Thinking differently - ideas for action on planet & climate

The threats facing our planet are changing quickly, as are the proposed solutions. There are new entrants daily, ever-increasing public awareness, and growing support for action. At the same time, we are racing past planetary boundaries faster than anyone had anticipated. The rate of change is simultaneously one of the biggest indicators of success of the environmental and climate movements to date, and one of the biggest risk factors. This ever-increasing rate of change is impacting solutions —they now have shorter and shorter lifespans. The purpose of this research is to share principles that cut across specific solutions that can orient anyone wanting to take action, even as the context around us changes.

For 40 years, Ashoka has been working with the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, who are recognized as Ashoka Fellows. We can see patterns in these Fellows’ approaches to complex issues, which point to larger shifts that can unlock change in a system. With this in mind, we looked for patterns in the work of hundreds of leading social entrepreneurs working in the field of Planet & Climate. We did this through more than 20 in-depth interviews with Ashoka Fellows, nearly 200 survey responses (sent to all Fellows, not just those working in the field of Planet and Climate), and a mapping of over 600 Fellows elected in the field throughout Ashoka’s history. This was complemented with interviews with experts and literature reviews.

Have a look at the main findings of this research in the full report and the executive summary available. This report was a collaboration between the Ashoka Next Now - Planet & Climate team and the Ashoka Learning and Action Center. 

Download the report here:  Thinking differently - ideas for action on planet & climate Full Report

Download the executive summary here: Thinking differently - ideas for action on planet & climate_Executive Summary