š± The Grumpy Optimists #52
A year of The Grumpy Optimists, what's next for us and why we're as optimistic as ever.
Happy Monday š
Well, well, well. Welcome to Week 52! At the start of 2021, we set out with the aim to grow the blog by sharing content every week for a whole year, and here we are. Yes thatās right, weāve now spent a whole yearās worth of Sundays reading and writing about climate change.
So this week for our final newsletter, we recap on the biggest events of the year, share our own reasons as to whatās driving our optimism, and look ahead to whatās in store next for the Grumpy Optimists (spoiler: this is not the end).
šĀ A year in review
A lot has happened in climate over the last year, from new IPCC reports showing us the challenge weāre up against, to a renewed sense of optimism at COP26 and countless climate memes. The thing that hasnāt changed? Our commitment to taking climate action and being positively optimistic about the challenge we face.
New additions
In the last year weāve added two fantastic new members to the Grumpy Optimists team, Ella and Mari, bringing even more insight to the newsletter.
New readers
We now have hundreds of people reading the newsletter, from parents to CEOs. Weāre proud that people want to read about positive climate action and weāre looking for ways to engage the awesome people in this community. If you have any suggestions, let us know!
Now letās look at why weāre optimistic going into another year and our plans for the future of this blog.
š¤Ā Our reasons to be optimistic...
Will: Climate change is firmly on all of our radars, and itās showing no signs of going anywhere.
Just a few years ago, the āenvironmentā still felt very much bottom of our worry list, and anything remotely climate change-related was often cast to the peripheries of mainstream news coverage (usually a novelty item about ice caps melting and polar bears looking sad). To be clear, Iām not suggesting climate change receives anywhere close to the urgency which it demands today, but its stocks have grown significantly in a short space of time. Critical, insightful coverage of climate change is becoming more readily accessible, the climate movement is growing, and the powerful players are finding it ever-harder to distract us or downplay the crisis. Just look this week at the number of protestors turning out in France to reiterate the importance of rapid climate action, despite the ongoing crisis in Ukraine taking precedence. Thereās no doubt the tide is turning - and with the momentum only growing, thereās every reason to remain more hopeful than ever.
George: Business begins to take real action. Theyāre the ones that are going to drive the transition over the next decade.
In my day job running Zevero I get to work with incredible companies and individuals who no longer see climate action as a nice-to-have but a need-to-have. These are people who will help drive our route to net zero, but weāre going to need a heck of a lot more action over the next 8 years if we really want to tackle climate action. Nevertheless, progress is progress and Iām proud to be able to help companies take action. Iām optimistic that weāre seeing the brightest minds in the world work on solving climate change. No longer are data scientists wanting to help brands get the most Facebook likes. Instead, they are finding ways to help drive climate action - thatās huge!
Ella: Paying attention to intersectionality, activists making change and looking after ourselves by spending time outdoors helps me stay hopeful.
Itās fair to say that the climate crisis can be overwhelming. I was disappointed to see that although Indigenous and marginalised voices got a lot of media attention at the latest COP26 in Glasgow, they were ignored and left out of the negotiations for the final agreement. I find that reading work by and following Indigenous and BIPOC activists on social media and elsewhere is really important. If we want to have an impact, we all have to work together and learn from the inspiring communities that are doing so much. Please pay attention, amplify and support this. Since working as a gardener, I have also noticed that getting outdoors really helps me. I realise that this is a privilege, but if you can even go for a walk in your local park and notice what grows as the seasons change, or get down to your local beach or nature reserve, I think youāll find that hope is restored in nature (hello spring bulbs!).
Mari: The macro can be overwhelming, but there are grassroots movements and conservation at the micro level that give me hope.
It can be easy to feel frustrated, helpless (and possibly grumpy!) when you look at the all the challenges weāre facing on a planetary scale. Turning to conservation volunteering when I was feeling burned out last year was a wonderful reminder of the pockets of wildlife that you can find even in the concrete jungle and of the people who care deeply enough to dedicate their free time or even career to protecting it. Spending time with fellow nature nerds always exposes you to new ecological knowledge and highlights the power and joy of community action. I also strongly agree with Ella on the importance of focussing on the diversity of the climate and biodiversity movement. As much as I adore Greta, Jane Goodall and Dave A, it is also worthwhile listening to diverse voices, such as Artemisa XakriabĆ” and Dominique Palmer.
š®Ā Our plans for the future...
The last year has been fantastic. Weāve never been so engaged with climate news and itās forced us to be optimistic in the face of depressing news.
However, writing weekly is a big challenge and it often means we know weāre not putting out our best work. So from now on, weāll be writing every fortnight, still the same optimistic take on climate, but more in depth and with more interesting people to highlight along the way.
Weāve realised the value in showcasing different and conflicting opinions. We plan on doing this more often, both from us as a team as well as the amazing people within the climate space. We have interviews and features lined up with incredibly talented people in areas such as plastic pollution, climate adaptation, climate education, inclusion and resilience.
If you work in the climate space or would like to recommend anyone, please let us know by either emailing us at thegrumpyoptimists@gmail.com or by filling out this form.
Weāre grateful for those of you who have read and continue to read the words we put out every Monday morning. If you have any suggestions youād like to add, let us know - weād love to help build our community!
The Grumpy Optimists š