Image credit: NASA

THUNK>ON YouTube Channel launches with Chris Packham interview

To celebrate Earth Day, we thought we’d bring a bit of Punk attitude to the climate crisis. Hence, we’re delighted to kick off the launch of our YouTube channel, THUNK>ON, with an interview with the one and only broadcaster, environment campaigner and lifelong Punk, Chris Packham.

Chris took time out of his massively busy schedule to talk to THUNK co-founder Mark Fewell about a new film he’s collaborated on called Greenwashed, and the perilous state we’re in as climate breakdown accelerates - but importantly what we can do about it. 

Here’s his top tips

• Collective action - societal change can be achieved when just 25% of the population demands it. “We don’t need everyone…it’s only a quarter of us that need to say, enough’s enough”

• Financial protest is the most powerful tool - by choosing where we invest our money and spend our money we can effect real change, he says: “The most powerful protest tool that we have is not soup to throw on a painting, or corn starch to throw over a national monument, or glue to glue yourself to a motorway. It’s the pound in your pocket.”

• Empowering young people to make decisions can lead to faster progress. “While we have a world being run by post 80-psychotic white males, we’ve got a problem, There’s no question about that”.  

• Humanity is not a scourge - Chris emphasises human innovation, resilience and creativity can get us out of the mess we’re in. “We are inventive, we are resilient, we’re resourceful, we are creative”.

• The problem is Coca Cola - we shouldn’t beat ourselves up over recycling, when the responsibility for plastic waste lies with manufacturers like Coca-Cola. “If you don’t buy it, they can’t sell it and they won’t make it.”

Chris used the analogy of the misunderstood punk rock movement for today’s misrepresented climate activism.

Punk, he says wasn’t just about “spitting, spiky hair and anarchy” but it was fundamentally about “a do-it yourself creativity” and rising up against  “a world that was burdened by homophobia, racism and misogyny.”  

Chris’ message, overall, is one of hope over adversity. “We’re going through a very rough patch,” he says, but “humans are a remarkable organism.”

And no, we didn’t let Chris go without asking him for his THUNK Punk Playlist…  afraid, you’ll need to watch the podcast to find out who’s on it! Enjoy!

To watch the podcast got to THUNK>ON channel on YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxsEeNFCKeI&t=2891s

Or watch it via the link below on THUNK.World. 

People . Planet . Play it >

“We’re going through a very rough patch” but “humans are a remarkable organism.”

Chris Packham