The Waggle
Issue 88 Let’s Protect What We Love, Together
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A Monarch butterfly just emerged from the chrysalis stage, completing the metamorphosis.
JJ Gouin / Alamy Stock PhotoA New Turning Point Emerges | Rajiv Joshi
We are now halfway through what will be remembered as the ‘Decisive Decade’ for climate action—a turning point not just for our biosphere but for the soul of humanity. The stakes have never been higher. We must organize for a just and regenerative future—together.
This issue of The Waggle offers a glimpse of what that future can look like and what it asks of us now. We meet stories of resilience, reinvention, and reconnection: Indigenous forest restoration in the Philippines, children in the UK rediscovering nature through climate education, and the return of a New Zealand parakeet twice considered extinct. But beneath these stories is something more profound—a call to remember why we act in the first place. As George Biesmans reminds us this week, “We protect what we love.” And love, in this moment, must become an organizing principle.
In 2021, I co-authored a collaborative inquiry with the University of Oxford, commissioned by Christiana Figueres, focused on Organising Climate Action. We found that systemic change requires catalytic collaboration—shared narratives, deep trust, and mutual accountability. As our Nexus resource underscores, the solutions needed won’t come from silver bullets but from collective courage and acknowledgment of the true depth of the intersectionalities we face. It's time to step up.
Next week in the UK, an emerging circle will meet to explore how to practice regeneration together, from food and fashion to festivals and friendships. Later in the week, we will join forces with many organisations uniting at the Skoll World Forum to help chart the path ahead and reflect on our current reality, working with artists, historians, and systems-thinkers to discuss how we can bring about a Great Regeneration and foster a climate of compassion & peace. These gatherings reflect what this moment calls for: not isolation, but interconnection. Not control, but shared stewardship.
As we evolve our work, we continue to radically decentralise our approach—welcoming self-organizing efforts and voluntary contributions from individuals everywhere, allowing space for emergence. This movement won’t be owned or controlled; it will be co-created in real-time by all of us, acting in the spirit of generosity and pooling our resources and talents where possible.
This is about protecting what we love—our children, forests, rivers, and the stories that bind us. Regeneration isn’t just technical; it’s relational, spiritual, and deeply human.
This is the moment to waggle.
Let us move as one—like bees pointing to new nectar. Let us align movements in a choreography of care. Let us make peace with each other and with the Earth that supports us. And let us remember: it is still possible, but it requires all of us to be the regeneration. In the weeks ahead, reflect, recommit, and reach out. If you’re in Oxford, come find us. The next chapter of this decade is unwritten—and we must write it together.
With hope and solidarity,
Rajiv
This issue of The Waggle offers a glimpse of what that future can look like and what it asks of us now. We meet stories of resilience, reinvention, and reconnection: Indigenous forest restoration in the Philippines, children in the UK rediscovering nature through climate education, and the return of a New Zealand parakeet twice considered extinct. But beneath these stories is something more profound—a call to remember why we act in the first place. As George Biesmans reminds us this week, “We protect what we love.” And love, in this moment, must become an organizing principle.
In 2021, I co-authored a collaborative inquiry with the University of Oxford, commissioned by Christiana Figueres, focused on Organising Climate Action. We found that systemic change requires catalytic collaboration—shared narratives, deep trust, and mutual accountability. As our Nexus resource underscores, the solutions needed won’t come from silver bullets but from collective courage and acknowledgment of the true depth of the intersectionalities we face. It's time to step up.
Next week in the UK, an emerging circle will meet to explore how to practice regeneration together, from food and fashion to festivals and friendships. Later in the week, we will join forces with many organisations uniting at the Skoll World Forum to help chart the path ahead and reflect on our current reality, working with artists, historians, and systems-thinkers to discuss how we can bring about a Great Regeneration and foster a climate of compassion & peace. These gatherings reflect what this moment calls for: not isolation, but interconnection. Not control, but shared stewardship.
As we evolve our work, we continue to radically decentralise our approach—welcoming self-organizing efforts and voluntary contributions from individuals everywhere, allowing space for emergence. This movement won’t be owned or controlled; it will be co-created in real-time by all of us, acting in the spirit of generosity and pooling our resources and talents where possible.
This is about protecting what we love—our children, forests, rivers, and the stories that bind us. Regeneration isn’t just technical; it’s relational, spiritual, and deeply human.
This is the moment to waggle.
Let us move as one—like bees pointing to new nectar. Let us align movements in a choreography of care. Let us make peace with each other and with the Earth that supports us. And let us remember: it is still possible, but it requires all of us to be the regeneration. In the weeks ahead, reflect, recommit, and reach out. If you’re in Oxford, come find us. The next chapter of this decade is unwritten—and we must write it together.
