---
title: Do We Need Urgent Optimism?
description: Now more than ever, we need “urgent optimism”—the belief that we still have a future and that it is within our power to shape it.
---

[Centre for Optimism](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/blog)

# [Do We Need Urgent Optimism?](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/blog/anna-mae-yu-lamentillo)

 Written by [Victor Perton](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/blog/author/victor-perton) | Nov 21, 2024 7:27:14 PM

**Do We Need Urgent** **Optimism**?

[In an essay titled "We still have a future,"](https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/14/we-still-have-a-future) Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo says, **"Now more than ever, we need **urgent optimism”—the belief that, yes, we still have a future and that it is within our power to shape it."

*Anna encourages us to embrace urgent optimism and writes, "The idea of “urgent optimism” is not about downplaying our challenges or believing things will simply improve on their own. It’s about combining hope with action, recognizing that we have a future worth fighting for and that our choices now can shape what that future looks like. For those of us in countries like the Philippines, we can harness our experiences on the front lines of climate change to lead in resilience, innovation, and environmental stewardship."*

Read More in my essay, "[Urgent Optimism: Your Superpower for the 2020s and Beyond?](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/blog/urgentoptimism?hsLang=en)"

 

[View full post](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/blog/anna-mae-yu-lamentillo)

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