A Climate Manifesto for Lazy Billionaires
It's time for a more meaningful midlife crisis - how will history remember you?
We are not going to beat climate change!
You read that right. Me, Matt Ward, the founder and CEO of 4WARD.VC & Climate Techies, one of the largest climate tech communities and movements, is going on record saying I think we’re going to fail.
Climate change will decimate much of our once beautiful world and make vast swathes of our planet uninhabitable - leading to strife, mass refugee crises and brutal resource wars on unprecedented scale in human history.
And while I believe we’ll probably fail… I don’t believe in fleeing to Mars while pretending to try and save the world or building doomsday bunkers while bemoaning the inevitability of climate change.
I don’t believe in “business as usual” as we watch the world burn.
So even though I’m terrified about our future, I CANNOT quit...
Because I believe…
I believe WE hold the power to decide OUR future.
I believe relentless commitment can overcome (im)possible obstacles.
I believe we can and MUST give everything to combat climate change and leave our world in the best possible state - not simply make fortunes with mass consumption and donate pennies on the dollar to polish our “climate” image…
I believe in doing what’s necessary and betting on humanity rather than isolating in compounds, fleeing from humanity’s problems or sticking our heads in the sand and pretending science isn’t real…
Or believing that imaginary technology will somehow save us…
“Because whether you think you can or you think you can’t… you’re probably right.”
So what do you believe? What will your legacy be?
It’s time for the world’s elite to put up or shut up - stop paying lip service to climate change and actually take action.
Enough wine-and-dine (and whine but do nothing) Davos forums.
Enough bigwig bankers buying Shell while preaching ESG.
Enough tech billionaire pissing contests over MMA fights or whose “rocket” is bigger or $44B media impulse buys or egocentric investing of billions to avoiding their own mortality…
All from pennies on the dollar of often “ill gotten” gains thanks to complex tax loopholes, moving to Texas, truly pollutive mass consumerism and more.
It is time for billionaires to put their money where their mouth is and do something.
Or will the ultra-rich keep bemoaning the risks & inevitability of climate change while proving they are just powerless slaves to the system?
You’d think “visionary” billionaires would have evolved beyond base level teenage instincts like sex, drugs and rock & roll…
You’d be wrong.
Maybe it’s time for a more meaningful midlife crisis… how will history remember YOU?
It’s time to take action.
It’s time to put your money where your mouth is.
What happened to “this” Elon? We need the REAL YOU back - the one that built SpaceX and Tesla and dared to dream of a better world and future, not this megalomanic Twitter troll! (Even if this is a simulation, you’re ruining it for everyone…)
We need leaders, doers and elites focused on building a better world.
And it’d be great if it wasn’t just an infomercial to sell more iPhones…
MacKenzie Scott and Melinda Gates could teach them a few tricks on selfless, impactful giving
MacKenzie Scott’s already given away $125M to Climate Change and it’s only her #6 priority… And yes, this stat is YEARS old - it’s closer to $1B these days…
Because she knows that money’s a means to an end.
And all of our ends (Thiel, Musk and Paige included…) come eventually.
So ask yourself: What will your life mean? What will your legacy be?
Will you go down as just another incredible entrepreneur that helped ruin our planet profitably…?
Or will you go down as an inspirational innovator that not only won in business, but managed to merge sustainability & capitalism to create a better world for all?
Are you a one-trick pony or does your career and legacy have an incredible 2nd act?
Only you can answer that.
I dare YOU to dream bigger, change the world and become one of history’s great humanitarian world-changers.
Are you up for the challenge… or just a cog in to the system?
Cheers,
Matt
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Love this Matt. What sort of midlife crisis do we all want? Had mine early... my mid-twenties. That's when I pivoted to working in sustainability.