DOOM
DOESN'T
WORK...
We live amongst visions of a future defined by a broken climate. Without a clear alternative, it's tempting to assume tomorrow has already been written. Call it dystopia burnout. It's paralyzing, discouraging, and we can do better.
And
Scarcity Drives
Apathy.
When we envision climate action, we often picture a future of sacrifice and scarcity. This narrative, perpetuated even by well-intentioned advocates, paints a bleak picture of lower quality of life and diminished prosperity.
Scarcity
isn’t Inevitable,
It’s
a
failure
of imagination.
By framing climate solutions as a series of losses, we inadvertently fuel reluctance to act. This trap of scarcity thinking drives apathy, making meaningful change seem not just daunting, but undesirable.
Climate
action shouldn’t
be
a
luxury.
This narrative of sacrifice, combined with the "green premium" on sustainable products, has made climate action feel like a luxury reserved for the few. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy: the more exclusive and demanding we make climate action seem, the fewer people engage, and the less impact we have.
Reimagining
Abundance
To break this cycle and ensure real change, we need a new paradigm - one that makes sustainable choices accessible and desirable for a critical mass of people. Only then can we nudge behavior towards the tipping points that accelerate widespread adoption.
Building
a Better
Feedback Loop
We need a fresh vision that transcends the limitations of scarcity and sparks excitement about the future. Studies show that constructive climate hope - belief in our capacity to overcome the crisis - is boosted by witnessing collective action. This creates a powerful positive feedback loop: action cultivates hope, and hope motivates further action.
Can we imagine an abundant world beyond this crisis? What actions today will lead us there? Exploring these questions energizes us far more than doomerism, potentially transforming climate action from a burden into an inspiring challenge.
Once we start, we may find that the answers charge us up, rather than burning us out.
Can we imagine an abundant world beyond this crisis?
What actions today will lead us there? Exploring these questions energizes us far more than doomerism, potentially transforming climate action from a burden into an inspiring challenge.
Once we start, we may find that the answers charge us up, rather than burning us out.
An abundant future isn't a Moonshot
Clean energy is cheaper and more efficient than ever, with renewable costs plummeting yearly. Rapid decarbonization is poised to create widespread opportunities and drive global economic growth. Biotechnology innovations are supercharging the living world, turning plants and microbes into hyper-efficient nutrition factories. To create abundance, we must invest in it.
It's time to deploy existing solutions
We need to invest in accelerating innovations, and demonstrate that climate action isn't just about sacrifice - it's about gaining a healthier, more sustainable world.
Engineering Abundance
A dystopian culture is the opposite—not a positive feedback loop, but a self-fulfilling prophecy. By assuming it’s “already too late,” we undermine our own capacity to act and ensure meaningful change. We have to break the doom cycle with alternative visions for a better tomorrow, and we can make those visions a reality through swift and enthusiastic action.
