The Earth lost one of its greatest advocates this month, but Jane Goodall’s words will live on. In her final weeks, the legendary scientist left a few key lessons for anyone seeking to protect the planet — lessons especially relevant for business leaders whose choices shape entire industries.
In one of her last interviews, Goodall said:
“Every day you live, you make some impact on the planet. We need everyone to choose wisely to make the right choices in the way they live each day.”
This call to action extends not only to individuals but also to leaders and investors who can influence entire sectors. During Climate Week, Goodall left four final pieces of advice for accelerating environmental action.
1. Stories Inspire Change
Use storytelling to motivate leaders and employees toward real environmental action
Jane Goodall always stressed that changing people’s minds cannot be done through arguing, but instead through stories. She understood that an emotional connection is what motivates real change and drives powerful individuals to transform entire business models for the better, despite potential short-term financial losses.
An impactful story that Goodall shared during Climate Week was about a CEO she met in Singapore who was eager to make his business more sustainable. There were three reasons: resource depletion, consumer pressure for more ethical practices, and, perhaps most impactful, his daughter asking him to stop destroying the planet for future generations.
This personal motivation reflects Goodall’s lifelong message: real transformation begins when we connect our values to the next generation. For companies, that means moving beyond technical ESG reports to tell stories that inspire consumers and employees to care about the planet and recognize that their daily decisions and purchases have a direct impact on it.
2. Collaboration and Willingness to Learn from Competitors
No company can solve environmental challenges alone – collaboration is essential.
Businesses depend on healthy ecosystems, and unsustainable demands are destroying the natural environment. Goodall believed this comes from two main sources: unsustainable lifestyles and poverty. She saw these as interconnected problems that require both innovation and empathy to solve.
Goodall noted that humans possess a great intellect, but are not intelligent:
“If we were intelligent, we would not be destroying the earth, our one home.”
To make up for this lack of intelligence, businesses must act with collective wisdom and share effective solutions. Tackling environmental challenges isn’t something any one company can do alone, but progress depends on openness to learning from competitors and sharing solutions.
Goodall, reflecting on a success story of a CEO who launched a restoration project in the same quarry that his own company had destroyed, highlights nature’s resilience. Recovery is indeed possible, but only if we act. In her last interview with The Wall Street Journal, Goodall noted that this kind of happy ending only works if consumers change their overconsuming habits and businesses act now to decarbonize, not just offset.
3. Decrease Reliance on Government Funding and Shift Toward Partnerships
Corporate partnerships can fill funding gaps while driving real environmental impact.
With cuts to USAID and other aid programs, Goodall stressed that companies now have increased opportunities to partner with charities and foundations. When her own foundation lost U.S. aid, they had to seek alternate funding sources.
Goodall emphasized the importance of diversifying funding and relying more on corporate partnerships rather than a single government source. These collaborations benefit both the planet and corporations’ reputations, but integrity is key: her foundation refused donations from large oil companies, highlighting that partnerships must drive real impact, not serve as greenwashing.
Even well-intentioned collaborations can fail if they don’t influence company behavior. Partnering with a foundation doesn’t automatically reduce environmental harm. Goodall’s example challenges leaders to consider the true effect of their partnerships.
4. We Need More Courage
Individuals and companies alike need to make more courageous decisions
In her final Forbes interview, Goodall urged business leaders to have the courage to do the right thing. Complying with climate policies and releasing 2050 ESG goals is important — but it’s the minimum. Courage is moving beyond compliance and taking bold action now, whether by investing in clean energy, supporting grassroots initiatives, or starting local projects that deliver measurable impact.
Goodall noted that courage is hard to find today. This is especially true when it comes to companies’ real commitments, as only around 2% of major publicly listed companies have committed to phasing out spending on carbon-intensive assets.
Just as dangerous as climate denial is the tragedy of inaction among those who recognize the problem but feel paralyzed, thinking the challenge is too large or beyond their control. Waiting and hesitating only deepens the crisis.
Her final advice to Forbes Sustainability Leaders was:
“Today, and tomorrow, and the next day, each day you’re going to be making some kind of impact. Think, and choose wisely what sort of impact you make.”
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — In the Cover Photo: Jane Goodall speaking during the Session “Nature to the Rescue” at the Annual Meeting 2019 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, January 24, 2019. Cover Photo Credit: World Economic Forum / Jakob Polacsek.
