Chapter 157: Paul Hawken junks jargon to jolt generations

About this episode

Neil Pasricha interviews Paul Hawken about environmental wisdom and the human experience in the context of climate change.

Paul Hawken is a brilliant thinker, author, activist, and elder who masterfully distills wisdom about our planetary home. I remember hearing Paul's 2009 commencement speech called " ​ You Are Brilliant and The Earth is Hiring ​ " where he said "You are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on Earth at a time when every living system is declining and the rate of decline is accelerating." Paul is the author of nine bestselling books including ' ​ Drawdown ​ ', ' ​ Regeneration ​ ', and his latest book ' ​ Carbon, The Book of Life ​ '—an incredible book that came out in 2025 and masterfully distills endless planetary wisdom into simple truths we all need to hear. (I included it in ' ​ The Very Best Books I Read in 2025 ​ .') Grab a seat between us and let's talk about how nature cooperates, why fighting climate change is the wrong metaphor, why the climate crisis is a human crisis, how jargon disconnects, and what decades of activism have taught Paul about being human. This conversation with a sage of sages stuck with me and I think it'll stick with you. Let's flip the page into Chapter 157 now ...

People in this episode

Host: Neil Pasricha

Guest: Paul Hawken

Topics covered

• climate change
• activism
• humanity
• environmental wisdom
• jargon
• sustainability

Keywords

• climate crisis
• activism
• environment
• sustainability
• human experience
• jargon
• wisdom

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Drawdown, Regeneration, Carbon, The Book of Life

More episodes of 3 Books With Neil Pasricha

• Chapter 161: Yann Martel on rural revelations and reliable writing routines · May 31, 2026 · 1h 23m
• Chapter 46: Dr. Laura Markham on prioritizing presence to parent peacefully · May 16, 2026 · 1h 9m
• Chapter 160: Nita Prose on mastering manuscripts and making Molly the Maid · May 1, 2026 · 1h 47m
• Chapter 45: Rich Roll on wrestling with recovery and running to redemption · April 17, 2026 · 1h 39m
• Chapter 159: Eve Harlow on bolstering bibliophilia and boosting bookish brains · April 2, 2026 · 1h 28m
• Chapter 42: Molly Bloom on poker princess privileges and pushing past pomposity · March 19, 2026 · 55 min