Anthropogenic climate change is an “intensification of colonially-induced environmental change” (Whyte, 2017, as cited in Gram-Hanssen et al., 2021, p.2). As is illustrated by the preceding quote, Gram-Hanssen et al. (2021) argued that climate change can be viewed as a function of colonialism. They asserted that to address the continuing oppression of Indigenous people under colonialism and to address climate change, society needs to undergo a transformation. Those who do not look at climate change as a problem stemming from colonialism are apt to come up with superficial – rather than transformational – solutions.
I think that framing climate change as a symptom of colonialism is the right way to look at the problem and will bring society to better solutions. In Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System, Matthews (1999) introduced the idea of leverage points, which, as the title suggests, are places interventions can be made to effect changes in a system; the bigger the leverage point, the greater the effect. Matthews listed a hierarchy of leverage points. The second-most effective leverage point listed was “the mindset or paradigm out of which the system arises” (Matthews, 1999, p.17). In striving to make change, a highly-effective leverage point to exploit is a paradigm shift or, in other words, a transformation.
I was excited to see Matthews’ (1999) ideas come to life in Gram-Hanssen et al.’s (2021) work, whether intentional or not. The confluence of these ideas can be summed up with a popular slogan on signs at climate protests: “System Change, not Climate Change”. We need to make a huge societal change – a transformation away from colonialism – to effectively deal with climate change. We need this decolonial transformation not just because it is a good thing in its own right, but because it is also a high-leverage point through which we can effect great change and steer ourselves towards a safer climate. Reading the two pieces, I could almost feel Matthews, Gram-Hanssen et al., and climate protestors around the world nodding their heads in agreement.
References
Gram-Hanssen, I., Schafenacker, N., & Bentz, J. (2021). Decolonizing transformations through ‘right relations.’ Sustainability Science, (20210507). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-00960-9
Meadows, D. (1999). Leverage points: places to intervene in a system. The Sustainability Institute.