You were four years old when Massive Attack released Unfinished Sympathy.
So it’s 30 years old now? It’s the best song in the world. And it’s timeless to me, the video too.
In other words, a sustainable piece of music?
I get it, you want to talk about environmental stuff.
Yeah, so if you had a time machine, how far forward in time would you dare to travel?
Hmm, probably 200 years. It’s far ahead enough to probably blow my mind, but the world will most likely still be somewhat liveable. Well, that all depends on how we manage the climate crisis, and where in the world I’d end up though.
When did you start caring about the planet?
My wake-up call was watching a documentary on dying coral reefs. You know when the corals die, they lose their color and turn white? It struck me as very symbolic and got me thinking about the bigger picture. From there on, everywhere I went I started talking to people about coral reefs, CO2 emissions and how to stop abusing our environment. Mostly trying to build a better understanding for myself.
And where are you now?
Now, I don’t think about us humans on one side and then the environment as another entity, or something that surrounds us. That’s probably what we’ve all been taught. But I believe in establishing a deeper connection to nature and understanding that we’re very much part of it. I think the more in touch one is with nature, with one’s inner animal if you will, the willingness to act sustainably comes more intuitively
So humanity is not a virus and global warming is not the planet’s feverish way of reacting to our existence? Please say no.
No. I believe humans want to be good. At least on an individual level. But it’s of course hard for us to look at the lives we’re living and understand the enormous cost it has on our planet.
How do you act to lower that cost?
The basics, like not buying things I don’t need. Vintage shopping, recycling, repairing and riding public transport. But in the long run, to really make a difference, we need to choose political leaders who are willing to fight for the health of the planet.