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- As the world searches for a global response to climate change it is important that any greening initiatives and policies don’t leave out critical voices.
- We need to distinguish between urgent interventions and system-shifting behaviour in order to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
- To bring about profound change, we must first recognize and understand the roots of inequities. Then, we must contextualize the benefits and risks of each solution for specific communities.
Climate change disproportionately impacts the world’s most vulnerable people. To address this problem, we need a justice oriented worldview that places empowerment and protection at the forefront. Other indicators also show how much work is needed to create this justice-oriented view. We need to rethink our global priorities. This includes the loss of cultural wisdom, ecological knowledge, and the sinking low-lying islands.
Businesses are increasingly concerned about climate change and the impact it has on their business operations. Mark Versey, CEO at Aviva Investors, lists biodiversity loss and climate change in his Annual letterAs the top priority in stewardship for institutional investors, wealth mangers, and shareholders. Climate concerns rank also high in the high-level-of-risk-response blind spotsAccording to research by World Economic Forum, it is.
We must ask ourselves how can we respond to climate change in a way that is fair and just for all. To do this, we need to ask a few questions.
Whose voices have been silenced?
The climate crisis negatively impacts minority groups. Gender, disability, religion, and gender can all play a role in the situation. These groups often find themselves being pushed to one side and must be included in decisions about new initiatives and solutions to combat climate change.
Particularly, peoples of colour (Black, Indigenous, and Peoples of Colour) are not included in greening conversations and initiatives. For example: Indigenous Peoples constitute less than 5% of the world’s population but safeguard over 80% of the world’s biodiversity. Even so, BIPOC face environmental racismBoth in the extractive industry and in Policies and solutionsto combat climate change
To include stakeholders effectively and get their consent for new initiatives and solutions, they must be included. FAIRAnd CARE It is possible to adapt principles to engage BIPOC.
FAIR and CARE principles may be used to engage Black, Indigenous, or Peoples of Colour.
Image: United States Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network
These principles are more effective when used in co-governance. Good governance. The conservation of the Mosi-oa-Tunya, Victoria Falls, on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia was an example of how to move towards co-governance. The National Heritage Conservation CommissionConsulted with Indigenous peoples, participated in cultural mapping exercises, and incorporated traditional knowledge into management strategies.
A good example of governance is, in turn, Māori representation and governance on Te Awa Tupua and Te Urewera boards. Here, each board has equal representation of Māori and non-Māori, with Māori representation set to increase over time.
BIPOC are proud to have lived in harmony with nature since time immemorial. They don’t want their connection to the environment to be lost. We are part of nature. It is important that we as humans understand this in order to address the climate crisis.
What are you doing to make a difference?
Important problems require system-led, transformative change. Climate action policy-makers and policy-creators are looking for predictable, controllable ways to address the unpredictable, changing systems.
This tension can be illustrated by the distinction between cloud and clock (or complex versus simple). While policy solutions and strategies are often presented in quantifiable, controllable units (like time captured in a clock), the reality is constantly changing, changing, and inter-related (like the cloud).
Image: Rob Ricigliano
Systems change is essentially a “cloud problem” in a world built for “clock solutions”. These two types of problems require two fundamentally distinct approaches:
Image: Rob Ricigliano
Instead of viewing systems-shifting solutions in binary terms, there are many types of problems and interventions that you should consider. They range from the spectrum of clocks to the cloud.
Image: Wei Heng Pok
It is important to understand the scope and appetite for climate change before engaging in climate work. Shift the system.
Is there an underlying inequality to the problem.
Climate justice is about understanding that the adverse effects of climate changes are not felt equally. Historical inequalities only compound the effects. Two perspectives are available to help you understand rooted inequalities.
First, recognize and acknowledge the intersectional history of your problem. Intersectionality recognizes that each individual has their own experiences of discrimination or oppression. Climate solutions should address all aspects of marginalization, including race, gender, sexuality, physical abilities, and class.
Research has shown that green technology can reduce carbon emissions in cities. Social equity, gender, and disability issues can be automatically addressed. Cities must actively promote equity and accessibility in their city planning.
To address inequality, it is necessary to transform our human relationships with the planet. We must recognize that improving sustainability performance is not enough. Emerge Institute’s Iceberg Model of ChangeThis example combines elements of both systems change and internal transformational changes. It states that:
● Understand the symptoms of an extractive and disconnected world, including the adverse impacts of climate change;
● See the paradigms of the world enabling the system; and
● Unravel the intergenerational, personal and hidden trauma within societies.
Image: Emerge Institute
Understanding the history and underlying inequalities within communities allows us to generate contextually relevant, community-sensitive analyses of root causes. This allows for more effective, regenerative climate action that benefits all.
We must understand people within the many frames that shape them – everyday frames of experiences that they choose, inherit and that can be altered, disintegrated or forgotten, as well as ritualized.
—Audra Simpson, Mohawk scholar
Innovation is essential, but what are its limits.
Experts at the forefront of the climate crisis are advocating for Innovative technology in clean energy and low carbon technologies is a breakthrough. We must consider the practicalities, risks, and utility of these inventions before we can pursue them. These two key factors can help us decide where to focus our efforts.
First, while new solutions may be manageable by resilient and well-resourced communities, they can also pose risks that could devastate vulnerable people. These risks should be considered and planned for. It is important to understand the risks involved. Principles for Ethical Humanitarian InnovationThe World Humanitarian Summit emphasizes the need for innovation to be balanced with risk-taking. This is reflected in the principle of “do no harm”.
Secondly, the simplest and most effective solutions may be overlooked and underfunded in favour of what’s new and tech-centric. Although technologies such as circular economy services and plant-based plastics have been commercially available for decades now, their adoption has been slow. Innovation is not always the solution. In this case, innovation is not the solution. solutionism.
Tech-centric innovation might open the door to a more environmentally-friendly future, but according to the EIT Climate KIC System innovation modelIt is essential that we learn how to incorporate technological advances into the fabric and culture of society.
Moving forward
Google’s 2021 Year in Search data shows that searches for “impacts of climate change” and “missing Indigenous women” has risen sharply. The world needs to be guided and offered solutions. We must create a future that is not only for certain communities but for all.
