Climate Change: Is it bringing too much pesimism?

I went to a Think Tank on Climate Change organized by the Global Leadership Program that I am following at Macquarie University. The Global Leadership Program is a voluntary initiative followed by students from any discipline in order to develop and apply global skills through studying, volunteering and participating in activities. Many of the activities are related to sustainable development (SD). In this case the three hours Think Tank was organized to bring a discussion of how this complex subject is a big challenge for humanity and how leadership and action is needed.

For me, this was an excellent opportunity to reflect on the role of EfSD in Climate Change. Doctor Chris Riedy, associate professor at University of Technology Sydney UTS, was the lecturer in charge of this session. Professor Riedy briefly told us that he worked at the Institute for Sustainable Futures, where the main task is to influence in driving change on diverse aspects of SD. Then he asked the class to reflect around what were the causes of climate change, what was the current state and if it was necessary to take action.We all  agreed on the necessity of urgent action, the scientific evidence is strong and the effects are already visible. However, the debate of climate change persists and there are a faction of disbelievers that question the influence of humanity on this major problem. According to the lecturer, over 97% of peer reviewed scientific papers agreed on the influence of human activity in climate change. We talked about the earth mechanisms to recover, however the real threat is to human’s life itself and others species. The changes are so fast and drastic that the species can adapt or cope these modifications.

The question is why don’t we act? What do we need to learn in order to change our behaviors? Do we deny the science? What values and ideologies are influencing our paralysis? I intervened and stated how the political will and economic interests are impeding to address the required actions and strategies at global scale; not a new argument, but a necessary one from my point of view. Moreover, the media shows an apparently balanced debate where supporters and disbelievers have an equal evidence to support their arguments. Other times, the media just use the topic to scare the audience and sell, but with no reflections on what are the causes of this problem and what should be done to solve it. These reflections may be inconvenient, because it will raise necessary changes in several aspects, including consumption patterns. Let’s see what is happening in Australia. Different studies show that between 82.8% of Australians believe that climate change is really happening (CSIRO, 2011). Even though a smaller majority in Australia, a 50.4% believes that humans are causing it, while 40.2% thinks that this is a natural fluctuation in earth’s temperature (CSIRO, 2011).

We watched the typical Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) science video, explaining the Climate Change causes, characteristics and effects.  We reviewed the pace on which effects will take place and the probable scenarios. The video concluded posing a reflection: It is society who decides the future, but are we really willing to drive change? A question to reflect on human’s behavior and role related with this problematic issue. Then we watched a second video that explained Climate Change in a simple language, using a lot of irony, criticizing human life styles and bringing an extra dose of pessimism. Here is the video.

Two depressing videos, that showed two different ways of raising this problem and how the discourse of climate change is trying to bring the involvement of society.We discussed in groups the messages of these videos, I saw that everyone seems to be freeze after such messages. In general, the reaction of the class was that none of the videos was inspiring to driving change. Instead, the videos presented an overwhelming problem that apparently has very low possibilities to be addressed individually. Climate Change is everyone’s problem but it is not in any individual. Again, I remembered  the concept of the tragedy of the commons, a concept seen in environmental economics class. I continue reflecting; the discussion brought me to my country. I raised the case of Yasuni Park and how the Ecuadorian Government asked the international community to be compensated for not exploiting its oil reserves. The Yasuni Park is one of the most bio diverse places on earth. After 6 years of campaigning, Ecuador didn’t succeed on raising the necessary funds for not exploiting this reserve. The president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, stated “El mundo nos ha fallado” or in English, “The world has failed us” (BBC, 2014). The result is that the Ecuadorian government has started to exploit the oil of this park. The class commented on how this case portrayed the tragedy of the commons.

I started to believe that the EfSD of Climate Change should think on how is possible to bring different reactions and behaviors when communication this problem. The messages of climate change are causing people to protect with different psychological mechanisms in order to avoid responsibilities and stay calm. Some of the common reactions are: Climate Change seems to be so far, it is not my responsibility, I can’t do anything, the others generation will solve the problem. Here the emotion responses of Australians to Climate Change:

                            Taken from CSIRO 2011, Baseline survey of Australian attitudes to climate change.

