Over the summers of 2022 and 2023, Alexander Verbeek embarked on the legendary Camino de Santiago, an ancient 500-mile pilgrimage traversing several European countries. In this Ready Living Podcast episode, he shares the allure of the Camino and the diverse people he met along the way, each walking for reasons uniquely personal to them. He also talks about one poignant tradition of stopping at Cruz de Ferro and leaving behind a stone symbolizing each pilgrim’s burdens. He reflects on how this ritual transforms a simple act into a powerful moment of release and contemplation. A former diplomat, Alexander is a speaker and advisor on planetary change, consulting for academia, global NGOs, private firms, and international organizations. Over the past 30 years, he has worked on international security, humanitarian and geopolitical risk issues, and the linkage to the Earth's accelerating environmental crisis. He writes The Planet newsletter and also serves as Policy Director at the Brussels Environment & Development Resource Centre. Alexander launched the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Planetary Security Initiative at the Peace Palace in The Hague in 2015, which dove into the critical relationship between climate change and global security. He shares how this groundbreaking initiative placed climate change and its security implications at the forefront of the international agenda, including discussions within the UN and major global institutions.He sheds light on how environmental conditions contribute to the rise of extremist groups, resource conflicts, and increased migration. In response to the pressing question of what governments should do, he advocates for visionary leadership and emphasizes the importance of long-term thinking, rather than the short-term focus driven by political and corporate structures. As the climate crisis transcends borders, he argues that global cooperation is essential to addressing these challenges. He emphasizes the critical role that diplomacy plays. He also reflects on the global wave of nationalism and draws parallels between the rise of fascism in the 1930s and today’s political climate, advocating for a return to more balanced politics where political disagreements are handled in a more constructive way. LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST

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