Why the world is going to hell – and how you can fix it
Alumnus Joost Backer shares his ideas on how young professionals can contribute to solving today’s global crises.
Wars in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Democracies turning into authoritarian regimes. A climate crisis that is left untreated. Meanwhile, persisting poverty, inequality and biodiversity loss. And the list continues. “Catastrophic risks are on the rise, cooperation is on the decline, and we are running out of time”, say scientists of the Doomsday Clock (Aljazeera 2026). No wonder that some of us lose hope in our abilities to turn the tide and contribute to solutions. That may be particularly true for the students among us, who are preparing their academic outlook for a career somewhere in this world. An International Studies alumnus myself, I have been part of the professional realm for 8 years now. I’ve learned that a lot is going wrong – but also, that some things can be changed for the better. I’m now here to share them with you. I’m convinced they will help you getting a headstart as a professional working on the world’s just transition. And be part of the solution.
Many people study to make a positive impact on the world. With the learned academic and vocational skills, we hope to climb the professional career ladder within a multinational, NGO, government, academia or consultancy. Wherever we are from, the combination of making money, developing yourself, and contributing something to humanity and our planet, is attractive. Yet the problems of our time demand that we don’t just muddle through. It requires sustained, conscious effort by competent transition professionals – all around the world. If we’re not careful, the spirit, passion, or anger with the way things are that you have as a student, turn into pessimism, confusion or just sheer apathy. The fire becomes a little flame; you either bur out or cold as ice. But you can be ahead of that.
I have been a student of International Studies myself. In 2013-2016, I was the second cohort (read: guinea pigs) that took the plunge into the tantalizing waters of Area Studies, Global History and Macroeconomics. The experience was nothing short of paradigm-shifting, to stay in the academic lingo. The connection between macro and micro, the world ‘out there’ and ‘in here’, numbers and concepts, all applied to the world’s problems, was as exciting as anything could be.
With an MSc Political Economy in the pocket, I entered the professional world. At Social Enterprise NL, I dedicated myself to creating an environment for business with a purpose. Soon after, I joined NewForesight – a sustainability consultancy for systems change. For 6,5 years, I worked with multinationals, standards, and governments to address issues of deforestation, carbon emissions and human rights violations in the international trade system. It was stimulating. And it was complex. Nobody had prepared me for the world of work – and the skills I would need to do my job well.
During my studies, I thought that a proper grasp of ‘how the world works’ would mean I understood its science. In my essays, I had already solved dozens of global issues; it was just a matter of applying what some of us knew already. At work, however, I realized it was often not a comprehension of what was necessary – but how to best collaborate to reach it. True wisdom lied in how to organize yourselves, make decisions in an inclusive and representative way. Yet it has only been recently that I learned that this, too, is not enough. Knowing how the other person works, thinks, and feels, and how this relates to your own heart and mind, is just as important. It’s the combination of these dimensions that makes for a truly impactful professional.
The thing is: few of us teach us this. We lose valuable years over discovering them – and some of us don’t really learn them at all. That’s part of the reason I quit my job and dedicated myself to writing this down. It is meant for those among us that identify as ‘transition professionals’: the people that aim to take on the world’s most pressing problems and contribute to transition to a better situation. Whether you want to work for an NGO, corporate, government or consultancy; in energy, agriculture, or industry; doing analysis, leading teams, or coaching people – all of these are necessary to accelerate the social and environmental transitions of our time.
I have found that for transition professionals to be effective, they need to be aware of, understand, and practice at least 12 habits. These habits were selected out of my experience as a transition professional and that of dozens of others. They deal with questions many professionals ask themselves:
- Why do so many well-intentioned sustainability initiatives fail; even when the people behind them are talented and motivated?
- Are we actually measuring whether our work makes a difference – or do we just assume it does?
- How much of what we believe about our transitions work is shaped by who we are and where we come from?
- Do you know what role you’re supposed to play in a transition, and what you should leave to someone else?
- You're working to sustain the world; but who is taking care of you?
The habits help answer these questions, and many more. They zoom out to the systemic level, only to come down again to more concrete levels of organizational theory, interpersonal interaction, and at the most intimate level: your own, personal self-management, and staying sane. They draw on disciplines like economics, political theory, sociology, business administration, and psychology. They may sound familiar to you; it has been International Studies that equipped me with a large part of the concepts and mindset to come up with this theory.
Interested in learning what these habits entail? On 22 April, 2026, Leiden University will host the event “12 Habits to Solve the World’s Crises”. I will have the opportunity to personally take you through the habits in the Spui gebouw (details below). And would love to hear your experience with them, or with any habits that are still missing. The book itself is expected to be published by the end of 2026.
The world is burning. It needs people that have respect for humanity, want our Earth to thrive, and have the skillset to do so. It needs people like you. You may think that as a student, you haven’t even started working yet – how would these habits then apply to you? I believe that it’s especially as a student that you can set yourself up for success. Allowing yourself to take transitions lens already (i.e. every presentation you give, every essay you write, should be a tool to accelerating a transition you believe in), will make you significantly more effective in life than if you only discover this later. Use this for your tutorials, essays, student consultancy assignment, and thesis. My hope is you can take from it what is of value to you and make it your own. Because the world needs you. I hope to see you there the 22nd!
Earth Day Lecture
Title: 12 Habits to Solve the World’s Crises
Date: 22 April, 2026 – 15.00-17.30 PM CEST (in-person)
Location: Spui gebouw, Den Haag, Room 3B.38