After looking at these reactions, I believe that understanding problems doesn’t necessary lead to action. There has to be a way to really inspire people to obtain a different response. We need to question our current system of values and at the same time generate optimism. What are the things we value? How do we measure economy? We might not be measuring the right things. Does income increase happiness? Is it all relative?  We value what others have and we never get to be happy. Who is governing us? United States and Australia are governed by climate change disbelievers (in the case of US is the senate who is impeding climate change reforms). In my country, the president is also going against climate change reforms. Why politicians don’t react to people’s demands and worries? Is Climate Change an ethical, economic and environmental problem? I believe it is.

We ended the session with a dose of optimism, looking at possible solutions to the problem. The answers were educate more people, raise consciousness, prove the urgency and make people act. Penalize the polluters, amplify emissions trading schemes and other incentives.  Create better transport solutions, develop more electric vehicles. Work with renewable sources of energy. Change how we grow food and where we eat, we need more farming into cities. Promote changes in urban design, bring nature into cities. We saw the example of Pixel building at Melbourne. We also reflect that Climate Change might bring possible effects as challenging humans to work together and create better ways to govern our resources. We had a final message to bring to our life, it is possible to beat climate change. The Think Tank ended, I was feeling hopeful but at the same time very tired.

Caption: Pixel Building Carlton, Melbourne Fresh Daily http://melbournedaily.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/pixel-building-carlton.html

Bibliography:

– BBC 2014, Correa: “El mundo nos ha fallado” http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/ultimas_noticias/2013/08/130815_ultnot_ecuador_correa_yasuni_mena_lav.shtml

– CSIRO 2011, Baseline survey of Australian attitudes to climate change http://www.csiro.au/~/media/CSIROau/Outcomes/Climate/Adapting/Climate%20attitudes/2011%20First%20survey%20of%20Australian%20attitudes%20to%20climate%20change.pdf.

– Melbourne Fresh Daily 2012, Pixon Building Carlton http://melbournedaily.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/pixel-building-carlton.html

 

Value structure for a sustainable society

We started to talk about value systems. For me this is one of the most inspiring issues in EfSD, because it discusses the reasons and principles why humans act and take decisions in specific ways. Value systems are a set of ethical beliefs, assumptions, preferences and priorities that guide our life. Human beings develop a set of values appropiate to its current existential state, which is influenced by  individual, group and environmental differences (Graves, C. W. 1970). Values have to be constantly imposed to influence human behaviors  (Graves, C. W. 1970).

EfSD work on how we critically evaluate our value systems with respect to Sustainable Development (SD). It is about how we think and act, and how a determinate set of values help or impede us to achieve an envisioned future. In learning processes of SD, it is important to reflect and identify how a determinate set of values is driving unsustainable behaviors. In this process we should be able to clarify our values and unveil barriers that were obstructing us to deliver change.

During this class, our lecturer shared the content of the Earth Charter as an example of a declaration of principles and values for a sustainable society. The document is an ambitious confluence of aspirations and wills from different major groups regarding the future of humanity. Here the declaration http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/pages/Read-the-Charter.html. The Earth Charter anticipates how societies are interconnected and share a responsibility to drive well being for all ( The Earth Charter 2012). The content of this declaration was agreed after a decade of dialogues, meetings and discussions ( The Earth Charter 2012). It was launched in 2000 by the Earth Charter Commission, an independent international entity  (The Earth Charter 2012).

We were asked by our lecturer to analyze and discuss how this document proposed a system of values. We all agreed that the document make a contribution of global goals and aspirations, some of them come from the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit and others were a result of the six year consultation process. The main problem in my opinion is how these noble aspirations could be part of the agenda of governments. The Earth Charter is considered soft law and because of that is not mandatory. I believe that a value system to be successful needs to be part of international law.

