Martin Wright is a writer, editor, speaker, enthusiast, focused on stories of a hopeful future (Twitter, Keynote speech at 2018 Global Good Awards). He is currently chair of Positive News, "the magazine for good journalism about the good things that are happening:. I got to know Martin when I was working for Forum for the Future, and he was editor of Forum's magazine, Green Futures (now discontinued).
Key theme: "It is important to infuse people that it is possible that the future can be brighter than it is today. And that they have agency, they have the skills, the energy to make it to make that happen."
We recorded this in late March 2022 (about 4 weeks after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine). There is a little bit of swearing (one use each of f*cked, sh*t and b*gger).
Links
Forum for the Future in India (note: a while ago. I had Senior Management Team responsibility for Forum in India, and so was, briefly, Martin's line manager).
Academy of Ideas "Free Minds for a Free Society". Martin enjoys speaking to them to get outside the environmental bubble. While I think that is is an important thing to do, I worry whether this particular organisation's contrarian stance is in good faith (see, for instance, this LRB article).
Martin says the government is ahead of the public on climate change. Subsequent polling shows it might be the other way round, for instance here, 76 per cent of Conservative voters thought “the UK should try as hard as possible to be a global leader in getting to net zero and develop new green industries and jobs, even if it is more expensive”.
Ashden Awards here. (Full disclosure, in 2017 I worked with Ashden on its strategy.)
At 29 minutes, I was wrong that renewable energy is 5 times cheaper than gas. The latest figures are 9 times cheaper.
Timings
0:51 - Q1 What are you doing now? And how did you get there?
06:06 - Q2. What is the future you are trying to create, and why?
10:29 - BONUS QUESTION: Where do you place the responsibility for the perception of a doomsday environmental narrative?
21:04 - BONUS QUESTION: Given we have agency to make a better future, what could we be using our agency for?
29:23 - Q3. What are your priorities for the next few years, and why?
32:47 - Q4. If someone was inspired to follow those priorities, what should they do next?
34:20 - Q5. If your younger self was starting their career now, what advice would you give them?
35:22 - Q6. Who would you nominate to answer these questions, because you admire their approach?
35:22 - Q7. Is there anything else important you feel you have to say?
More here.
Twitter: Powerful_Times
Website hub: here.
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Thank you for listening! -- David
