Over the last year, Next Now has gleaned insights from hundreds of social entrepreneurs who are building the future of the Planet & Climate.

In this invite-only 5-week series we aim to begin a dialogue about the key patterns that show us a path forward, culminating in a call to action each week. Each session will be 60 minutes.

This dialogue series is open to members of Ashoka’s network only. If you have not yet received an invite and would like to join, please reach out to Marian Ignat for more information.

Social entrepreneurs in the global climate movement (April 19-23)

We invited Fellows to Ashoka’s first-ever study on the landscape of social innovations in climate change. This week, we want to present to you our key findings from the survey and paint an initial profile of social entrepreneurs in this space. In doing so, we invite you to the beginning of a series of rich Socratic-style discussions of social entrepreneurship in the global climate movement. 

20 April (17:00 CST/ 10:00 CET/ 4:00 EST) with Sena Alouka

22 April (12:00 CST/ 17:00 CET/ 11:00 AM EST) with Beto Veríssimo

Reframing our relationship with nature – From Separate & Superior to Interconnected (May 3-7)

We begin the second week and the rest of our series by exploring new paradigms needed to shift the global climate movement towards zero carbon and Planet & Climate wellbeing.  

Our conversations with Fellows pointed to a fundamental need to rebalance our relationship with nature: a paradigm shift in how humanity sees itself, how we understand what nature is, and how we see ourselves in the unfolding arc of time.  

The first part deals with a reframing of the relationship: we need to move from seeing humanity as separate from and superior to nature and recognize the interconnectedness that means in fact, we are nature. As part of this, we need to understand timescales in natural terms, fighting the short-termism that we are biologically programmed to prioritize. We need to understand our own lifespans as being part of a connected whole, embracing the concept of ‘forever’. 

4 May (17:00 CST/ 10:00 CET/ 4:00 EST) with Cynthia Ong

6 May (12:00 CST/ 17:00 CET/ 11:00 AM EST)  with Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin

Working with complexity – holistic, systemic approaches (May 17-21)

Ocean acidification has never only been a fishing industry issue, and logging is related as much to deforestation as it is to healthcare and labor rights. Environmental issues are issues of poverty, equity, and justice, and each problem sits at the intersection of several systems and feedback loops upholding the status quo. 

The interconnectivity of climate issues demands us to work with its complexity, to design holistic solutions, and to deploy and scale them to reach systems and population level. This requires us to examine the issues deeply and consider their spillover effects on other areas.  

When we develop solutions holistically, they don’t just address climate change: they make our world a better, a more equitable place for everyone. 

18 May (17:00 CST/ 10:00 CET/ 4:00 EST) with Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka

20 May (12:00 CST/ 17:00 CET/ 11:00 AM EST) with Gary Cohen

New economic structures for equitable, sustainable decision-making (May 31 – June 4)

Is it possible to address the climate crisis without redesigning our economic system? How do we shape our societal structures so that the trillions of decisions made each day are aligned with positive outcomes for the planet? The economic system is our most dominant decision-making architecture and yet, with rare exceptions, it views nature as a resource to be exploited rather than as an interconnected web that we are integrally part of.  

In addition to exploring this topic with our Fellows, we also sought out experts in this space and conducted our own desk research. We see three broad buckets under which different approaches fall: (1) working within the current system, (2) improving the rules and structure of the current system, and (3) redesigning the whole system. Arguably, addressing the economic structure is the most daunting and exciting lever of change in the global climate movement. What are the promises and perils, and how do we go about doing it? 

Everyone is Necessary – Everyone has a role to play (June 14-18)

Although the degree of impact may vary, every person has had a hand in exacerbating or been affected by climate change. And, humanity as a whole has a collective impact on our natural world every day. This is not to say that some don’t have an outsized influence or responsibility on climate action, but we are saying that everyone can be part of the solution. How do we create pathways for all people—especially those who are closest to the consequences and/or whose voices have traditionally been left out— to contribute? How do we turn data and knowledge into stories that mobilize actions? 

15 June (17:00 CST/ 10:00 CET/ 4:00 EST) with Sebastian Groh

17 June (12:00 CST/ 17:00 CET/ 11:00 AM EST) with Mélanie Marcel

*All dialogues are intimate, closed door 60-minute conversations, where the Ashoka Fellows featured above are key input givers.