If I were asked to propose a value system for a sustainable future, I will choose Human Rights as framework for this new system. I think Human Rights have a long trajectory in history and have evolved according to the different scenarios (first, second and third generation). A good value system has to be able to evolve. In addition, Human Rights have been incorporated progressively in national and international law. There is more pressure for respecting Human Rights from the international community and it has already been created the  bodies and mechanisms to assess them. However, there is still a lot to do in order to commit governments and the society as a whole with Human Rights.

It is also necessary to improve the linkages between Human Rights and Sustainable Development. For me both are part of a same discourse for human justice and prosperity. How we ensemble the Human Rights in a development agenda is the big challenge. Now the UN is discussing the agenda post 2015 and there is a possibility to enforce this values into the sustainable development goals (SDGs) (UN Human Rights 2014).

The framework of Human Rights has been discussed since humanity exists and will continue to be a matter of controversy. What we discuss is values and we are able to continue advancing in enforcing them through international consensus. A value system in SD should be an ultimate aspiration but also a practical one that can be enforced and complied by all governments and members of society.

 

Bibliography:

– Graves, C. W. (1970). Levels of existence: An open system theory of values. Journal of humanistic psychology.

– The Earth Charter 2012, The earth charter initiative, http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/

– UN Human Rights 2014, Human Rights and the post 2015 development agenda, http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/MDG/Pages/MDGPost2015Agenda.aspx

The experience of Willoughby City Council in EfSD

We visited the Willoughby City Council in order to know how the manage programs in EfSD. We first arrived to the Sustainability hub where a representative gave us background information of the council and how they work with SD. A few facts of the city of Willoughby: it is located 8.5 km from the Sydney CBD (Willoughby City, 2014).  The city covers an area of 23km/sq including the suburbs of Artarmon, Castlecrag, Castle Cove, Chatswood, Middle Cove, Naremburn, Northbridge and Willoughby, as well as parts of Gore Hill, Lane Cove, St Leonards and Roseville (Willoughby City, 2014). Approximately 70 000 people live in Willoughby City area that is populated by a varied community  from different ethnic backgrounds (Willoughby City, 2014). People with an English and Australian background accounts for 49.5%, while people with Chinese background accounts for 18.5% of the population (Willoughby City, 2014). Other ethnics are Irish 9.4%, Scottish 7.1%, Korean 3.7%, and Italian 3.3% (Willoughby City, 2014). There are groups with less number of people but that also contribute to this cultural mix of the city.

The representative of the council explained us that they have an holistic approach to SD. The council concentrates their efforts to work within the organization in order to be more sustainable and at the same time with the whole community. Inside the organization, the council has worked with simple but practical things, like policies for events in terms of not using balloons, looking at the source of food, reducing energy consumption (eg. the council building has a design to get the most of light and reduce electricity consumption). In addition, the council organizes a sustainability award each year and fund trips overseas for employees interested in trainings. There are also opportunities to exchange knowledge and practices with other institutions. This is a consistent way of thinking as citizens expect that public institutions lead by example. More, this is the right organizational approach, first start driving change within the organization and then outside with the rest of stakeholders. I reflected myself how public organizations in Ecuador are very behind private organization on sustainable development practices. One unfortunate example is labor, specifically on issues of inclusion of handicapped where there is a quota mandatory by law that is not complied by several public institutions.

I might go back to positive and tell how the council work with the community. There are several initiatives to reach such a diverse community. Each initiative has specific considerations on how to call the attention of a sector of the population. The important thing is to educate in sustainable development, and how this process is delivered depends on the best means to reach that group. The council organizes workshops in different topics such as how to optimize the use of water and electricity, how to reduce green house gas emissions, sustainable farming, what would you tell to a 2025 kid (promote inter generational consciousness), responsible investment among other subjects. There are outdoor activities like the ones of sustainable farming, Ted talks on screens at Chatswood  or the festivals of eco fashion. In the case of people who work and that are normally busy, the council came with the idea of organizing activities at pubs like ecotrivias. The older group of citizens are organized to work together and feel useful repairing different stuff from the community. SMEs (Small and medium enterprises) are too involved, the council has an special program to give advise on Eco-efficiency measures.   Some of the activities are driven in different languages, considering the varied population of the city.

