We Don’t Have Time is a left-of-center organization headquartered in Sweden that operates a social media platform called “We Don’t Have Time,” which is advertised by the organization as the first-ever social media network dedicated to environmental activism.

The organization consists of its eponymous social media platform and the We Don’t Have Time Foundation, which is the majority shareholder of the social media platform. The organization was co-founded by Swedish climate activist Ingmar Rentzhog and is part of the United Nations’ Race to Zero campaign. ^{1 2}

Background

We Don’t Have Time was founded in 2018 and consists of both a for-profit technology start-up company that operates the We Don’t Have Time social media platform and the We Don’t Have Time Foundation, which is the majority shareholder of the social media platform. ³

In 2018, the group published its founding manifesto, which includes alarmist language regarding environmental matters, stating that “Moreover, climate change, pollution and the overuse of ecological resources cause mass extinction of living organisms. We humans are responsible for ongoing biological annihilation.” The group’s manifesto is also highly critical of those who question global warming, stating that including such individuals in the conversation would be a “waste of time.” The group also calls for making the Paris Climate Agreement the number one priority of the world. ⁴

We Don’t Have Time has several shareholders and investors. However, the majority shareholder of the startup is the We Don’t Have Time Foundation, which was founded by the cofounders and executives of the startup, Ingmar Rentzhog, and Davis Olsson. The startup also has global and U.S. advisory boards which include many environmental activists and representatives of left-of-center environmental groups. ⁵

Activity

We Don’t Have Time launched its news app in February 2019 in both Swedish and English. The news function, the main feature of the social media platform, was launched on Earth Day, April 22, 2019. The group described its platform as a tool to influence politicians and governments on environmental issues, stating that climate issues should be the “headline of every single news article.” ⁶

The social media aspect of the organization allows several thousand users of the platform the ability to share information about environmental issues with the goal of influencing companies, organizations, and public figures. Platform users are required to ascribe to fundamental principles in order to use the platform and agree that “human activity is a major cause of the climate crisis.” ⁷ The organization also claims that its app runs on renewable energy. ⁸

Affiliations

We Don’t Have Time is affiliated with the United Nations-backed Race to Zero Campaign, the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, Leaders for Climate Action, Top Tier Impact, and trees.org. ⁹

Leadership

Ingmar Rentzhog is the CEO and co-founder of We Don’t Have Time. Rentzhog is a Swedish climate activist who previously worked for the Climate Reality Project, a group founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, on the organization’s European Climate Policy Task Force. He previously worked in finance and is a board member for Climate and Capital Media and Goodwings. ¹⁰ Rentzhog coordinated with Swedish youth climate activist Greta Thunberg to broadcast Thunberg’s initial message on environmental policy to world leaders, assisting in her rise to notoriety. ¹¹

1. “About Us.” We Don’t Have Time. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.wedonthavetime.org/about-us
2. “We Don’t Have Time.” LinkedIn Profile. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/company/wedonthavetime/
3. “About Us.” We Don’t Have Time. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.wedonthavetime.org/about-us
4. The #wedonthavetime Manifesto.” Medium. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://medium.com/wedonthavetime/the-wedonthavetime-manifest-a2f33ce46e63
5. “The #wedonthavetime Manifesto.” Medium. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://medium.com/wedonthavetime/the-wedonthavetime-manifest-a2f33ce46e63
6. “We Don’t Have Time mobile app trends its first day on App Store .” Medium. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://medium.com/wedonthavetime/we-dont-have-time-mobile-app-trends-its-first-day-on-app-store-149d40af0c59
7. “Our Community.” We Don’t Have Time. Accessed August 26, 2023.  https://www.wedonthavetime.org/our-community
8. “About Us.” We Don’t Have Time. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.wedonthavetime.org/about-us
9. “About Us.” We Don’t Have Time. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.wedonthavetime.org/about-us
10. “Ingmar Rentzhog.” LinkedIn profile. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rentzhog/details/experience/
11. Rentzhog, Ingmar. “Stanf by Greta Thunberg and they will threaten you.” Medium. Accessed August 26, 2023. https://medium.com/wedonthavetime/stand-by-greta-thunberg-and-they-will-threaten-you-bc31d93f025f