Regeneration Rising

A transformational shift has started to take shape in recent years. In sectors and communities around the globe, people are re-evaluating the way we live, work and relate to one another – and the rest of life on Earth. At the heart of this burgeoning movement is the recognition that, if we are to have a future, we need to rethink who we are as a species and our role on this planet.

The extreme weather events of the past season – from record-setting heatwaves in Europe to the worst wildfire season recorded in Canadian and North American history – show undeniably that we are living in ‘The Age of Consequences’. Human activity has put unsustainable pressure on Earth’s dwindling resources and is destroying the vital life-support systems that all living beings depend on for their survival.

The revered assumptions of western modernity – the narrative of endless human progress and advancement – have set us, as coach and author Giles Hutchins argues, on a “collision course with collapse”. But averting planetary-scale ecosystem destruction will require more than investment, incentives or technological innovation, even at scale. It will require a complete paradigm shift: a radical reimagining of our current systems – from economic and political to food and energy.

Most importantly, it will require a new collective story for humanity. One that celebrates our fundamental interconnection with all life on Earth and galvanises collaborative action toward regenerative futures.

This is the premise of RSA Oceania’s specially commissioned podcast, ReGeneration Rising, which returns in October 2023 for a second series co-hosted by 2021 RSA Bicentenary Medallist Daniel Christian Wahl and me. Featuring conversations with leading thinkers at the forefront of the regenerative movement, the podcast explores how we can be regenerators of the places, communities and ecosystems that we inhabit. Seeing ourselves as part of a network of living relationships shifts our participatory awareness and helps us cultivate an ethics of care for the living beings around us.

In series 2, Daniel and I explore what it means to work regeneratively in service to all life and be an agent for systemic change. Guests include Satish Kumar, winner of the RSA 2023 Bicentenary Medal, filmmaker Nora Bateson and writer Carol Sanford. We also speak with practitioners working at the forefront of this shift and look at how regenerative approaches are being applied across fields such as business, education, agriculture, design and development.

Systems change requires bravery, creativity and collaboration. Yet, this creative potential is precisely what the burgeoning regenerative movement offers us – the ability to rethink our relationship with the world and our own humanity.

Philipa Duthie is director of RSA Oceania and co-host of the upcoming RSA podcast series ReGeneration Rising.

This article first appeared in RSA Journal Issue 3 2023.