Matt Hood's Letter

Dear Future Co-op Colleagues, ,

I write this letter to you not knowing what the world you are living and working in will look like. I truly hope it is a vibrant world, where our communities are flourishing and cooperation replaces conflict, a world where, there is an abundance of responsibly sourced food, the natural weather seasons come and go and there is a sense of climate security for everyone. My hope is when you read these words you will be working in a world that reflects the dreams and aspirations we hold today.

In this future world I hope the planet we call home is thriving and nurtured and I sincerely hope bold action has been taken to protect and restore an environment we take for granted.

What I fear however, is that without significant interventions today, your world may be a very different to the one I hope for. I read recently that global wildlife population sizes have dropped by an average of 69% in the last 50 years, and if we thought of humankind as a single population, that would be the equivalent of us losing everyone from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Oceania and China. That is a terrifying thought.

I hope the next 50 years are kinder to all populations and that we become responsible stewards of this beautiful Earth, understand our actions today determine the quality of you and the future generations.

Today, we know that for your future world to flourish, we need to almost half our global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 if we are to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures and avoid the worst impacts of climate change on people and nature.

From my heart I hope we manage to achieve that for you.

I am committed, in my tenure leading this wonderful Co-op Food business, to do what’s necessary to make the biggest differences we can as a cooperative, so that you, my colleagues of the future, can live lives full of optimism on a thriving planet. But we can’t do it alone; it needs today’s global society, organisations and Governments to step up for your benefit.

I hope the world does that for you.

I hope that as a global community we will have come together to address the pressing challenges that face us all today and as you take on the leadership for this organisation it becomes your turn to continue the journey towards a world that reflects the best of our humanity.

Take care

Matt.