Be the change you want to see: how to build a better future post COV-19

Photo by guy stevens on Unsplash

In the last few months, we all have been affected by drastic - and at times dramatic - changes in our lives. Changes that we did not foresee but that had a rapid and significant impact on our routines, habits, and wellbeing. I imagine that all of us cannot wait for the COV-19 crisis to be over, but I also imagine that many of us are pondering about what world will emerge from this crisis. As much as the understanding of how this pandemic spread and what generated it is of highest relevance, I personally reject the narrative of nature fighting back as it suggests a conflict between humans and the planet we live in. In this circumstances my mind and my heart take a different path and create a different narrative: one that see us emerging more determined than ever to change what is wrong in the way we treat our planet and better equipped to do so. The wellbeing and future of our planet is the wellbeing and future of humanity.

If you wish to deepen your understanding of nature while searching for guidance on how we can create the future we want to see, we recommend you read these two books:

- What Has Nature Ever Done for us?: How Money Really Does Grow On Trees by Tony Juniper

Tony Juniper is a campaigner, writer, sustainability adviser and a well-known British environmentalist and he has the rare gift of being able to communicate complex concepts in ways that are easy to understand for a lay audience. This book that he wrote in 2013 is full of impactful stories that show how humans are interconnected with wildlife and ecosystems and that Nature provides the 'natural services' that keep our economy going. Here I quote a passage of the book that I found particularly relevant for today’s circumstances: “This shift towards seeing Nature as a set of economically vital services, rather than resources that can be used up to fuel economic growth is, for me, one of the most important conceptual shifts in history. I am pleased to say that the shift is already underway, but it needs to go much further and happen much faster. I am not so naÏve as to imagine this is an easy transition to achieve, especially in such economically challenging times, but perhaps our very fraught economic circumstances at the moment offer exactly the right moment for the world to force this new attitude to break through into the mainstream.”

- The Future We Choose - Surviving The Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac

This more recent book is the one that I am readying at the moment. Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett- Carnac founded Global Optimism after leaving the UNFCCC, having secured the historic, unanimous signing of the Paris Agreement by 195 countries to catalyse transformative actions in the world. They published The Future We Choose in February 2020. This book has all the elements that will make you finish it one night (unless you have young children and you collapse on the sofa as soon as they fall asleep!): it is practical, optimistic and empowering. It is a book that shows two scenarios in front of us: the future we are on track for if we do nothing, and one that is possible - a future where we address with determination and optimism the challenges of tackling the climate crisis, where we keep working towards our goals not defeated by setbacks and do everything necessary to survive and thrive.

We hope you will add both books to your collection and be part of the Future We Want to See!