Caption: Entrance at the Hub of the Willoughby City Council

The infrastructure of the city is also working with SD criteria. We visited the theater, concert hall, library. Each building had specific features ranging from sustainable materials to innovations in design in order to optimize energy use. These buildings are part of  a state-of-the-art entertainment and events precinct which promotes the diffusion and practice of culture. I was particularly amazed by the acoustic and beauty of the concert hall and how it was designed the cooling system in the floor to maintain a good temperature. The library was a good space for education, there was a special place for kids learning of SD.

The Willoughby City Council is an excellent example on how important is to drive an integrated approach to SD. This council knows its population and innovate to reach them on the most effective way in order to drive change. I remembered, and written down in my notebook one term that the representative of the council mentioned and it was CBSM (Community Based Social Marketing). I made a research about this subject and it consist bringing change using disciplines of human behavior including  psychology and social marketing (McKenzie-Mohr, D. 2000). The CBSM focus on eliminating barriers of change that humans have individually or as a group (McKenzie-Mohr, D. 2000). It is important to know first what are the barriers that are impeding someone to act in a sustainable way before designing an EfSD program  (McKenzie-Mohr, D. 2000).  I believe the council is using a CBSM approach and that has very clear how important is to influence human behaviors in order to promote change.

Caption: Concert hall.

Bibliography

– McKenzie-Mohr, D. 2000, Fostering sustainable behavior through community-based social marketing. American psychologist, 55(5), 531.

– Willoughby City 2014, About the Council, http://www.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/about-council/

– Willoughby City 2014, Ancestry ranked by size, http://profile.id.com.au/willoughby/ancestry

 

Designing EfSD programs, the case of El Salvador

In this lecture the class discussed how to design effective programs in EfSD. If we want to drive change in sustainable development, it is important to know the process, tools, and means to design educational programs. Before structuring a program, it is important to know what are the changes that we want to make and how they help us to achieve an envisioned future. What are the differences of an educational program in sustainable development with any other program. The direction of all our efforts must have a clear view of what we want to achieve. During a the task of designing an EfSD program, we might lose our direction with some actions and activities that don’t fit into the envisioned change. However, a clear vision of what we want to achieve is the best way to redirect our efforts and step in the right way whenever we are losing direction.

The EfSD works with people and this fact is really important on how we influence them to achieve change. There are important skills, knowledge and abilities that every program in EfSD should develop like critical and systemic thinking, creative thinking and problem solving, empowerment, participation, communication, leadership and advocacy, negotiating, motivation and goal setting. The development of these capabilities and others are essential and critical, because they are the means by which people can deliver change. How a program develop these capabilities through cases and examples related with people’s real life dilemmas and complexities, would be powerful.

The process of designing a program in EfSD requires to think and assess how each element contribute to learning. Aspects such as resources, teachers, time, evaluation, contents, logistics have to be carefully analyzed to see how they support a designing proposal. A very practical way to analyze a program was the activity that we drove during class in order to analyze a case study. We draw a flaw chart that summarized  how different programs were delivered, what were the objectives, stages, key features, achievements, components, and design characteristics.  The activity allow us to reflect on how all the components are assembled in a learning proposition for sustainable development.

Caption: A picture of our group discussion about El Salvador case.

