For almost 30 years, I worked on the trading floors of banks around the world – mainly in London, but also Hong Kong, Tokyo, Madrid and Bangkok. Being well paid can in itself convince you and your colleagues that your work is important and socially useful. We were creating the money the world needed to trade. We were primary wealth creators.
I’m convinced that most City professionals (including myself) never fully understand the role money plays in the economy, least of all whether it’s good, bad or neutral. Convinced of our own importance, we are all too busy to actually analyse these financial fairy tales or question these myths of social utility.
As I started to become concerned about the climate and ecological crises that seemed possibly existential, my work felt more and more disconnected from the things that mattered. Lifestyle changes were important, but woefully inadequate. And the more I focused on what was happening, the more I sensed that the problems went much deeper.