With hope and solidarity,
Rajiv
From Toxic Waste to Climate Solution? | Juliana Birnbaum
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The Abandoned Jeffrey Asbestos Mine, Quebec. Credit: Miss Nephew / Shutterstock
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Scientists and startups are exploring a bold idea: using toxic asbestos mining waste to help fight climate change. In Baie Verte, Newfoundland, mountains of asbestos tailings have posed a health hazard for decades, spreading dangerous dust into the air and water. But these waste piles contain magnesium-rich rock, which naturally absorbs CO2 over time—so researchers are figuring out how to speed up the process. Companies are developing ways to break down the tailings faster, using heat, acid, and even remote-controlled “rovers” to churn the material. If successful, this approach could remove up to 750 million tons of CO2, with the added benefit of cleaning up the toxic site.
While proponents believe careful processing can make the project safe and profitable, skeptics worry about long-term health impacts. Disturbing asbestos waste could release harmful fibers, putting workers and nearby residents at risk. To ease concerns, BAIE Minerals plans a small-scale test this year. If they manage to get it right, a toxic legacy could be transformed into a legitimate climate solution.
While proponents believe careful processing can make the project safe and profitable, skeptics worry about long-term health impacts. Disturbing asbestos waste could release harmful fibers, putting workers and nearby residents at risk. To ease concerns, BAIE Minerals plans a small-scale test this year. If they manage to get it right, a toxic legacy could be transformed into a legitimate climate solution.
The "Twice Extinct" Parakeets of New Zealand | Jonathan Hawken
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The kākāriki karaka. Credit: Ryan Green / Alamy Stock Photo
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Meet the kākāriki karaka, the orange-fronted parakeet endemic to New Zealand. This critically endangered bird is particularly vulnerable due to its mating and nesting habits, exotic species, and habitat destruction. It was thought extinct in 1919 and 1965 before being rediscovered in the 1980s. With an estimated 450 left in the wild, the Kākāriki Karaka Translocation Project emerged as a lifeline. This initiative involves a captive breeding program consisting of a dozen breeding pairs, and they have recently translocated 34 parakeets into the predator-free Anchor Island. Joining this effort was the Māori tribe Ngāi Tahu, who consider the birds a taonga (treasure), delivering messages from the spiritual realm to that of the living. The project’s ambitious aim is to create ten self-sustaining populations over the next couple of decades. Take a moment to enjoy this one-minute video of the parakeet’s release from RealNZ.
We Protect What We Love | George Biesmans
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GCSE results day in Manchester, 2022. Credit: Mark Waugh / Alamy Stock Photo
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The UN has called for climate education to be part of national curriculums by this year. While some countries have made progress on that goal - including Italy, which in 2019 became the first country to make climate change education compulsory for all children aged 6 to 19 - there’s work to be done. Still, the UK is set to make Natural History an official subject in high school following a decade of campaigning. Students studying for GCSEs (exams taken around the age of 16 in the UK) can soon opt to learn about their local ecologies and develop knowledge about the global, interconnected crises of climate change and biodiversity collapse. The curriculum is designed to be as effective in city centers as in rural areas and go beyond intellectual and theoretical content; students will also engage in fieldwork, allowing them to cultivate direct relationships with their local nature. Mary Colwell, one of the lead campaigners, reflected on the power of education to reconnect young people to nature and to help them “fall in love with the Earth again.” This sentiment brings to mind the oft-quoted words of Senegalese environmentalist Baba Dioum: “In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we’re taught.” To learn more, read our Environmental Education Nexus.
Indigenous Forest Restoration in the Philippines | Scott Hannan
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Mt. Kalatungan in Talakag, Bukidnon. Credit: Jhane Encarguez / Shutterstock
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Mount Kalatungan, located in Bukidnon, is an ecologically rich area that serves as a critical watershed and is home to diverse flora and fauna. However, decades of logging, farming, and environmental degradation have severely threatened its natural resources and triggered recurrent urban flooding. In response, Indigenous groups, led by the Talaandig, have initiated a restoration project, combining traditional ecological knowledge with modern conservation practices. The project uses a unique form of agroforestry called “rainforestation farming,” where native trees are planted alongside crops like coffee. The Talaandig people, who view Mount Kalatungan as sacred, are deeply embedded in the revitalization of the native ecology. By empowering Indigenous communities to lead these initiatives, the project aims to restore balanced watersheds and protect Talaandig cultural heritage and livelihoods for generations to come. For more, see our Afforestation Nexus and Agroforestry Nexus.
The Inscrutable Brazilian Hoary Fox | Jonathan Hawken
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From MongabayTV (7 mins.)
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If you haven’t heard of the hoary fox, you wouldn’t be alone. Little was known about them at the turn of the century, but researchers and couple Fernanda Cavalcanti and Frederico Lemos have been working to change that. Over the past two decades, they have engaged in expeditions across central Brazil, gathering information on the fox’s behaviors, needs, and threats. Please enjoy this 7-minute mini-documentary from MongabayTV, and though it does end on a poignant note, there is much more to this story published in an article back in February featuring the same two fox-loving protagonists.
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