My case was about USAID efforts in El Salvador to promote EfSD as a national priority. The case was ambitious in a country with several problems of poverty and peace. El Salvador passed through 12 years of a bloody civil war and after that period there was a strong support of the president and different state organisms to support EfSD actions. The government of El Salvador declared environmental education as a national priority in education. This political will was translated into a program that addressed elementary education, journalist training and awards, national parks educational opportunities, capacity building for NGOs and training for work with rural communities for preserving water. Each stage of the program showed the process followed, the material developed, the actions implemented and the outcomes achieved. All in a very simple and clear publication which I suggest to read http://ces.fhi360.org/pdfs/ElSalvador.pdf

The case really captures my attention and I wanted to know how real were the achievements stated on the document. Personally, I distrust USAID efforts as they are normally attached to a political and economical agenda of the United States in Latin America. However, one friend from El Salvador who has worked for 5 years in the Ministry of Environment gave me a good feedback of the program. He remembered how in school he was taught about environmental issues and how this program really called the attention of all sectors in society. However, he also told me that the program is no longer driven and that there are no continuous efforts in El Salvador to work on EfSD.

Systemic thinking and the problem of a cup

How we think determine the way we solve problems. Our lecturer made us work in two exercises in order to understand and reflect on systemic thinking. First we were asked in groups to choose an environmental issue and see how it was related or interconnected with other issues. We chose Air Pollution which clearly affects diverse aspects like Technology (how it can improve or worsen), Historical (records, studies statistics), Social (health problems), Economic (Stakeholders involved the cost of fresh air), Spiritual (fear resistance, anger), Political (legislation, policies). We listed more issues to understand how an specific environmental issue has many implications and ways to be addressed. We think on how limited is our common way of looking at systems, we where educated to split things into different disciplines and subjects. I remember having teachers at school and high school that use to snob social sciences or natural and exact sciences. This tendency is also part of the industrial production, we operate in “silos” and have difficulties to work within departments of a same organization. The same happen with our thinking, we center our efforts on what we are likely to know because of our background or our interests. The rest we leave apart, the result is a incomplete and one-sided view of a system.

The second exercise was what I call the problem of a cup. Our lecturer showed us a cartoon with a nature landscape and paper cup on the ground. We were questioned on how this cup disrupted the landscape and why it was there. We joined on groups and start thinking where did this cup from and how it reached that landscape. We build with general facts a life cycle assessment of the cup and link all the associated impacts of this product. The exercise was really challenging as many connections where difficult to trace and account. Where did that paper come from? Was it from a sustainable source? How was the cup industrialized? What other materials apart from paper were used? How was it transported and what did the cup contain?

We decided just to focus on the cup, because if we said that it contained something like coffee, it was more complex to work on the impacts of this particular product. We build a graphic of the cup and all the effects associated, we saw the different linkages, impacts and processes needed for the cup. The result was a cup with numerous effects and connections. What we saw at the beginning, the cup isolated on a landscape, resulted on an enormous set of interactions and connections from its creation until its final disposal. We saw a cup that has been produced with a linear thinking. The cup is produced and disposed at the end. Systemic thinking would help us to improve this process into a cradle to cradle one, where the cup follow a circular production and the waste is reduced to minimum. This systemic thinking change no only the way we learn but the way we influence systems to make it work in a sustainable manner.

Systemic thinking is about learning how systems work rather than understanding an specific problem. It is to look at issues at a whole and come with ideas on how to intervene and influence on these systems. This kind of thinking could be used in what I feel more interested, business. A theory of circular economy is now being discussed and how it potentially modify the way business create value and impact the society. Companies as Unilever are already working on that model. It is not obvious how the systems work, the world is a continuum (Meadows D. 2008, p. 97).

Bibliography:

– Meadows, D 2008, Thinking in Systems, Earth Scan Publishing for a Sustainable Future, London.

The Cherokee Jeep and the Machu Picchu

I have been always passionate about publicity and I worked in this industry for different enterprises. My first experience was as a trainee in the branding department of a telecommunications multinational company. A great and very demanding experience for a very competitive industry with big budgets. Then, I had the chance to work in advertising agency  and at the communication department of an automobile company. I analyzed lots of ads and I developed the sort of knowledge and abilities to create “brand awareness” which is the kind of thing that publicist love to mention.

