The destiny of our fragile planet

A decade past, and a decade to come

Lars and Ragnhild Jacobsson still spend – after almost twenty years of working closely together with wildlife conservation – every single day saving wild animals in crisis, spreading awareness and bringing new technology solutions to the market. All with the aim of shaping a sustainable future, for generations to come.

The Perfect World Foundation was founded 10 years ago as an official non-profit organization, and the coming 10 years will become the countdown for finding the severely needed solutions to end the silent extinction of our wildlife and to save the planet – our disappearing paradise.

LARS AND RAGNHILD JACOBSSON met twenty years ago, and right from the start they decided to work closely together with wildlife conservation. In 2010 the couple realized they needed all possible help and support to accomplish real change for the planet, and decided to found The Perfect World Foundation. Today, 10 years later, after privately funding the organization’s work, the couple has taken on a new strategy for the coming next 10 years – to build an independent organization so the foundation can stand strong in the future without being dependent on its founders funding. The 10-year plan, named “the final countdown”, also includes new strategies for a number of events focusing on finding real and sustainable solutions for the dire situation our wildlife and nature are facing, and turning it in to a new positive decade for our planet.

We need to listen to the scientists. We’ve no more than 10 years to turn this spiralling and negative trend in to something positive. If we don’t take this opportunity and create the needed changes, there won’t be much left of our wildlife and nature for the future to come, states the couple.

A GLOBAL WILDLIFE CHARITY ORGANIZATION. The Perfect World Foundation was originally founded in Gothenburg, Sweden. Today, the foundation is established as a global organization with 501(c)(3) status, and a representative office in Palo Alto, California. Over the past 10 years the foundation has been working with conservation projects worldwide, ranging from rhino conservation in Africa to securing elephant corridors in Asia to avoid the human-wildlife conflict in India. The list of wildlife projects we’ve supported is extensive, and includes even more animals like moon bears, orangutans, manta rays, sea turtles, koalas, pangolins, baboons, cheetahs, dolphins, dogs, gorillas, bonobos, colobus monkeys, wolves, polar bears, puffins, beluga whales, bats, flying foxes, donkeys, wild horses, elephants, rhinos, lions and many more… and more to come. Alongside wildlife preservation the organization has also been working with ocean conservation, and planted some 100,000 trees around the world to absorb atmospheric CO2 and counter act global warming.

NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FUTURE. Unfortunately there are several reasons to why our wildlife and nature are in crises today, ranging from wildlife trafficking, poaching, habitat loss to ocean pollution and wildfires. But one reason is possibly more worrying and terrifying than the others – global warming. The dramatically increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, caused mainly by the use of fossil fuels, is the single largest threat to human life, wildlife and nature, as we know it. Around the world we are facing dramatic heat waves, wildfires, draughts, hurricanes, melting polar caps, raising sea levels, ocean acidification, crop failure… the list goes on. The effect of global warming is devastating for wildlife and nature. For more than 15 years The Perfect World’s founders have been working on developing new technologies to find solutions for eliminating the use of fossil fuels, and 10 years ago they started United Sun Systems, now TEXEL Energy Storage.

TEXEL has developed a new efficient battery technology together with, among others, the US Department of Energy with the sole aim to reduce the use of fossil fuels. And early on founders also donated a large part of the company stock to the foundation, not only to create the pre-conditions for the organization to become independent by predicted incomes from a second party, but also to keep the organization in the loop of these important challenges.

Off course we all need to change our behaviours and way of living in the future, but we also need to develop new technologies to be able to keep on building the modern civilization we are accustomed to… but in a more sustainable way, says The Perfect World’s co-founder Lars Jacobsson.

THE PERFECT WORLD HONORARY AWARD. Over the last seven years, The Perfect World Foundation has awarded a key person in bringing global awareness to wildlife and nature conservation. The Award has now grown in significance to become the most prestigious award and recognition of conservation efforts, in Scandinavia.

During the years we have had the great honour to meet and award wildlife conservation heroes from all over the world, Lars and Ragnhild Jacobsson add with great awe.

The list of award recipients is impressive. In 2014 the award was supposed to be presented to Mr Mark Shand, (brother of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall) for his dedication to saving the Asian elephant, but due to Mr Shand tragic accidental death just weeks before the award banquette, the award was handed over to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall at a small ceremony in London. Following Mr Shand awarded conservationists over the years are: Dr Jane Goodall, Dr Richard Leakey, Dr Sylvia Earle, Sir David Attenborough, Miss Greta Thunberg and the recipient 2020, Prince Albert II of Monaco.

CLIMATE AID – FINAL COUNTDOWN LIFT OFF 2020. The Perfect World Foundation is organizing the first event in their 10-year ‘final countdown’ initiative, which will be the ‘event no. 10’ in the in the countdown to the ‘event no. 1’ in 2030. This year’s event ‘Climate Aid’ – in cooperation with the Opera House in Gothenburg, Sweden – will be a Concert in association with a Climate Summit… open for everyone to join. The foundation also has ongoing dialogues with opera houses around the world to further on bring the Climate Aid event to other countries and continents.

JOINING FORCES. By working with a long-term approach and being dedicated to spreading knowledge and awareness, the organization is positive that it will be able to accomplish real and needed changes for the planet’s wildlife and nature. The organization’s more than one million followers on social media reflects both the scope of reach and the long-term commitment. We’re always looking for and welcome new cooperations with companies worldwide, with the purpose of joining forces to bring sustainable products and services, and awareness, to the consumers.

THE PERFECT TEAM. We’d never been able to recharge our batteries and get started with the work for a new gala, banquet, conference and other awareness and fundraising events every year, if it hadn’t been for the enormous support and appreciation we’ve received from all over the world. This not only from the wildlife projects we support, but also from banquet guests, conference participants, sponsors, volunteers, donors, and especially our strong and dedicated ‘Perfect Team'. We wouldn’t have succeeded without you, and we won’t succeed in the future without your help. We have so much left to fight for.

We don’t expect anyone to be perfect. Our aim is to bring knowledge and awareness to the large crowd, and encourage everyone to take steps in the right direction, says co-founder Ragnhild Jacobsson.

TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. Please join us in our fight to keep our fragile planet alive for coming generations, we need to join together to achieve a sustainable future where mankind live in harmonious co-excitants with nature and animals. It is possible, but only if we work together.

We will keep fighting for the voiceless. To be continued – Ragnhild and Lars Jacobsson