Two seconds to midnight

Two seconds to midnight, we need to change direction:
Draw inspiration from our shared heritage in this transformation.

Each landscape has deep roots in Earth’s story, a source
To spark human creativity, our greatest untapped resource.

Nature has incredible power to recover from damage, when allowed more space.
Can we clean up rivers and seas, remove poison, our chemical and plastic trace?

Instead of inexorable carbon dioxide rise and overwhelm, balance our nutrient flows.
Consider the impact of our actions on human wellbeing, our ability to flourish and grow.

With this shared compass, gain clarity from profound simplicity.
Instead of unintended consequences, find beneficial synergies.

Springs of hope, from this understanding grow green shoots of new
ideas for the future. Think differently. Take a RoundView.

About the poem

Original poem by:

Dr Joanne Tippett

RoundView co-Founder

University of Manchester

Joanne is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Environment, Education and Development at The University of Manchester. Her research and impact work since starting her PhD at The University of Manchester in 2000 has been driven by three questions:

How can we think about sustainability and the future in a way that inspires hope and action?
How can we work together effectively to achieve systemic change towards sustainable futures?
How can we learn from these efforts to achieve systemic change over time and across contexts?

Trying to answer these questions led to the creation of RoundView. She was granted a British Academy Innovation Fellowship with the UK National Commission for UNESCO to catalyse transformative sustainability learning and engagement with the RoundView.

She began working in community participation and ecological planning in the mid 90s in Southern Africa, and has won numerous awards for innovation and social impact, and is the Founder of the social business Ketso.