During a class of EfSD, I had a different experience with publicity. For the first time I was required to critically analyze in groups how an ad transmitted the idea of sustainability. I had a Cherokee Jeep add, surrounded by the Machu Picchu in one cover and on the second near creek. The ad portrayed the comfort and power of the Jeep. A spacious place to keep protected from the dangerous and noisy nature. A safe place to enjoy the antique Inca civilization. We discussed as a group how this ad can influence people understanding and relation with the nature. How our imaginary of nature is perfect within a Jeep that brings the comfort of the city to remoteness places.

The ad reminded me the debate around the role of publicity on education. It is know how we are constantly impacted by publicity. This material  transmit values, behaviors and images on how should we enjoy life. The automobile industry has an extensive influence on representing values such as success or concepts as family and comfort.

The exercise was an excellent way to analyze the messages of publicity and the influence of them in our mindset. The process of learning is not restricted to academic centers, we are most of the time influenced by the media and the publicity. It is hard to compete with the messages of publicity. How can we change, for example, the patterns of nature represented by Cherokee ads?  I am not demonizing all publicity but it is clear that there are certain messages that have to be unlearned. Here one message of a Cherokee ad ( I didn’t find the one of Machu Picchu), 5% of time to enjoy the nature.

Caption from http://lw4.gc.cuny.edu/nml/students/sfraser/items/show/376

EfSD running for the future

The lecturer asked us to individually envision a sustainable world, we had to choose 5 key words and think about what influenced our vision. We closed our eyes and thought how this possible world would look like. At the beginning the exercise seemed to me a relaxing activity; a technique to focus on something different and distant form the real world. The task was more complicated than ever because we are usually limited by our perceptions and mindsets. I tried to build something new and different from what we normally see in reality. I didn’t succeed, my thoughts were more on how to solve problems rather than how would a sustainable world look like. Our minds are not trained for creative thinking, instead we believe that problems are resolved from what we see or interpret from reality.

Then, during a class of Sustainable Development: Introductory Principles and Practices at Macquarie University, I was asked to represent with a group of classmates the journey to achieve sustainability. This time the exercise was easier, I required a good metaphor that embedded the challenges, obstacles and means needed to reach a sustainable society. I had a discussion with my group, we saw others drawings and they were mostly representing interactions in society. We wanted something different and I came with the idea of runner in a very hard journey, one member of my group supported my idea. Immediately we all agreed, the runner should face obstacles, forks in the road, distractions and in some stages the runner should receive energy to continue running.

The metaphor was of great significance for our group, because the runner represented each of us, making our best effort to reach sustainable development. An ambitious journey that I hope all the members of the class felt excited to undertake.

Caption from http://www.happyrunningfeet.net/the-best-running-shoes-for-flat-feet-3-critical-tests/

Definition of EfSD

I had my first class in Education for Sustainable Development (EfSD). Our lecturer started by defining EfSD as an holistic and interrelated concept that involves people envision of a sustainable world. The EfSD provides several tools and means for learning how to drive change with community participation. The concept is dynamic and is mostly related to a process for driving change. It is important to start by acknowledging that we are part of a society with unsustainable behaviors. With this idea in mind, we can reflect on how each of us is a part of the solution and how important is to influence the society as a whole.

When I confronted this concept for the first time, I was thinking how expert I have became on making up excuses for blaming others for what is happening in the world.  The excuses are just a way to calm ourselves and ignore the feeling of guiltiness.  However, this conflicting dilemma between our possibility to drive change and our apparent insignificance are crucial when we adopt and believe that change is possible. Our lecturer illustrated the dilemma by using an African proverb “If you think you are too small to make a difference , try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito”.

I felt inspired by the mosquito proverb and then started to look for definitions of EfSD that could portrait what we discussed in class. I found that the sustainability educator Jaimie Claud states that our current situation is not a result of ignorant people. The problem is our mindset which determines the way we act. The purpose of EfSD is precisely modify our mindset in order to think and act in a sustainable manner. I share the concept and thoughts of Jaimie Claud.