White Paper: Communicating and combatting the crisis in nature
Jeremy Leggett, Highlands Rewilding’s Founder and CEO, has recently been awarded the Blue Planet Prize for his lifetime contributions to combatting climate change. Below is the white paper version of his Blue Planet Commemorative Lecture, delivered yesterday in Tokyo. It is a distillation of experience from his 40 years of science-based campaigning, in both the NGO and business worlds, and very much written for our times. We hope you will find it germane, interesting, and (net) encouraging.
Apropos encouragement, the British Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom, wrote a speech for the Awards Ceremony, delivered on her behalf by Margaret Tongue, Minister-Counsellor Economic Diplomacy, in front of a large audience of luminaries including the Japanese Crown Prince and Princess, senior government officials, and many Japanese business leaders. We want to share some of her remarks with you.
As Jeremy tried to make clear in his acceptance speech, and elsewhere, he views any success he is credited with as being existentially dependent on teams he has worked with over the years, including Highlands Rewilding. So we are hoping that alumni of these teams will feel the same sentiments that we do when they read the Ambassador’s words:
"As the representative from the British Embassy, I’d like to focus on fellow countryman Dr Leggett—why he exemplifies some of the best of what Britain has to offer, and how his work parallels, and often preceded, the UK’s efforts in these areas.
Dr Leggett’s career reflects scientific integrity, visionary leadership, and a deep commitment to the public good. Originally trained as a petroleum geologist, he made the bold decision to leave the fossil fuel industry and dedicate his life to climate action. As the UK transitions from its fossil fuel-powered past, he stands as an example that success and recognition await those with vision and courage.
As Science Director at Greenpeace International, Dr Leggett played a pivotal role in shaping global climate and energy policy, championing science-based approaches when they were urgently needed. This kind of public pressure helped the UK become a pioneer in science-based climate targets, paving the way for our Climate Change Act and Net Zero commitments. His career since—combining transformative ideas (like the carbon bubble), rigorous research, practical action, and collaboration—demonstrates the kind of leadership that is so needed to address the complex challenges facing the world today.
His influence on UK policy has been strategic, enduring, and in many cases direct. He convened the UK Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security—an important milestone in embedding sustainability into our national approach to growth and industry. The areas this championed—clean energy innovation, sustainable finance, and regional development—are central to the UK’s current industrial strategy (launched earlier this year). The UK’s emergence as a leader in climate-related financial risk assessments and regulatory frameworks also draws from the carbon bubble concept.
In the marketplace, Dr Leggett has shown how innovation and entrepreneurship can drive environmental change. As founder of Solarcentury, one of the UK’s leading solar energy companies, he proved that clean energy can be both commercially viable and socially transformative.
The UK government is committed to leading a just transition away from fossil fuels toward clean energy, both domestically and globally. Becoming a clean energy superpower is one of our five national missions. We recognise that reaching net zero is in our national interest—not only to protect future generations, but also to enhance energy security, shield consumers from global price shocks, and seize one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time….
….The Blue Planet Prize honours individuals whose work embodies scientific excellence, visionary leadership, and practical action. Dr Leggett exemplifies all these qualities. His legacy is one of tangible impact—on policy, markets, and the landscapes we call home. I hope this prize amplifies his work at a critical time for environmental policy and inspires further global action.”
As front-line professionals endeavouring to help the UK hit its necessarily ambitious environmental targets, we deeply appreciate these words from our government. They provide clear evidence that governments need civilised and rooted pressure when forming policy, and organisations that deliver such pressure are able materially to help positive developments in policymaking and the markets we need for a liveable future. We hope the teams at Greenpeace, Solarcentury, SolarAid and Carbon Tracker will feel the same pride we do at Highlands Rewilding in this evidence of what we have contributed to.
The Highlands Rewilding Team