the concoctiongrenadine, lemon-lime soda, and a maraschino cherrywas created by West Hollywood bartenders so that Temple could enjoy a drink with her costars. Everyone has their own Shirley Temple memory. Barb Stuckey, chief new product strategy officer at Mattson, a major food and drink developer for retailers and restaurants, remembers family outings to the Flower Drum Chinese restaurant in Baltimore in the 80s, ordering chop suey with a Shirley Temple. It made her feel like a grown-up. She’s having a glass of wine, he’s having a beer, and hes having this thing with a straw with a little umbrella, she says. I want to be part of this, whatever it is. That feeling has been passed down through generations, though few are still alive who recall the drinks namesake. I can’t imagine that more than 5 to 10% of Gen Zs have any clue who Shirley Temple was, Stuckey says. She was maybe the youngest-ever child star on the silver screen. She’s now become a maraschino cherry, pretty much. All the more eye-opening is that Gen Z is enamored with the drink. This could be due to the generations love of nostalgia, its lower alcohol use, and the mocktails effervescence on social media. These factors have combined to raise the drinks profile among young people and made it something you dont have to graduate out ofleading companies to go all in on stirring up their own batches. Arc of a new trend Mary Haderlein, the head of Mattsons Chicago office, tracks the modern Shirley Temple revival back to around 2021 when, homebound during the pandemic, people were shaking their own cocktails. The Shirley Templeand the Dirty Shirley, made with vodkawas easy and unpretentious, offering the comfort of nostalgia during a scary time. All of these childhood favorites became these master brands , she says, as processed favorites like Oreos and Cinnamon Toast Crunch surged in sales. Young people had the time to post their colorful creations on TikTok. [Photo: Stiller’s Soda] At the same time, restaurants and bars were facing shutdowns and supply shortages, and Shirleys only required basic pantry ingredients. They didn’t have to rely on an import that got caught up in the Suez Canal, Haderlein says. When people returned to the in-real-life socializing theyd craved, the Dirty Shirley stayed popular; it was hailed as the drink of summer 2022 by The New York Times. Its profile has continued to grow. Earlier this year, The Times profiled Leo Kelly, an 11-year-old known as the Shirley Temple King, who since 2019 has rated the drink at different restaurants on Instagram, docking points for slip-ups like too few cherries. One review, of a Shirley Temple at Evermore Resort, in Orlandowhich had five cherries and a score of 9.6/10received 335,000 likes last year. Casey Ferrell, senior VP of consulting at marketing data firm Kantar, who focuses on how different generations embrace culture, says that even the youngest influencers can push trends into the public consciousness. (In the most embarrassing of snubs, Kelly declined my interview request.) In the typical arc of a new trend, Haderlein says, something will become popular at independent restaurants, then move to chain eateries, and eventually become ready-to-drink products on grocery store shelves. Wholesome newstalgia 7UP was the first major beverage brand to offer the Shirley Temple via retail, in October of 2024. Katie Webb, VP of innovation and transformation at its parent company, Keurig Dr Pepper, says that 7UP naturally had equity in the drink, given that a lemon/lime soda is the very base of the beverage. (Note: the Shirley Temple King prefers his with ginger ale.) [Photo: Keurig Dr Pepper] It was a limited run, for the holidays, and will return this year to capitalize on a season when multiple generations gather, toast, and embrace old traditions. Gen Z are receptive to stuff that we think is nostalgic but that they never actually experienced, says Kantars Ferrell says. Gen Z may use the word wholesome in this context. Its a word they use a lot. Webb likes the term newstalgia to describe Gen Zs unique spin on the past. And as with everything Gen Z related, visuals are key. Todays teen and 20-somethings are drawn to food and drinks with features that stand out on TikTok or Instagram, such as bright colors, textures, foams, and fizzes. To a degree, photogenic is more important than flavorful, and Shirley Templ plays right into that: it swirls, it bubbles, and it pops on the gram. They also like their beverages on the rocks. Cold drinks represented 75% of Starbucks U.S. sales in Q3 of 2024. If you walk into a Starbucks, I dare you to find a single Gen Z that is drinking a hot beverage, Stuckey says. 16 Handles knows. The frozen yogurt chain took this trend even further with its Shirley Temple cherry lime sorbet, launched as a limited run this past August. Will a Shirley Temple without sugar still taste as sweet? The downside of the traditional Shirley Temple is that its not exactly good for you. A typical serving could have between 30 and 60 grams of sugar, and up to 300 calories. Even Temple herself