Using political science to inform how we can best effectuate change (interview with amy lewis of wild foundation)
Amy Lewis is an award-winning nonprofit leader, environmental policy scholar, and Vice President of Policy & Communications for WILD Foundation (@wildfoundation), an organization that has been protecting wilderness, wildlife, and people through collaboration and connection since 1974.
Recognizing the threat of an ecological collapse with the ongoing progression of our sixth mass extinction, the nonprofit is currently focusing its efforts on “Nature Needs Half,” an international coalition of conservationists and public officials working to transform the relationship between society and nature and protect 50% of the planet by 2030.
In this podcast episode, Amy sheds light on some surprising lessons regarding the relationship between policy and science; why WILD Foundation has set a goal to conserve half of our planet; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Amy and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kamea Chayne.
Musical feature: Trust The Sun by Power to Change by Luna Bec
“Simply repeating the idea that we should just show science ‘because it’s science and it’s objective’ is not going to do a lot to change the hearts and minds of people who are operating from a system driven by different authorities.”
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne, a podcast and multimedia journal illuminating our paths towards ecological balance, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all. This preview has been edited for clarity. Subscribe to Green Dreamer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app to stay informed and updated on our latest episodes.
On the surprising relationship between science and policy:
“In my political science courses, we'd oftentimes study the relationship between science and policy, working to understand when science informs policy and why. What we learned is that there isn't really a strong relationship between science and policy and that science doesn't actually drive change.
There's a segment of society that believes in and values science—those values aren't widespread. Because of that, there's a disconnect between the levers of power and science.
So what does drive change? Well, I think that's different for different segments of society.
But ultimately, humans aren't purely rational. We are not computers that have clear objectives and who take the shortest route to achieve those objectives. We are actually embedded in a lot of irrational processes.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. Some of these irrational processes define us in really positive ways: They make us warm and caring creatures that do silly things sometimes, and that's fantastic.
The problem is not so much that humans are irrational, but that our theories about change and humanity have been wrong. The idea that if we just present the right information and science, people will see the truth and will change, is wrong.
What we need to change is the way we address the population.”
On diversifying our messaging to engage broader audiences:
"What we have to recognize is that there are a lot of people that don't trust science as much as other authorities.
The authorities they trust more may come from religion or the government, but there are authorities that they have, without even knowing they've done it, essentially ranked higher than scientists.
So, simply repeating the idea that we should just show science ‘because it's the science and it's objective,’ is not going to do a lot to change the hearts and minds of people who are still operating from a system driven by different authorities.
What needs to happen in those cases is that we need to reach out to those authorities. We need to start connecting with their value systems, discussing, listening and having this reciprocal conversation, working with them to find some shared objectives.”
On addressing the root causes of environmental destruction:
“About 10,000 years ago, there were some very profound things that began to happen to our species. We began to make discoveries and act on those discoveries that gave us an unprecedented amount of control over our environment.
That started with the agriculture revolution. It transformed into the rise of civilization, and then it transformed into this idea of infrastructure development and the idea that we can control every square inch of this planet.
Along the way, we lost some knowledge and felt a sense of being embedded in the web of life.
I believe that more than anything, the loss of that knowledge and the loss of that awareness is driving the acceleration of destructive change right now.
If we don't find a way to embed that knowledge in society, embed those values, and act on the values, we're never going to address the root causes of what is driving environmental destruction right now.”
Final words of wisdom:
“I think the most important thing for each and every one of us to do is to wake up every morning grateful—grateful to those who support us, both our human allies and our natural allies—and continue to return to that gratitude throughout the day and throughout the week.”
