Look at the world together.

For a long time now, it has been clear that the struggle is becoming harder in every sphere. Those who do harm have a much wider range of tools at their disposal than those who do not.

Look at the water, the olives, the grapes and the seagrass. All are in distress. This is one of the hardest times for those who produce. Those who come between the producer and the consumer are the ones who profit. The big win, the fast win, and the global win. Yet we hold this festival under the motto “local, small and slow,” and of course we lose. If only we were the only ones losing. Nature, small farmers, small producers and workers are under threat, just like clean water, forests and clean food.

Perhaps the most important of those in grave danger are our children. When I look at what we are leaving them, I see a rotten online world and violence that is more uncivil, crude and unrestrained than before. They cannot cope with these things. Their tiny bodies cannot cope with this poisonous, pesticide-laden food. They cannot cope with so much mob hatred. We cannot escape our responsibility simply by apologising to children.

If not for ourselves, then for our children, we must protect the water we have left, our sparkling sea, our arable soil and our kindness. We cannot do this one by one. We will do this together. We will do this despite everything.