As I come to the tip of my first yr at NEF and the tip of one other tumultuous yr for the UK and the world, I’ve been reflecting on the distinction between ‘optimism’ and ‘hope’.
As you will have seen, earlier this yr I revealed a guide, Energy to the Individuals, about how citizen motion can change the world for the higher and make this the century of the citizen. In interviews and occasions concerning the guide, I’m typically requested how I stay steadfastly hopeful in troubled world and whether or not I’m naïve to be so optimistic. My reply typically includes one thing that lies on the coronary heart of NEF’s strategy. For me, an optimist thinks issues will get higher, whereas these of us who’re hopeful suppose that issues can change and infrequently work tirelessly to point out that one other world is feasible.
A lot of what now we have been doing at NEF relies on this premise. Sure, the best way that now we have chosen to organise our societies and economies is extractive, unsustainable and more and more harmful. However sure too, that we are able to change the best way that we do issues by re-writing the foundations to make our economies fairer, extra democratic and sustainable.
That is the golden thread that runs by way of a lot of NEF’s work, whether or not that’s our marketing campaign to safe extra rights and protections for renters, our work on advocating for the federal government to undertake a frequent flyer levy to make polluters pay and lower aviation emissions, or our marketing campaign to place financial energy within the arms of native communities.
I see it additionally in our groundbreaking work to point out how regional economies can change into much less extractive, how the welfare state can ship a dwelling earnings and the way internationally agreed tax on the ultrawealthy may curb inequality and lift valuable assets.
And that is additionally the golden thread that runs by way of NEF’s rising technique. Our ambition is to assist ship an economics than can underpin a quick and honest transition to web zero, that may assist renew the foundations of the general public items and providers that almost all of us depend on, and that may devolve significant financial and political energy to individuals.
We could also be dwelling in darkish occasions however it’s this conviction that we are able to ship a radically higher world that I do know drives my wonderful colleagues at NEF, the fantastic companions we work with and people who help our work.
Danny Sriskandarajah, NEF chief govt
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