had issues with it, telling NPR in 1986 that she hated the saccharine sweet, icky drink. Holy cow, they have tons of sugar, says Amy Steel Vanden-Eykel, chief growth officer at Spindrift, who was incentivized to create an alternative. In February, Spindrift launched its own version, with no added sugar or sweeteners. Its made with real fruit, essentially just a higher ratio of juice to carbonated water than its seltzers. (Shirley Temple is one of five flavors in its new soda line, which includes other throwbacks like Strawberry Shortcake and Orange Cream Float.) [Photo: Spindrift] Spindrifts tart iteration doesnt taste all that much like a Shirley Temple to me. But the good-for-you modification is probably a smart move, given that one in three consumers say reducing non-healthy ingredients like high sugar in beverages is important, according to Mattsons data. Other brands have dialed back the sugar, too. 7UP released a zero-sugar version as part of its rollout last year. Bloom Pop, also owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, released a prebiotic Shirley Temple in July thats low sugar and low calorie. In September, so did Slice, which PepsiCo relaunched this year as a gut-health drink brand after sunsetting it in the early 2000s. [Photo: Bloom Pop] The drink is also benefitting from the fact that Gen Z is famously not consuming as much alcohol as previous generationsabout 20% less, consistent data shows. (It’s one of a handful of perceived risky behaviors theyre engaging in less, Ferrell says, along with driving and sex. In a chaotic-feeling world, theyre careful about how much [risk] theyre willing to tolerate in their lives, he says.) But they still want fun drinks, and wholesome sodas become favorites for the sobercurious to bring to the party, without the stigma such adult mocktails may have had in the past. 44 bottles Keurig Dr Peppers data shows that 72% of Gen Z try a new drink monthly, versus 44% of all Americans. This is great news for new flavor debuts, but worrisome news for the folks trying to build them into sustainable businesses. For 7UP, keeping the Shirley Temple flavor as a limited run makes sense. Brands used to be the arbiters of culture, Ferrell says. Today, that power has tipped to the consumer. Companies now need to be reactive to whatevers hot on TikTok. When they pounce fast, it pays off. 7UPs Webb, who says that the company is constantly monitoring social media to track what kind of concoctions consumers might be making with our products, notes that 67% of its Shirley Temple trialists were new to the brand. [Photo: Gatorade] Gatorade is also staying flexible. In June, the brand presented WNBA player Paige Bueckers with a special-edition flavor of her favorite drink, the Shirley Temple. The video of the presentation became the brands most commented-on piece of social content ever, says chief brand officer Anuj Bhasin. (The company then sent 44 bottles to Bueckers fans who commented on the Instagram post, the number being a nod to the points Bueckers scored when setting a rookie record.) With only 44 bottles, the release could be considered a brand activation, a limited run of a product based on a disruptive cultural moment, with a campaign around it. We are absolutely seeking to do more of these things, Gatorades Bhasin says, adding that the company will rarely commit to making a new flavor like Shirley Temple permanent. The next new thing Although Gatorade maintains multiyear road maps, it also now keeps resources in reserve for forming a quick-strike team to execute last-minute campaigns based on fads and quick shifts in the zeitgeist. It now has a special development facility at its Valhalla, New York, R&D site to enable faster market turnaround; products produced at this site are not even meant for retail sale. The good news for big beverage companies is that ginning up a new flavor like a Shirley Temple is relatively simple. Theyre sourcing straightforward syrups from longtime suppliers, not mapping out new supply chains. This is not rocket scienceits lemon, lime, and cherry, Stuckey says. When it comes to Shirley Teple, it just feels like this is built for mass consumption. (Stillers cofounder Doman insists that its Shirley Temple soda had nothing to do with trends. He insists it was driven merely by Stillers own tastebuds, which signed off on every iteration until it was finished.) But soon enough there will be a new thing, as there always is. These same brands are going to have to tap into something else after this winds its way through everybody’s system, Ferrell says. Whats next? Mattsons Haderlein is seeing a rise in bitter spritzes. Her colleague Stuckey isnt betting against matcha. Yet because of its history, the Shirley Temple also has staying power. It does have a genuine cultural underpinning to it, Haderlein says, predicting that it will likely endure, at least peripherally, as a part of childhoods across the country, no matter what generation. How wholesome.
