In 2014/2015, a book was published called Global Chorus: 365 Voices on the Future of the Planet, a gathering of 365 contributions from leading thinkers worldwide on the environmental crisis and our hopes for a more sustainable future. With words by such luminaries as Jane Goodall, David Suzuki, Stephen Hawking, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Maya Angelou, and hundreds more, the first Global Chorus gave readers a treasure trove of wisdom and reflection on our human potential in the face of the dire threats of climate change and environmental catastrophe.
Now, just over a decade later, while successful strides have been made on a number of fronts, on the whole, the reality is that many of our global environmental problems have sadly only worsened.
It is no news that 2025 was a truly ecologically crippling year. We saw a drastic degree of governmental cutbacks to a vast array of environmental programs and policies in the U.S. and beyond, as we now find ourselves in an era where severe humanitarian crises inevitably and understandably take a front seat for international aid and activist action, and as the global political climate is certainly a far cry away from being currently focused on climate issues. As our environmental challenges continue in the background of these unfolding conflicts and crises, necessary political and social change is not happening anywhere close to being rapid and effective enough in our world to stop climate change and save species and ecosystems from devastation.
Looking back over the past decade and, truthfully, over the long history of the environmental movement, we must now ask at this extremely crucial stage: How will it be possible to communicate, to those who publicly and privately run our countries, the long term disastrous outlook of our global environmental challenges if we as humanity do not look at our collective reality with a much deeper and fundamental viewpoint?
That is, for example, co-founder of the Natural Resources Defence Council, former Dean of the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yale University, and top U.S. advisor on climate change, Gus Speth, has been quoted as saying,
“I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. And we scientists don’t know how to do that.”
As Speth so brilliantly nails it, if we are to overcome the challenges of the global environmental crisis, humanity must embrace change at far deeper foundations than many of us have assumed. Indeed, to effectively deal with today’s environmental problems, we need a complete reset at the cultural and even spiritual level for humanity.
But what would this transformation look like and how might we achieve this united metamorphosis in these remaining hours to avoid disaster?
To address these pivotal questions at this critical stage in humanity’s evolution, it is time for the next Global Chorus of responses to be assembled, to help guide our species toward the collective sustainable adaptation that is required of us.
Unquestionably, the time is now for the next Global Chorus to stand up and be heard: To collaboratively bring forth a book that can serve as a source of inspiration for anyone who feels discouraged as a human on Earth in the 2020’s. This book will be called Global Chorus of Hope: 365 Voices for the Future of Earth.
We are reaching out to leading global thinkers on subjects such as the environment and biodiversity, society and culture, and philosophy and spirituality to answer this central question for Global Chorus of Hope:
What is one experience or realization that you have had in your life that gives you hope for humanity’s future, with regard to our interrelations as humans, with other species, and/or with the Earth itself?
Responses are being assembled into the anthology, and Global Chorus of Hope – 365 Voices for the Future of Earth is set for release in Fall, 2028.
All contributors to Global Chorus are donating their time and writing in granting the use of their words for this project, as net proceeds from the sales of Global Chorus of Hope will be going toward The Jane Goodall Institute, as a memorial donation to Dr. Jane’s legacy of hope, to support global initiatives toward environmental protection, wildlife habitat preservation and education.
Dr. Jane was a source of boundless inspiration and a resolute force for hope, for guiding us toward more sustainable, mindful, humane, kind and peaceful ways of living on this planet.
Global Chorus of Hope proceeds will go toward the ongoing effective work of the Jane Goodall Institute and their Roots and Shoots programs worldwide.
Follow along on Substack for updates and ongoing sneak peeks of responses as they are being collected for Global Chorus of Hope.
