2 System Shifts
I. Pacific Protectors: When Islands Show The Pathway 🌊
Across 118 islands nestled like jewels in turquoise waters, where ocean meets sky in endless blue, communities that have lived with these seas for millennia have vowed to protect them. At the UN Ocean Conference earlier in June, President Moetai Brotherson announced the world's largest Marine Protected Area — 5 million km² of protected territory, with 1.1 million km² designated as a complete sanctuary where only traditional fishing, eco-tourism, and scientific research are permitted.
"We have been managing this wisely for centuries," Brotherson shared with TIME. This declaration carries the weight of ancestral wisdom. For people whose identity is woven into the ocean's rhythms, this isn't a new responsibility; it's the renewal of an ancient covenant rooted in care and intention.
"If we just let nature take its course, the sea will save itself," Sir David Attenborough reminds us in the latest documentary Ocean. "If we save the sea, we save our world."
The resonance is immediate. Following the declaration, 19 additional nations ratified the UN High Seas Treaty, bringing it to 50 signatories, just 10 short of activation. Deep-sea mining faces mounting resistance, with 37 nations now backing moratoriums. The European Commission announced €1 billion for ocean conservation, science, and sustainable fishing. Across Europe and the Pacific, what island communities have long practised is becoming global policy.
The Shift: Islands are not just seeking seats at the table, they are leading the transformation. Their ancestral wisdom, now backed by international law and growing financial commitments, offers a pathway for ocean protection that scales: from the ground up, rooted in communities who've known all along that the sea's health is their own. 🌺🌺
II. Forest Guardians: Colombia's Amazonian Emergence 🌿
After over three decades of advocacy, Colombia has recognised Indigenous councils in the Amazon as official local governments in May. This isn't symbolic recognition — it's structural transformation. As Indigenous Territorial Entities (ETIs), these communities now have self-governing authority with public budgets and administrative power to make decisions about their own development.
In the Jaguars of Yurupari Macroterritory, 10 Indigenous governments are forming Colombia's first "Indigenous Province," governing 10 million hectares of intact rainforest. Patricia Suárez from the National Organisation of Indigenous Peoples calls it "historic".
While Brazil maintains state control over Indigenous lands and Peru's legislation weakens forest protection, Colombia demonstrates what's possible when forest guardians gain true governmental authority to uphold land stewardship; a model of Indigenous sovereignty with impact that extends far beyond the forest's edge.
The Shift: Forest guardians have moved beyond consultation to embodying true sovereignty. When protection flows from identity and belonging rather than enforcement, conservation becomes regeneration After over three decades of advocacy, Colombia has recognised Indigenous councils in the Amazon as official local governments in May. This isn't symbolic recognition — it's structural transformation. As Indigenous Territorial Entities (ETIs), these communities now have self-governing authority with public budgets and administrative power to make decisions about their own development.
In the Jaguars of Yurupari Macroterritory, 10 Indigenous governments are forming Colombia's first "Indigenous Province," governing 10 million hectares of intact rainforest. Patricia Suárez from the National Organisation of Indigenous Peoples calls it "historic".
While Brazil maintains state control over Indigenous lands and Peru's legislation weakens forest protection, Colombia demonstrates what's possible when forest guardians gain true governmental authority to uphold land stewardship — a model of Indigenous sovereignty with impact that extends far beyond the forest's edge.
The Shift: Forest guardians have moved beyond consultation to embodying true sovereignty. When protection flows from identity and belonging rather than enforcement, conservation becomes regeneration: 10 million hectares at a time. 🌿🦜
What if the transformation our world needs has been quietly taking root all along? 🌱
3 Field Stories
I. Somalia: Where Desert Sun Meets Patient Capital ☀️
Across Somalia's sun-kissed horizons — where over 310 days of golden light grace the land each year — half the population still lives without electricity. For those connected, it costs around $0.65 per kilowatt-hour, among the world's highest, for diesel-powered energy that's expensive, unreliable, and carbon-intensive.
But change is stirring from within.
Founded 11 years ago by Somali expatriates carrying home in their hearts, KIMS (Kaah International Microfinance Services) has quietly empowered tens of thousands to rise above poverty. Since inception, they've disbursed $45 million through over 46,000 MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) loans; not as charity, but as dignified pathways to self-empowerment.
Now, KIMS is channelling this trust into energy access. Recognising the vital link between energy access and economic resilience, they've expanded into off-grid solar with support from Acumen's Hardest-to-Reach initiative.
The Impact: A $1 million initiative projected to bring clean energy to 17,000 people and power 440 small businesses. This isn't just financing; it's financial innovation that honours cultural wisdom, structured as a Sharia-compliant investment that aligns with Islamic principles while moving capital at the pace of trust to serve communities. ✨
II. Indonesia: Where Waste Transforms Into Wonder 🍄
In Indonesia, palm-lined fields produce more than crops; they produce smoke. Each year, millions of tonnes of agricultural waste are burnt, poisoning skies and warming the planet. Meanwhile, traditional leather tanning adds 8–10% of fashion’s emissions, relying on toxic chemicals.
MYCL saw a connection to multi-solve these challenges. They partner with farmers to purchase crop residue before burning, then cultivate mycelium (the root structures of fungi) on this biomass to create MYLEA, a leather-like material that sequesters carbon as it grows.
Their supply chain is hyperlocal. Micro-labs are placed near farms, turning waste into value while cutting transport emissions. The substrate adapts by region: palm, rice, and cocoa waste all become raw material.
The Impact: 4+ million kg of CO₂ avoided, 195 farmers with new income, 65 green jobs, with B-Corp certification and partnerships spanning fashion to automotive industries. By 2030, they aim to transform 20,000 tonnes of waste annually. This is regenerative design at its finest — turning abundance into more abundance, by listening to the land. 🌱
III. Kenya: Where Digital Credit Adapts to Weather Shocks ⛈️
"When the heavy rains come, we lose everything… The loans that normally help us restock become a burden," says Mercy, a female entrepreneur in Kenya. She speaks for millions. Digital lenders have watched default rates soar from 20% to nearly 40% in just four years as climate shocks intensify.
Mercy Corps Ventures is piloting a pioneering solution with BlockBima, Fortune Credit, Shamba Network and RiskShield. Their model embeds parametric rainfall insurance directly into digital microloans. When satellite data detects excessive rainfall, smart contracts automatically trigger the insurance to offset part of the borrower’s repayment obligation.
It's a fusion of real-time AI-enhanced satellite data monitoring, blockchain execution, and climate modelling, all serving a simple need: turning microfinance from a source of climate vulnerability into a tool for resilience. The design specifically addresses what researchers call women entrepreneurs' "triple differential vulnerability": heightened climate sensitivity, adaptation barriers, and household responsibilities.
The Impact: The pilot tests whether embedded insurance can reduce climate-driven defaults while expanding credit access. If successful, this model could scale across Sub-Saharan Africa's 44 million MSMEs, embedding resilience directly into the financial system. 💫
Emerging Pattern
From Somalia's Sharia-compliant solar finance to Indonesia's mycelium materials and Kenya's climate-responsive lending, an interwoven pattern emerges: when technology serves place-based wisdom rather than replacing it, transformation flows naturally. These are innovations rooted in local knowledge, using global tools to strengthen what communities already know and value.
1 Mindful Moment
What would it look like to move like water — finding the cracks, nurturing what's ready to grow, trusting the flow?
One prompt for reflection: Notice where you're forcing growth versus creating space for natural unfolding. What wants to emerge through you when you stop pushing and start listening and allowing? ✨