In Good Company: Conversations, Presence, and Purpose with Satya S. Tripathi
In The Good Company Of…
It could be renamed “In Many Conversations With” if not “In the Presence Of”, because Satya’s impact isn’t measured in words spoken, but in how he makes others feel seen, heard, and capable of change. Over the course of his visit, from the youngest pupils (some just seven years old) to UNAS (United Nations Association Scotland) Earth Ambassadors, community representatives and champions, climate hubs, MSPs, and researchers — every encounter carried the same message: everyone matters, every perspective counts, and no one is too small to make a difference.
Although ‘in the presence of’ might be a more apt name I have a feeling that Satya, in his quietly self-effacing way, would likely prefer in the good company of. Because that’s exactly what those days were: time in the company of someone whose leadership style is as grounded and humble as it is visionary and no-nonsense. A person who listens more than he speaks (even when he’s the guest of honour at every event), who gives respect but never demands it, and who holds himself to account more fiercely than anyone else ever could.
While I was adding my final thoughts to this blog and reflecting on the privilege of observing Satya’s work and way of being, the news broke of Dr. Jane Goodall’s passing. The news stopped me. Her legacy of compassion and action — her insistence that every individual makes a difference — echoed so profoundly with what Satya lives and teaches every day.
Both remind us that regeneration, rewilding, and protection of our planet must come from humility, hope, and fairness — a whole-systems approach that honours our planet and all living things whether humans, fungi, algae, trees, animals, bacteria, protozoa, or insects — as we all have an important part to play.
As Jane Goodall said: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference.”
And as Satya S. Tripathi asks himself each evening: “Have I done enough today?”
How We Came to Meet Satya
This visit happened through connection, persistence, and shared purpose.
It began with Natalija, whose friendship and collaboration with Satya formed when they both worked for the UN, opened the door to this extraordinary opportunity. Thanks to her — and to David, Sharon, and the entire Action for a Fairer World (AFW) team — the opportunity to help organise Satya’s visit was offered to NESCAN Hub and the Just Transition Communities Project, where I am lucky to work.
Supporting AFW in the preparations for the visit, alongside the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) and many other sponsors, hosts and participants was, truthfully, bloody hard work — but worth every moment. The reward wasn’t just the events themselves but the conversations, the listening, the shared laughter, and the reminder of why we do this work in the first place.
Satya, no stranger to long days and tough challenges, embodied what perseverance with purpose looks like during the three days. His humility and accountability set the tone: leadership not as hierarchy, but as service.
A Visit Rooted in Fairness: From Vision to Action
This was not a top-down visit. It was a living demonstration of fairness in action — of what happens when leadership listens, and when ambition is tempered with grace — something I learned that has been a key factor in many of the successes Satya has been part of.
It was also, as David often reminded us, a once-in-a-lifetime visit defined by Satya’s generosity of time, humility of presence, and fierce yet gentle hope that together, we can build systems that serve all life — not just human convenience.
Throughout the visit Satya’s message was clear: while the climate crisis is daunting, hope, finding the right finance (and yes this includes raising private finance and the use of carbon credits), and collective action can carry us forward.
“The 1.5°C target has already been breached,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean hope is lost —
it means our responsibility is greater.”
He described his own role candidly: “I’m a catalyst.” He sees his work as enabling others —young people, communities, policymakers, and private actors — to take action, build solutions, and unlock systemic change.
Satya called for realistic hope — not rooted in fear or despair, but in collaboration across systems, sectors, and generations. Pointing out that when politicians act as true leaders — with integrity, humility, and service to people — change becomes possible.
In his true style he highlighted that when communities are empowered, when private finance aligns with public good, and when gratitude and equity guide us, “…worse situations can bring out the best in people.”
Grounded Wisdom, Global Work
Once again, I was reminded of one of Jane Goodall’s sentiments where she responded to the often-overwhelming dark times: socially, politically and especially environmentally we are all going through with, “If you think too long globally, you become depressed. But twist it around, you act locally and see what you and your friends can do to make a difference.”
Although Satya has a very global mindset it is clear in the work he and GASP do as he travels our world that he too focusses on what people can do locally. This was more than evident in just three of the many GASP’s real-world projects he shared including:
- In India: 1.5 million women farmers are now leading the transition to safer, more resilient livelihoods via regenerative, chemical-free farming.
