Felicia Ronnholm

Founder of Captain Amazon

Stories of ecopreneurs and bold ideas that drive the world towards a sustainable future.

How has been your journey in the sustainability and ecopreneurship space so far?

 I have a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Human Rights from Kingston University, London and a master’s degree in Environmental Law and Justice from Middlesex University, London. Right now, I am working on my Captain Amazon social media accounts and website, while I look for a job in which I can tackle environmental issues.

At university I conducted research and wrote essays on climate change, environmental politics, ethics, movements and sociology, animal rights and green criminology. As my knowledge and understanding of these topics grew, I realised how invaluable the environment is and how much we need to do to develop a society that can support the current and future generations. For this reason, I have taken a particular interest in framing and green criminological theories, as they offer insight into what we can do to inspire positive environmental actions.

What do you want to achieve with your initiative “Captain Amazon”?

I started Captain Amazon to spread awareness of environmental, climate and biodiversity issues, risks and news. As I have an education in these subjects, follow the daily news and write research papers on environmental and sustainability issues that are often overlooked, I wanted to use my knowledge and experiences to educate others. I often meet people who ask me what can be done on a larger scale to tackle climate change and other environmental problems on a larger scale? Or what individual actions can lower an individual's carbon footprint? The purpose of Captain Amazon is to offer people the information and advice they seek. 

Furthermore, Captain Amazon approaches environmental and sustainability issues from a slightly different angle than similar services do. Instead of taking a science-based approach, I focus mainly on social science and the insights that sociological, political, criminological and justice theories offer us into environmental problems.

Why are you interested and drive behind topics like climate impact and sustainability?

Whenever someone has asked me why I’m an environmentalist, I have answered: without our planet, nothing else would matter, as humans cannot exist or survive without it. We depend on the environment to fulfill our need for food, water, oxygen and medicine. It is impossible for any human to live without it. That is why it is integral that we tackle problems that threaten the planet, as well as ecosystems’ health and functions. Climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, etc - they all pose risks to humanity and to Earth itself, that is why we have to solve these issues. As moral agents, it is our responsibility to protect the planet we live on and the environmental services it provides.

What do you think are the problems we need to address on a global scale? How can we achieve this and drive change?

My research has mostly focused on climate change, rainforest deforestation, agricultural trends and human and animal rights. Deforestation is the issue that I am most invested in because it connects all of these issues. In the Amazon, cattle ranching is the main driver of forest clearances, in South East Asia it is palm oil. Demand for food often contributes to climate change, deforestation, human rights violations and animal abuse. To address these issues, we need to implement local, national and global solutions.For instance, a global treaty to protect biodiversity, which includes animal, plant and tree species. However, policies don’t automatically lead to action. Thus, we also need detailed national plans that address individual local ecosystem needs, conservation-related policing measures and sustainable, ecosystem integrity-based food production. Local communities and government employees must then work together to implement these plans. The main challenge lies in changing individual behaviour and priorities, especially those of the capitalist elite. Like Greta Thunberg said, we already have the solutions to the climate crisis, we just need to implement them. Protest movements, NGO involvement and civil society action is what we need to focus on now to achieve and drive change.

How can individuals contribute to accelerate the world towards a more sustainable future?

There are many things that individuals can do, but the first thing most people need to do is inform themselves of environmental issues. My bachelor’s thesis focused on environmental movements and framing. I found that most people need to understand how environmental issues affect or will affect them before taking action to stop or reverse them. Thus, conducting research, following the work of NGOs and reading the news are integral to inspire climate and environmental action. Don’t let all the information overwhelm you either, if you don’t have time to read full articles, sign up to newsletters and read summaries of several environmental news. Mongabay, The Guardian, WWF, Unearthed (Greenpeace) and CoGo have newsletters with collections of the most important news they’ve covered and/or found each week. Information inspires action, if you don’t know why you should do something, chances are you won't do it.

Once you have informed yourself of environmental issues, you can lead by example and teach others about what you’ve learned. You can also use your knowledge to create schemes or experiments that inspire others to live more environmentally-friendly lives. This is an overlooked action that can be quite useful, as it can change the behaviour of multiple individuals and help them become more ecofriendly. The GreenPlan Champion of Communities and a waste reduction initiative introduced in an anonymous corporate office are great examples of this. In both these cases an individual developed an idea that showed their colleagues and employers the benefits of recycling and/or reducing their waste. This resulted in behavioural changes that led those involved to make more environmentally responsible choices.

What is your vision of a more sustainable future? In which technologies and trends do you believe?

The reports and news I read point to that it is too late to stop the climate crisis, but that is certainly no reason to give up, we just need more innovation. First, we need to implement the solutions that we already know off, like switching to a circular economy and clean renewable energy systems. We also need to restore ecosystems and take greater measures to protect them. Natural carbon sinks are the greatest defense we have against the climate crisis, so it is essential that we plant more trees and sea weed and conserve or rehydrate peat lands. Second, as research suggests that tropical forests are absorbing less carbon and that natural carbon sinks may be incapable of reversing climate change, we must create systems that suck carbon out of the atmosphere and convert it into another resource such as stones or diamonds.

Thanks for the interview Felicia!

Want to connect to Felicia?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Captain-Amazon-107997284157530/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmazonCaptain

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_captain_amazon_/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/65819771/admin/

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