22 Jun ‘We are running out of time’ Sir David Attenborough discusses the climate crisis and the future

By the time your young child or grandchild who is in Kindergarten today reaches adulthood, our current climate crisis will be a Climate Emergency, significantly affecting all aspects of their daily lives. Unless we each mobilize and start taking daily actions today.

Words from Sir David Attenborough, my childhood guide into the World of Nature, that are focusing my conversations about the impact of the climate crisis on the Future of Work.

How does the Climate Crisis relate to the Future of Work?

Natural question. As parents, our primary focus is offering our children the best learning so they have the best opportunities in adulthood. I am often asked to predict what the jobs of the Future may be. That is not the service I offer. Instead I challenge and develop your mental models.

I ask:

What kind of problems might we still have when this child graduates?

What could be areas that will provide them with meaningful work?

In recent presentations, I have been suggesting that parents use the UN sustainability goals to create active discussion at the dinner table or during car rides. Climate Action is #13. But many of the other goals could be considered related or sub-topics in the field. Now, we may not know exactly what your job title may be in 2030.

But if we still need to sequester carbon, or figure out food security, then building a body of knowledge, understanding the history, playing with possible solutions will offer our young adult a significant advantage in their Future of Work.

And we need solutions. I remain optimistic.

And I hold a very optimistic view that if our young students are growing with an awareness of the issues and the problems, they are also tossing over ideas, connections, and solutions in their minds.

All indications are that GenZ is very aware and attuned. But that is a podcast for another day.

So what can I do? Is there a plan of action?

The topic of Climate – Change, Warming, Crisis, Emergency – usually leads to overwhelm. Which can lead to complacency. And with that comes inaction.
Aren’t others already working on this? How can I help tip the balance? Where is my power? In such a complicated conversation, do I have agency?

‘What can I do? How can I – one person – make a difference?’

Yes, you can.

I am using my voice and my platform to start this daily awareness campaign

What I am doing, daily:

1. Making a single climate-related decision or action, daily. (More ideas in upcoming podcasts)
2. Learning something new about the urgency – via blogs, conversations, new technology.
3. Talking to people around me about the imminent threat.
4. But also actively discussing the many opportunities to figure out a solution.