Why we CAN be arsed to slog up to a sweaty London Climate Action Week; plus all the hot gossip.
The fair-weather green folk stayed at home in the new record-high June temperatures. The people who actually showed up? They had gritty things to say.
The End of Playing Nice
There was a definite shift in vibe this year—away from playing nice and over-empathising our way to a standstill. The roundtables and workshops hummed with a sense of useful urgency. Those of us who work well to a deadline fully appreciated the straight-talking solutions for Scope 3 from Brea at The Climate Pledge.
Generational Brawls
There was absolutely no pussyfooting around the Chatham House rules, either. During a heated discussion on youth in power and decision-making roles, the "speak freely" mandate was out in full force:
- Do the youth already have power, but just want to moan?
- Are the oldies simply scared?
- Are we ripping apart the age-old wisdom of village elders purely for the sake of visual diversity?
Praise Be for Greenhushing
The death of the misty forest, scented-candle, piano-music brand ESG is finally here. It is time to shut up with the superlatives and get on with the grunt work.
But What About Meat?
Yes, we went to a vegan dinner to proudly represent meat, because there is a gritty, necessary lesson to be learned from conservation grazing projects like Sussex Grazed.
The takeaway here isn't about slapping a blanket ban on things; it’s about doing the work to fix the mechanics of how we eat. Natural, resilient food systems:
- Regenerative Farming: Animals that restore specific natural landscapes.
- High Welfare: Prioritising the animals over industrial-scale output.
- Supply Chains: A great and scalable example of moving food straight from the farmer to the local community with Brighton & Hove Food Partnership.
Whatever you eat, make farming work, make it local, make it work for nature.
The Verdict
So, what did we get hot for? The era of manifestos is dead. Time to hammer out the nightmare of Scope 3, and get your comms right. Net Zero is not a race… but those who are the late runners are going to pay more for the offsets and solutions.
Our key takeaway? Stop Being A Mindful Fence Sitter.
Stop waiting for a flawless, friction-free climate strategy to land on your desk. It doesn't exist.Stop being distracted by ESG minutia. Its time for the Big Picture.
You are the expert on your business. Pick one messy, difficult, unsexy climate problem you’ve been ignoring—and actually start picking away at fixing it. The sweat is real.