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In the Marshall Islands, where the land averages only 7 feet (2 meters) above sea level, people are acutely aware of climate change. Their ancestors have lived on this string of Pacific islands for thousands of years. But as sea level rises, storms more easily flood communities and farmland with saltwater. Warming ocean water has triggered mass coral-bleaching events, harming habitats that are important for both tourism and fish that the islands economy relies on. If the world fails to rein in the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change, studies suggest low-lying islands like these could be uninhabitable within decades. Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine talks about climate risks to her homeland while in New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025. Climate change isnt just a problem for islands. Countries worldwide are experiencing intensifying storms, dangerous heat waves, and rising seas as global temperatures rise. Yet, after 30 years of international climate talks, 10 years of a global treaty promising to keep temperatures in check, and trillions of dollars in damage, the world is still not on track to stop rising global temperatures. Greenhouse gas emissions were at record highs in 2024, and it was Earths hottest year on record. I study the dynamics of global environmental politics, including the United Nations climate negotiations. And my lab and I have been tracking countries latest climate pledgesknown as nationally determined contributions, or NDCsto see which countries have stepped up their efforts, which have slid back, and who has ideas that can deliver a safer world for everyone. While the Trump administration has been pressuring countries to back away from their climate commitmentsand succeeded in delaying an International Maritime Organization vote on a global plan to tax greenhouse gas emissions from shipping after threatening other countries with sanctions, visa restrictions, and port fees if they supported itmany countries are still pressing ahead. Trump agitates, but many countries are steadfast U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration came into office vowing to eliminate climate regulations and boost the fossil fuel industry, derided concerns about climate change in his Sept. 23, 2025, speech to the U.N. General Assembly. He called climate change the greatest con job ever perpetuated and ridiculed green energy and climate science. Trumps language no longer surprises world leaders, though. More than 100 other countries announced new climate commitments during a high-level summit a few days later. China, currently the worlds largest greenhouse gas emitter, was lauded for hitting its green energy targets five years early. Its rapid expansion of low-cost renewable energy and electric vehicle manufacturing has reduced pollution in Chinese cities while also boosting its economy and expanding the governments influence around the world. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the countrys first absolute emissions reduction goal at the summit, committing to cut its net greenhouse gas emissions by 7% to 10% from peak levels by 2035. China also committed to nearly triple its solar and wind power capacity and expand reforestation efforts. While advocates and other governments had hoped for a stronger announcement from China, the new goals mark an important shift from the countrys earlier carbon intensity targets, which aimed to decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of economic output but still allowed emissions to grow over time. [Chart: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND. Source: International Energy Agency, created with Datawrapper] The European Union has yet to submit its new commitments, but the group of 27 European countries delivered a letter of intent, saying it would commit to a 66% to 72% collective decrease in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 compared with 1990 levels. Europe has seen a swift rise in renewable energy, up sharply since Russias invasion of Ukraine put the continents natural gas supplies in jeopardy. The EU has also made waves by extending its carbon pricing rules beyond its borders. The EUs Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, scheduled to begin in January 2026, will be the first system to charge for the climate impact of imported goods coming into Europe from countries that dont have carbon prices similar to the EUs. The measure, meant to even the playing field for EU industries, sets a global precedent for linking carbon emissions to trade. However, the EUs climate plans are also facing some headwinds. Its parliament is moving toward softening new corporate sustainability requirements after pressure from companies. And it may face calls from some member countries to delay a new carbon market meant to cut emissions from road transportation and buildings, Politico reported. The EU has pledged to mobilize up to 300 billion Euros (about US$350 billion) to support the global clean energy transition in developing countries. The United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia submitted their most ambitious targets to date. All three put them on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, meaning any greenhouse gases they emit will be offset by projects that avoid carbon emissions or remove carbon from the atmosphere. In Australia, Queenslands recent announcement that it would extend existing coal power plant use to the 2030s and 2040s may slow national progress. But Queensland also supports scaling up renewable energy and is still aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050. Norway committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70% by 2035 compared with 1990 levels, which would align with the Paris Agreement goal to keep global emissions below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). However, it plans to remain a major oil and gas exporter. Notably, many developing countries also stepped up their commitments. Brazil pledged a net emissions reduction of 59% to 67% by 2035 and is maintaining its 2050 net-zero target. The government also drew criticism for approving plans for oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon River. Free riding and taking cover behind the US However, while some new climate commitments signal important momentum in the fight against climate change, the tug-of-war between global ambition to slow climate change and strategic self-interests was palpable at the New York summit. The responses to Trumps remarks revealed both veiled critiques and deceleration of climate action by some governments. China criticized backsliding by some countries, without naming names. Brazil used the summit to call out countries that were late in submitting their updated climate commitments. Only about a third had submitted their updated pledges at that point. While it is difficult to parse out individual country motivationseconomic stress, wars, and political influence can all play a rolemany scholars worry that U.S. backsliding will lead other countries to reduce their climate commitments, and some recent pledges appear to back this up. Many petroleum-producing countries missed the U.N. pledge deadline. Qatar, which recently gifted the U.S. a jet plane for Trumps use and has an economy largely bolstered by the oil and gas industry, has not updated its pledge since 2021. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Councils average emissions reduction target is even lower than Qatars, at around 21.6% by 2030. Similarly, Argentina, among the worlds top holders of shale oil and gas reserves, has not released its updated commitments. Progress on its previous commitment has been undermined by political shifts since President Javier Mileis election in 2023. Milei initially vowed to abandon the 2030 agenda entirely and withdraw from the Paris Agreement, though his administration later backtracked. His dismissal of climate change as a socialist lie has aligned Argentina closely with Trump, culminating in a recently planned US$20 billion aid package from the U.S. to Argentina and raising questions about whether Argentinas climate stance reflects genuine policy or geopolitical strategy. Also noticeably absent are commitments from India, Mexico, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia. Angola weakened its climate pledge, citing a lack of international funding. A new way to make climate commitments? While many countries are promising progress to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the commitments formally submitted as of Oct. 20 were still far below the level needed to keep global temperatures from rising by 2 C (3.6 F), let alone 1.5 C. Countries new climate pledgesknown as nationally determined contributions, or NDCsas of Oct. 20, 2025, compiled by ClimateWatch, were still far from keeping global warming under 2 C (3.6 F), let alone 1.5 C (2.7 F). The total includes 62 countries that had submitted pledges, including a U.S. pledge submitted before the Trump administration took office. It does not include Chinas announced pledge or the European Unions expected pledge. [Chart: ClimateWatch, CC BY 4.0] To help boost national efforts and accountability, Brazil has proposed a new approach it calls a globally determined contribution. Unlike the 1997 Kyoto Protocol framework, which set fixed, country-specific emission reduction targets based on historical baselines, or the 2015 Paris Agreements pledge-as-you-can system, it would establish global targets aligned with the Paris Agreements temperature goals. So, a globally determined contribution might state, for example, that the world will triple its renewable energy production and reverse deforestation by 2030. A target like that gives countries a clearer path of action. The new format would also allow city and state actions to be counted separately, increasing incentives for them to act. As the host of the COP30 climate talks Nov. 10-21, 2025, Brazil is uniquely positioned to champion this concept. In the absence of U.S. leadership, the proposal could offer a rare opportunity for countries to collectively strengthen commitments