The New Abnormal

Rob Hopkins 'From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination'

Apr 25, 2024

Rob Hopkins, cofounder of Transition Town Totnes and Transition Network, discusses the power of imagination in addressing climate change and the decline of play vs screen time. He also talks about the challenges faced by Extinction Rebellion during the pandemic, the design system of permaculture, and the benefits of slow travel. This dynamic and insightful interview explores various topics including positive change, citizen assemblies, speculative fiction, and The Fall.

56:06

Episode guests

Rob Hopkins

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Imagination is crucial to tackle the climate crisis and reimagine every aspect of society.

Creating positive narratives and engaging in speculative fiction can inspire transformative change.

Citizens assemblies, with good facilitation and commitment to implementation, have the potential to drive deep and democratic change.

Deep dives

The Transition Movement

The Transition Movement is a global movement of communities that are reimagining and rebuilding the world. Transition groups can be found in 50 countries around the world, focusing on raising awareness about global issues and working with communities to take action. The movement emphasizes the importance of not just talking, but also taking action to create a more sustainable future.

Introduction

4min

The Power of Imagination in Addressing Climate Change

14min

Challenges and Reflections in the Climate Movement

25min

Exploring the Design System of Permaculture and its Benefits

2min

Unleashing the Power of Imagination and Slow Travel

9min

Closing Thoughts and Contact Information

2min

Series Three

In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Rob Hopkins, cofounder of Transition Town Totnes and Transition Network, and author of numerous books including 'The Transition Handbook, The Power of Just Doing Stuff, and most recently, From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want'.

He presents the podcast series 'From What If to What Next' which invites listeners to send in their “what if” questions and then explores how to make them a reality.

Rob was voted one of the Independent's top 100 environmentalists and was on Nesta and the Observer's list of Britain’s 50 New Radicals.

He's also appeared on BBC Radio 4, in the French film phenomenon 'Demain' and its sequel 'Apres Demain', and has spoken at TEDGlobal and three TEDx events.

In 2020 he was a member of the Cambridge Sustainability Commission on Scaling Sustainable Behaviour Change. (And in his - presumably minimal - spare time, he sometimes makes lino prints.)

So, in this dynamic interview, we discuss his views on all of the above, and along the way, issues such as Buddhism, punk, permaculture, the climate & ecological emergency, the decline of play vs the rise of screens, the great reskilling, citizen assemblies, positive change, speculative fiction, and The Fall...

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The New Abnormal

Rob Hopkins 'From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination'

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Transition Movement

Imagination and the Climate Crisis

Creating a Positive Vision for the Future

Citizens Assemblies and Participatory Decision-Making

The Power of Practical Skills and Local Resilience

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts