Our Greatest Hits
The Instigator Turns 4
Dear Readers,
We’re 4 years old! On the occasion of our birthday, we want to take a moment to acknowledge the reason we keep going—you. Thank you very much!
We appreciate how you stay engaged, ask tough questions, share our issues with friends (please keep doing so), and offer feedback (we agree with you—especially that brevity is the soul of wit—and we keep trying to improve).
This is our 96th (!!) issue since we launched The Instigator in October 2021. While we hope newcomers will wade through all of our back issues, we thought this would be a good opportunity to zoom out and share an overview of the big themes we’ve been tackling.
But first—a public service announcement:
The most important election of our lifetime is right around the corner. Please vote. And please get out the vote. There really is nothing more important that you can do for the environment.
And now, here is a rundown of some of the top arguments we’ve been making over the past 4 years:
Enviros tend to overestimate what the private sector can do voluntarily to address critical challenges like climate and biodiversity. It’s absolutely correct that the business sector can do a lot, like raising capital, driving innovation, and scaling solutions quickly. These are critical tasks. But to encourage all this and more, we need more ambitious public policy.
Job #1 for enviros is to work harder to build a majority non-partisan coalition in support of common-sense, pragmatic, and ambitious public policy to help scale and accelerate environmental problem-solving.
We need carbon removal to get to net zero. While nature-based deals have room for improvement, they remain the most practical and cost-effective way to do so now.
Environmental NGOs are key players in the fight for environmental progress and protection of biodiversity. Please support them.
Financial innovation can accelerate positive outcomes. This should be a priority for NGOs (see debt-for-nature swaps). Private sector players: please do more to help.
Plant-based diets and animal welfare should be higher priorities for all climate and biodiversity hawks.
Investment in, and protection of, underground mycorrhizal (fungal) networks will unlock success in above-ground conservation, carbon removal, and climate-smart agriculture. Just ask Toby Kiers or Merlin Sheldrake.
Careers focused on environmental progress—both for young and older people—deliver not only positive outcomes, but they also lead to rewarding and happy lives.
We love books and are always inspired by the many great ones in our field. See our top environment-related picks, interviews with authors, and reviews.
There’s a role for everyone in helping bring about the kind of ambitious environmental progress we so desperately need: enviros, business leaders, investors, students, employees, policymakers, all citizens and more. Please roll up your sleeves and get to work.
Here’s to the next 4!
Onward,