- In Indonesia: gaining the trust of the PM paved the way for partnerships with Michelin and WWF protecting 400,000+ hectares of biodiverse forest in Sumatra.
- The Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility (TLFF): shows how finance can protect, not exploit.
Each example reinforced a single truth: when gratitude, fairness, and local leadership guide decisions, regeneration follows.
Listening to Young Minds
At Balerno High School the senior students were joined with students and pupils from, Currie Community High School and Deans Park Primary School with a view to exploring 3 big questions;
- What is the future we want for people and planet
- What is already happening to make this future
- Working together to make a future that works for all
Here, Satya was struck by the empathy and honesty of Scotland’s young people.
“Young people have unpolluted minds,” he said. They ask questions adults are often afraid to face.” He also gave a warning to all political parties with the elections looming to “be mindful of the 16-year-olds who can now vote”.
At Holyrood, UNAS Earth Ambassadors were given centre stage, and they took it to ask sharp, grounded questions about youth voice, just transitions, and the pace of global action. Their courage affirmed what Satya believes: young people are not tomorrow’s leaders — they are today’s truth-tellers.
Hubs, Communities and Whole-System Change
Meeting with Scotland’s Regional Climate Hubs (hosted by Louisa Harvey), Satya emphasised:
- Local voices must be heard
- Community energy and grassroots leadership are key
- The power of aggregation — linking smaller actions together — can unlock solutions in carbon credits, finance, and local climate resilience
He stressed that optimism alone is insufficient. Instead, we need realistic hope. We must think exponentially, not incrementally.
Satya’s presentation around GASP’s GREAT (Green Economy Accelerator for a Just Transition) project perfectly mirrored the presentation by JUST-Systems team led by Prof. Tavis Potts of the University of Aberdeen as well as with the work and findings of the Just Transition Communities Project led by NESCAN and alongside AFW and The Just Transition Lab, University of Aberdeen.
It was a message that resonated deeply with everyone in the room. This was not about grand speeches or tokenistic research but about shared accountability, fairness, and community energy driving a just transition. To achieve a green economy communities and people must come first and be at the centre of the Net Zero transition.
Each of the projects is looking at how to achieve decarbonisation while simultaneously addressing issues like fuel poverty, local economies, wellbeing, and social justice with communities at the heart of everything we do.
Partnerships for the Long Term
The visit didn’t end merely with inspiration — it built infrastructure for collaboration.
Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) were signed between GASP and both AFW and NESCAN Hub, setting a foundation for long-term partnership around just transitions, youth empowerment, and scaling regenerative, community led solutions.
“The time for incremental change is over,” Satya said. We need exponential, whole-system transformation —
built on fairness for all.”
Closing Reflection
Not once did Satya shy away from any question — whether it came from the media around Ecocide and the law or someone who may not share his point of view. A way of being that resonated with some advice from Jane Goodall in one of her last interviews: “It’s always really important to listen to the person who disagrees with you. The person you are angry with, as maybe there is something about that that you need to learn from or when you listen to them then, ah, that’s the way I can approach them…”
Satya and his organisation are realistic about the challenges we all faced – evident by one of their latest updates where they shared a recent Nature Geoscience paper that reveals the Greenland Ice Sheet, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the Amazon rainforest, and the South American monsoon are all losing stability, and critically, they are interlinked. In essence four major climate systems are showing clear signs of destabilisation.
Hope doesn’t come from denying crisis or violent actions. It grows from acting with integrity, humility, and gratitude — protecting what we have, regenerating what we’ve lost, and empowering communities to lead.
It’s often the simple things like Satya’s love of books and his dedication to reading and learning for up to 4 hours each day, the importance of good sleep, and a whole heap of gratitude — that enable human beings to keep connected and their feet on the ground they are prepared to work tirelessly to protect.
I am very thankful to Satya and of course to Action for a Fairer World as lead organiser, to David, Natalija, and Sharon, and to all the partners, hosts, and volunteers who gave so much of themselves to make this visit possible.
From vision to action, from conversation to connection — Satya left us with both a challenge and a reminder: we are global citizens, part of one continuum. Each day, we must ask ourselves — did I do enough today?
Last and definitely not least
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