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for ever and ever. The omnipresent benefits of nature mean that no enterprise, entrepreneur,
or market dynamic devoting resources, effort, and time to act in the defence of nature, is to be

able to capture a corresponding reward, at least not in the world of material gains.

Therefore, our economic system, by its nature, gravely underinvests in nature – while a
myriad of combined policy and market decisions are busy each day and each minute in taking

out their share of the pie, undercutting and destroying what is there, until it is gone. The
consequence takes multiple shapes – climate change, biodiversity loss, consumerism, ever-

expanding waste streams of which little is properly treated or fed back to recycling and re-

use, food-waterenergy disruptions, the loss of fertile lands, pollution of air and water, and so
forth.

Take stock of, and confront, the problem for what it is, and name it accordingly. We are
faced with a systemic sustainability crisis caused by multiple interrelated forces which

exploit and destroy nature. Ingrained in our collective mindset, institutions, policies,
and markets is an anthropocentric place of confinement in desperate need not just of

repair but of a changed course of action, enabling regeneration of the living world.

2.2 Affirming that people and widened collaboration are key to progress

Viable solutions to addressing the systemic crisis at hand rest with humanity, i.e., people on

the ground. Crucially, it is not about people in isolation - mindset, behaviours, and relations
take centre stage. How we collaborate, tap into each other’s experience, perspectives, and

interests, caring for what goes beyond ourselves, is priceless. Are we in denial of each other,

of nature, our own health and of our future, led by jealousy and “we-know-best”, or is there
room for diversity, compromise, trust, joint considerations, shared responsibilities?

Culture and social relations go together. Governance, leadership, role models, and

participatory approaches matter, yes, but all follow on acquisition of knowledge, education

and, ultimately, a resourceful and endearing childhood. Our early years in life, and what
examples engulf our children, dwarf all else. Relative to its importance, education is the most

under-valued, understaffed, and under-developed industry in the world. Formal education is

the most decisive for the least privileged –who receive the least of it.

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