Recently my partner and I went out for a week-long boat trip to Knights Inlet – a spectacular inlet (or fijord) on the coast of BC. The winds and tides in this area are different from other parts of the coast, and while we had our charts, tide tables, and weather reports to inform us, local knowledge helped us be more prepared. And still, with all this information at hand, we were constantly watching the movement of the ocean and the direction of the wind – ready to respond to sudden changes and unforeseen obstacles. Navigation is not about following a line on a chart (aka map); it is the ability to process and respond to numerous sources of information, accept that some information is constantly changing, alter course when necessary, and get to harbour safely.

Upon returning from this exceptional adventure, I hunkered down a different adventure – beginning a Master’s degree in Climate Action Leadership at Royal Roads University. I have been a climate activist for many years and have worked professionally with foundations, ENGOs, governments, and others to find ways to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. But in recent months,  I was in a rut – stuck using the same tactics to pressure the same institutions to be more ambitious. And while there has been some incremental change, each step forward has revealed the complexity of transforming society. The inability to address this complexity makes it feel like we are taking two steps back. This course, only one week in, is already opening up new ideas and possibilities to untangle this complexity. 

Central to this work is recognizing that the colonial system has had two significant impacts – destroying Indigenous societies by taking land and attempting to wipe out culture that has resulted in trauma throughout generations and the onset of capitalism, resulting in climate change. Solving one depends on solving the other, which is transformative and requires, in addition to decolonization, developing meaningful relations with Indigenous communities and individuals. In other words, it is more than changing our systems; it also requires a personal commitment.

Another key learning from the course is that the climate crisis is a “wicked problem” that requires a transdisciplinary approach to problem-solving. By stepping out of the more traditional approaches such as interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary, discussions are free to go beyond their limitations and capture common cross-cutting issues as a pathway to finding transformative solutions (Corman 2020).

The world is on a complex and complicated journey, whether we want to be or not.  For the most part, we have focused on the destination – ensuring the global temperature does not exceed 1.5°C. However, it is the journey that will ensure we get everyone there safely. Navigating that journey will be difficult, but the boat has left the harbour and we are underway.