Back to 2050

Joshua Wright: Standing Up for Ancient Forests


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At 14, Joshua Wright learned scientists gave the world 12 years to address climate change. He'd be 27 when that deadline hit. So he dropped out of school and made a film instead - "Eden's Last Chance," a documentary asking: if this is the end of the world, what do we actually do about it?

His answer: document everything, fight for what's left, and don't be a bystander. Now 22, Joshua is Programs Director for Legacy Forest Defense. He documents what's being destroyed - like the 2,000-year-old yellow cedar recently cut down illegally on Vancouver Island. He joined blockades that became the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history. And his documentation of rare ecosystems has gotten timber sales canceled.

In this conversation, we explore what it takes to drop out at 14 and commit your life to this work, why he believes most climate documentaries get the diagnosis right but the treatment wrong, and what he's witnessed firsthand in the Pacific Northwest's ancient rainforests. We also dig into why public awareness might be the most winnable fight we have, what gives him hope after watching forests disappear, and his advice for channeling grief and outrage into action. Plus, what's next: his work moving north to British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, where old-growth logging continues largely unopposed.

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Back to 2050By Jessica Alcide