Grant Mulligan on Absurdism, Wildlife Biology, and Positive-Sum Environmentalism

In this episode I speak with Grant Mulligan, a wildlife biologist by training who has worked across conservation finance, impact investing, and environmental progress. He currently writes the newsletter Progress Accumulation and is fellow at The Roots of Progress Institute. Grant brings a unique perspective as an atheist deeply committed to environmental stewardship, drawing on Camus's absurdism to find meaning in conservation work. We discuss:

* How his atheist worldview, grounded in Camus's absurdism, shapes his joyful approach to environmental work and finding meaning through action rather than belief.

* His journey from counting endangered species in the Arizona desert to working on conservation finance at The Nature Conservancy.

* Why the shift from zero-sum to positive-sum thinking is essential for effective environmentalism that includes human flourishing.

* How spending summers watching birds with his grandparents in Wisconsin led to discovering Aldo Leopold and a career in wildlife biology.

* The critical role of economic thinking in conservation, from groundwater banking to renewable energy siting.

* Why courage and incremental action, not grand ideas, are the limiting factors in environmental progress.

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