Why momentum matters more than impact

The hope that kills you isn't the only hope we have. How hoping for a positive impact differs from creating momentum, and why it matters.

I'm in Argentina at the moment, and have been travelling around South America the last 2 months. The intention behind my trip was to expose myself to different wildlife conservation contexts before starting masters at UCL this September. However, as perhaps is to be expected, my trip so far has oscillated between highs and lows more often than not. I have met some incredible people and been exposed to the kind of generosity that digs down into your core and makes its home there for a while. That said, if I had one of them little fried corns for every traveller cliche I've met in a hostel then I would be extremely satisfied with my collection of little fried corns, let's just say that.

Impact is a losing battle

A theme that has cropped up repeatedly in my mind over the last months is impact. More specifically, how to go about leaving a net positive impact on our planet, rather than a negative one. After some thought, and a couple more domestic flights, I came to the somewhat disillusioning conclusion that I might have already failed this task irrespective of future contributions. If I was was to take an optimistic stance and decide that I haven't yet failed - that there was still hope - the inevitability of this outcome by the time I run out of time looms large.

I intent to focus on wildlife conservation for the rest of my life in some capacity, but I have been fortunate enough to travel extensively in my short life so far, both with family and alone. Flights = carbon lingering in our atmosphere = hot summers = phenological mismatch, species displacement into degraded habitats, collapsing ecosystems (+ a lot of human suffering but I'm focussing on the wildlife here). Thats my contribution so far - not great for an aspiring wildlife conservationist is it? How much conservation is equivalent to that impact, and how much is realistically achievable in my lifetime?

I struggled to think of any positive answers to these questions for a while (not a great feeling to be honest). The "breakthrough" came when thinking back on the life of a friend and role model, John Burton (pictured below next to a muppet with blonde hair).

John amongst (many, many) other altruistic ventures founded the World Land Trust (WLT), an NGO which has to date directly funded the purchase of over 1 million hectares for conservation. It's a lot of land. In fact, its roughly 20 times the size of Ibiza for whatever thats worth ... In my opinion, he really is one of the most practical and impactful conservationists ever to have lived. Then I started to think about all the flights he must have taken visiting various partner organisations in far flung countries around the globe. Almost embarrassingly, I found myself wondering if all the land he had been so pivotal in protecting equated to a net positive impact taking into account all the flights needed to conserve it. Thankfully, even looking at impact through this narrow lens, I reached the conclusion that yes, it probably does. Indeed, if you begin to consider the impact that will accrue over my lifetime, or over the course some future conservationist that is inspired into action by any number of obscure species that live on thanks to WLT's work, John's impact is unquestionable.

David Attenborough described John as "one of the most energetic and altruistic people" he has ever met. That energy didn't just create impact (which of course it has done considerably), it created momentum. Momentum that lives on in me, in all the other lives that he touched, and in all those future lives that will be touched by the iconic wildlife he has helped to save.

Trying to leave behind momentum

The focus on impact is firmly in the spotlight. People are shamed for having a negative impact, and celebrated for positive impact (or at least what we currently perceive to be positive). The rise of 'impact investing' in the finance world speaks to this trend aptly. Don't get me wrong, I think that there is a great deal of value to be obtained by looking at things in this way; impact is often difficult to measure, but it is tangible, and that is hugely valuable. With a focus on impact, society can be nudged into a direction that is better for humanity and for the planet by highlighting the best actions we can take as people and as countries. However, without taking drastic actions, such as deciding never to fly for pleasure (I have huge respect for those who pull of these feats of personal defiance, but I don't see it as a scaleable or long term solution) many, probably most, of us are doomed to live lives of negative impact.

This doesn't mean we should give up on lowering our carbon footprint, or on being more mindful on what we eat and buy just because you might be vegan all your life and still have a negative net impact on the environment by taking a holiday or two each year. Not at all. However, we might gain some sanity by recognising the power of momentum as well. Working on projects that will deliver change, if not now then in the future, creating and inspiring people to contribute to a better future.

After all, it's impact that kills us, it's momentum that propels us forward.

Potential example to add:

• Patagonia's 'don't buy this jacket' campaign