It’s December. It feels like I’ve been wading through quicksand most of the year. Some causes are easy to recognise, like my mother’s passing in spring and minor, though annoying, health issues.

But there’s been something deeper, something it took me a while to recognise. That’s a deep sadness about the state of society and what we’ve done, and are doing, to nature and the entire planet. My sadness isn’t recent; it’s been a constant companion for years.

What’s changed for me this year is the rise of right-wing populism and the sense of powerlessness as we repeat some of the darkest days of history with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, genocide in Gaza, civil wars, conflict and repression across the world. And the world’s superpower abandoning any sense of normal political and diplomatic behaviour.

All this left me questioning my focus on sustainability, which has been central to most of my working life. Pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals seems pointless as international norms collapse, billionaires manipulate governments and the public to their own ends or plan their escapes to Mars – while the rest of us head to hell in a handcart.

And yet, and yet…

I’m grateful for many really useful conversations, some intentional, some completely accidental, that have helped me find a place of hope. I’m still evolving my ideas and plans, but here’s the crux:

I see a richer and deeper understanding of sustainability, one that’s perhaps closer to a vision many of us had 20 or 30 years ago, one that’s not about merely surviving the climate, nature and societal crises, but instead is about creating the conditions where people and the rest of nature can thrive, whatever the polycrisis brings.

Instead of the rather abstract nature of sustainability, I believe that thriving has to be rooted in place – from thriving neighbourhoods, through regions to nations and the planet. It needs work at multiple levels simultaneously.

But for our own sanity and wellbeing, we should consider our own skills and experience, think about where we have influence and focus our energies accordingly.

That’s why my intention for 2026 is to explore how I can help create a Scotland where people and the rest of nature can thrive, now and tomorrow. I’ll be doing this through:

• Our new Thriving Scotland newsletter and forthcoming Thriving Scotland podcast.

• Events, workshops and programmes that go deep into what it means to thrive, individually and collectively, and how we can make it happen.

• Our work as facilitators.

Does any of this resonate with you? Do you have questions? Or perspectives, hopes and ideas to share?

Interested in exploring how we might help create a thrivable Scotland together? I’d love to talk!