The systems that sustain us have always been complex. So why are our responses to them not? Philanthropy needs to lead on this realisation

We are in a crisis: the climate is changing rapidly and likely beyond our worst-case assumptions, there’s a near collapse of biodiversity and it’s starting to threaten not only food security and human activity, but all life-sustaining systems on the planet. We’re all very aware of this by now, yet the silence and inaction from political, corporate leadership, and indeed from the hordes of the educated, the powerful and the capable is deafening. There seems to be a very strong urge to preserve the status quo in how we live our lives and in the choices we make. It’s almost as if this is happening on a different planet and it is merely an academic pursuit for us.

Times of unprecedented crises are when unprecedented leadership arises. Philanthropy has often led the way in helping changemakers create pathbreaking approaches, and now, more than ever, there’s a need for this. We don’t have the time for business as usual.

Climate change will not be solved inside pilot projects