Sarah Begum is one of the UK’s most dynamic sustainability speakers, known for her fearless exploration, documentary storytelling, and advocacy for environmental and social change.
As an anthropologist, filmmaker, and journalist, Sarah has lived with indigenous tribes in the Amazon rainforest, produced the acclaimed documentary Amazon Souls, and worked with governments and organisations to promote sustainability and cultural preservation.
In this exclusive interview, Sarah shares her insights on the future of ESG, the power of space exploration to drive progress on Earth, and the profound lessons she’s learned from bridging worlds — from tribal communities to global boardrooms.
Q: What drives your passion for ESG, and why do you believe environmental, social, and governance factors are essential for organisational sustainability today?
Sarah Begum: “ESG stands for environment, social, and governance, and it promotes the sustainability of organisations around the globe. I was working on a start-up called ESG Space, developing a platform powered by AI to help organisations strategise and develop their ESG reports.
“It’s important because it helps organisations become more sustainable, and sustainability is now a huge factor for companies and organisations worldwide. We need to combat climate change — and that has to be a collaborative, collective effort. Governments, organisations, individuals, non-governmental organisations, charities — everyone working together through their ESG efforts, opportunities, and strategies will help combat climate change and hopefully reduce global warming.
“We have the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the world’s temperature below two degrees, and by everyone playing their part — especially corporations and organisations — doing things like keeping lights off when not in use, recycling, considering the type of energy they use, reducing waste, managing distribution, and engaging stakeholders, all these actions matter.”
Q: How do you see the ‘social’ pillar of ESG — particularly diversity, inclusion, and board composition — shaping innovation and long-term business success?
Sarah Begum: “The ‘S’ stands for social, and that’s a big one for me because it has been an area of focus in organisations I’ve worked with. It’s really important because it helps companies think about board diversity, the composition of the board — how many women there are compared to men, and the different backgrounds of people. It could be diversity of mind as well as culture, which helps innovation.
“When different people work together with different mindsets, you get varied solutions to the same problem — it’s so beneficial for an organisation. Companies have to think about this because they need to grow, keep competition going, continuously innovate, and be leaders in their field. Innovation is important, and diversity often leads to innovation.”
Q: Why is strong governance so critical for embedding sustainability across supply chains, stakeholders, and internal practices, especially as investor expectations rise?
Sarah Begum: “The ‘G’ is governance — the various policies and regulations a company can abide by to help sustainability practices, including throughout their supply chains, with stakeholders, and with employees. These policies will help shape their future and keep them sustainable. Investors are very interested in seeing end-of-year ESG reports by organisations, and this helps keep investment flowing.”
Q: You’re deeply passionate about space exploration — how do you see developments in the space sector directly benefiting life, connectivity, and opportunity on Earth?
Sarah Begum: “Space is a passion of mine. I really enjoy space exploration, and I believe the space sector is benefiting Earth in many ways. First, there are satellites — many satellites around the globe from various organisations, serving positive purposes. They help with communication, GPS, internet connectivity, broadcasting, agriculture, and defence.
“One of my favourite things is connectivity through satellites, because they promote access in rural parts of the world where people don’t have internet. Some organisations are helping more of the population get online, which adds enormous value.
“When people are online, they have access to opportunities, including education. The more educated they are, the more opportunities they have, the more they grow — and the more they grow, the better it is for their society, nation, population, and the people they impact and teach.”
Q: What excites you most about the scientific breakthroughs from the ISS and Mars exploration, and how do you see them shaping humanity’s future on and beyond Earth?
Sarah Begum: “The ISS (International Space Station) is the largest satellite off-planet so far, and it hosts groundbreaking scientific experiments — from studying astronauts’ bodies in microgravity, to 3D printing tools, to researching cures for diseases such as cancer and breast cancer.
“I was interviewing NASA scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs for a podcast and video series I made called Spaced Out. I featured some of these interview clips in my talks and presentations. They told me about the Mars rover missions, which I reported on for Space Channel a few years ago.
“A NASA scientist, Jim Green, told me that Earth may become like Venus very soon because of global warming. If we don’t act, we won’t be able to preserve humanity. To preserve humanity, we need to populate Mars — the Red Planet.
“Elon Musk is working on that with Starship, the biggest rocket he’s been developing. There hasn’t been complete success yet, but with each engineering innovation and advancement, there’s more progress. I believe that spaceship will take us to Mars and help us become a spacefaring civilisation.”
Q: In your view, how can space tourism and the ‘overview effect’ change public attitudes towards sustainability, climate action, and global empathy?
Sarah Begum: “Space exploration and space tourism are also important because they help individuals experience the “overview effect.” When they see this beautiful blue-and-green marble from space, they understand we are all one — all living together as brothers and sisters, or as fellow earthlings, on this planet. We must preserve it.
“It helps people understand the importance of combating climate change, sustainability needs and requirements for the planet and the people, and it motivates them to act. It helps build empathy and understanding.”
Q: How did your childhood dream of visiting the Amazon rainforest lead you to live with the Wani tribe, and how did that experience shape your documentary and involvement with the Ecuadorian government?
Sarah Begum: “I went to live with the Wani tribe, and I was hunting and gathering with warriors. Then they made me queen and asked me to bring back the message about preserving their culture, protecting their land, and promoting unity.
“When I was young, I learned about deforestation in the Amazon rainforest at school, and ever since, it became my dream to go there and live with a tribe. Over the years, I had visions of tribespeople calling me or dreams about them, and I decided at the age of 21, when I was studying television and film at university, to use all my savings and make that childhood dream come true — and go to the Amazon rainforest.
“I made a documentary about this experience called Amazon Souls, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was distributed worldwide.
“It was a coincidence when I had a meeting with the Ecuadorian government — the president’s assistant — about introducing social and economic development programmes into the country, instead of relying solely on oil for generating economic growth. At that time, the tribe contacted me. They sent me an email with a proposal and asked me to pass it on to the Ecuadorian government.
“They wanted to preserve their land because it was their home; it provided them sustenance, it was the only thing they knew — their way of life, their lifestyle. They wanted to protect that, preserve it, and promote their unique culture as well. But they were also open to oil exploitation or exploration of the Amazon rainforest where they lived, as long as their home wasn’t negatively impacted in any way.
“They were trying to understand the government’s perspective and achieve that balance, that peace. I could understand both sides, and I could advocate for both sides as well. Now that I’m older and I’ve had access and exposure to more information, I’m able to have empathy and understand that there needs to be a balance.”
This exclusive interview with Sarah Begum was conducted by Jack Hayes.