and reshape treaty language in a way never seen beforeleaving open the possibility for progress. Wila Mannella, a research assistant and graduate student in environmental studies at USC, contributed to this article. Shannon Gibson is a professor of environmental studies, political science, and international relations at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Leadership is not a title or a job description. It is the daily practice of turning authority into trust and presence into influence, according to renowned psychologist, University of Exeter Professor and former NBA player John Amaechi, OBE. Amaechi argues that leadership lives in ordinary moments: how you listen, the precision of your words, and the discipline of reflection. Being a great leader is not magic, Amaechi explains to me, but rather the consistent choice to act with clarity and intention that helps others feel enabled, not stifled. Too often, people think of leadership as something to perform when the spotlight is on them. Amaechi says, In reality, the leaders who endure are those who embody their practice in every interaction. They understand that credibility is not claimed but conferred by others who watch, listen and feel the texture of their leadership every day. In his new book, Its Not Magic: The Ordinary Skills of Exceptional Leaders, Amaechi outlines the following five practices to make leadership tangible and consistent. Refine your observation practice Each observation is a chance to deepen your understanding, not to catch others out. Leaders who take observation seriously learn to notice patterns that others miss, from the subtle signals of disengagement to the small acts of initiative that deserve recognition, says Amaechi. This practice requires discipline: to watch without rushing to judgment, to gather data rather than pounce on mistakes, and to cultivate patience until the fuller picture becomes clear. Observation done well creates the foundation for trust and insight. Normalize, affirm, and reframe with precision Confidence grows strongest where people feel seen clearly and encouraged thoughtfully. It is easy to offer vague praise, but genuine affirmation demands precision, Amaechi explains. Leaders who normalize challenges and setbacks remind people they are not alone in facing difficulties. Those who affirm effort and skill help individuals recognize their own capability. Reframing, when done carefully, shifts perspective from limitation to possibility without sugar-coating reality. Together, these practices build confidence that is both resilient and realistic. Sharpen language to sharpen thinking Sharper language builds sharper self-awareness and better decisions. Amaechi shared that leaders who are careless with language often leave confusion and unintended consequences in their wake. He said that precision in words is not pedantry but a discipline that shapes thought. Clear language, he told me, clarifies intent, defines boundaries, and sharpens focus. It reduces the margin for misinterpretation and models intellectual rigor. In teams, this practice can elevate debate, reduce wasted effort, and make strategy actionable rather than aspirational. One action he recommended: Replace vague verbs with clear commitments and define success before you speak. Model reflection openly Leaders who model reflection permit others to think more deeply, not just perform better. Reflection is often treated as a private act, done in isolation. Yet when leaders show how they revisit their decisions, acknowledge their blind spots, and adjust their approach, they legitimize learning as a shared practice. This openness dismantles the myth that leaders must be infallible, shared Amaechi. It signals that growth is valued more than perfection and that courage lies not in pretending to know everything, but in being willing to rethink. Heres an action to try this week: Share one decision you would make differently and why. Manage your physical presence Physical presence speaks loudly. Use it to invite growth, not inhibit it. From posture to tone of voice, from where you sit in a meeting to how you enter a room, your physicality shapes the atmosphere others inhabit. A leaders presence can constrict dialogue if it conveys impatience, intimidation or distraction, shared Amaechi. Equally, it can create space for others to step forward when it conveys openness, attentiveness, and calm. Presence is not performance but alignment: What you project outwardly should be consistent with the respect and curiosity you hold inwardly. Action: Adopt a default stance with an open posture, slower tempo, and eyes on the speaker. As Amaechi says in Its Not Magic, leadership is revealed in what people see you do, not what you say you value. For deeper tools and team diagnostics, Its Not Magic expands each practice and shows how to implement them at scale. Marcel Shwantes This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister publication, Inc. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
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