where to from here?

The humans of the last 100 years have:.

• Created beautiful art, music, and culture. Reached the moon and new breakthroughs in science

• Had a more destructive impact on the rest of the planet than any other living beings in history - surpassed in driving species extinction by only such cataclysmic events on the scale of the meteor that led to the extinction of dinosaurs

Until humans realize that we are all interconnected parts of nature, that we need to respect the relationships that bind us, and that how we communicate is what can truly shift change, our children's children will not live in the safe, vibrant, alive place that generations of our forebears have taken for granted. Common sense is that this is man vs nature. Uncommon sense is that we are nature.

We need a new common sense. 

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There are seeds growing: 

• Agroecological economies like West Papua

• Indigenous-fronted global movements

• The perception of the Amazon rainforest as a treasure more than a commodity;

• Increasing interest in post-growth new economic models, Indigenous and complexity thinking

• Campaigners prioritizing movement strength and social justice alongside regular goals

• Countries granting citizenship and rights to rivers

• Charitable foundations handing out their money to civil society with no strings attached

• Societies of colonizers beginning to engage with their bloody legacies

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But it is not enough. The iterative approach of most corporate Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) efforts are iterative and unlikely to sufficiently catalyze system change. Political polarization, disinformation, deep-fakes and social media echo chambers are more dominant and widespread than ever, increasing the spread of conspiracy theories. 

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We need a leap not a step forward. Governments and economies that value reciprocity more than growth, that grant and enforce collective rights for land and natural resources alongside people and intersectional environmental justice. And an understanding that together, every one of us has the power to make governments and companies take responsibility, make the short term changes to safeguard the planet we love and that are a part of. 

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Every one of us can fight for change. Let’s start a revolution with uncommon sense. 

We hope this book helps you take that leap forward in whatever work that you do. 

We invite you to borrow what you like, ignore what you don’t, and share your views on what could be added or improved. We want to spark conversations in different languages and cultures about how we can contribute to making the world just a little bit better. Let’s make a more collective, sustainable future inevitable. 

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