From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
Nature is not the backdrop to our lives — it is our lives. We are nature and nature is us. There is no separation. We invented the ideology that we're exempt from nature's rules, that we're masters over nature, and that ideology is incorrect.
From 20,000 miles away however, you couldn't see any civilisation- just the land mass and those three colours… the brown of the land, the white of the clouds and the ice, and the crystal blue of the ocean. Earth was just suspended in the blackness of space and it was an incredibly beautiful sight.
Our disconnection from nature has led to such irreverence towards the earth, a kind of murderous environmental rampage, a collective matricide. We destroy the forests, we pollute the waters, we violate the earth to the point where environmental damage now threatens the long-term survival of our species.
I was at one of our schools in Kenya recently, I was just chatting away to a group of children about all the things we had seen that day- the lions and how lucky they are to be sitting next to Meru National Park, and I said 'would anyone like to ask me a question?'. Suddenly this little boy put up his hand and he said 'please miss, why do men kill lions?'. Well, I could have hugged him if he wouldn't have been mortified with embarrassment.
I started to get concerned about the natural world as a child and there are 2 images that I remember always from my childhood. In London Zoo, I remember the sound of the iron doors that clanged behind us as we went in. And there they were… these wretched creatures, walking up and down their very small caged area. I hated it! I absolutely hated it without knowing why really, at that age. Later in the Kruger, I saw a group of lions, obviously a pride, sitting peacefully and calmly under a tree. And these two contrasting images in a way became symbols for the rest of my life and the way I think about wildlife. One is how not to keep them, and one is how to leave them alone where they should be.
We are the master race. We are the creatures who impose our will on virtually everything that lives and breathes. It's deeply shocking when you start to think about the scale of it.
Africa is an enormous continent, larger than the US, China and Europe combined. It represents 20% of the global land mass, and only 10% of the world's population. It offers an un-crowded space of opportunities including minerals, natural resources, water and agriculture.
We must remember that about one-quarter of the planet is under the control of the indigenous communities of Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Arctic. Quite frankly, we will never be able to deal with the challenges of the 21st century unless we engage and empower indigenous communities around the world.
I hated it! I absolutely hated it without knowing why really, at that age. And these two contrasting images in a way became symbols for the rest of my life and the way I think about wildlife. One is how not to keep them, and one is how to leave them alone where they should be.
Pinpoint accuracy isn't as significant as one might think. A reasonably good estimate can still greatly assist in managing these environmental issues far better than not attempting to calculate it at all.
Wine making is also alchemy, not everything is controllable – you are dealing with nature. There's a savage element to all of this. A great winemaker is an artist.
Many studies have shown and said that consumers would rather choose a sustainable product or service from a transformed business over others.