I have been exceedingly impressed with the holistic and transdisciplinary approach to addressing the climate emergency as presented by the MACAL program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upon entry, I expected this program to be heavily science-driven and focused on the negatives; how little time we have left to course correct, how few politicians actually care. I expected to feel hopeless and afraid far before I ever felt empowered and encouraged. In fact, I joked many times that the deeper I got into this program, the more likely one might be to find me stocking food and building a bunker. Instead, by focusing on a transdisciplinary approach and creating a program which is heavily influenced by Indigenous knowledge, the MACAL program has managed to build a safe, hopeful, and optimistic space from which to tackle the issues posed by the climate emergency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have especially enjoyed the practice of developing non-linear ways of problem-solving. The amount of creativity required in this program to date has been surprising; however, the more I learn about what it will take to mitigate climate change and adapt to our changing world, the more I value the time I have been awarded to flex my creative muscles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I find myself resonating especially with the concept of Relational Systems Thinking and Ecopsychology as discussed in the profound session with Dr. Hilary Leighton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Leighton discussed our inability, as humans, to create or ideate from a place of threat and anxiety (Leighton, H. 2021). This is something we see regularly in the space of climate action. A heavy feeling of hopelessness can pervade in the climate arena, and this can make it difficult to plan for a better future. Even the name of this course – Climate Action<\/em> – denotes creating change from within, so it only makes sense that the program should be rooted in empowerment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This holistic approach also encourages us to consider all cultural and spiritual perspectives in the role of awareness-based systems change (Goodchild et al, 2021). This idea is heavily rooted in Indigenous ways of thinking, and by allowing space for all cultures, creeds, and voices in the discussion around climate adaptation, we are creating space for the decolonization of knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This concept of decolonizing knowledge was not something I had been introduced to before in any formal way, and I was struck immediately by the fact that this seems to be a core tenant of the MACAL program and of the work being done in the field of climate action as a whole. That the climate emergency is a product of colonialism, and that climate adaptation, transformation, and decolonization are intricately linked (Gram-Hanssen et al, 2021) is a concept I have found myself agreeing with in a profound way both ethically and philosophically, although I perhaps wouldn\u2019t have been able to put this into words two weeks ago. The importance of developing \u2018right relations\u2019 with Indigenous knowledge keepers, of holding space and prioritizing the voices of the unheard above all others, and by embracing the concept of awareness-based systems change or the \u2018two-row visual code\u2019 as a pathway to peaceful coexistence as referenced by Goodchild et al (2021) now seem to me the only practical ways to begin to meaningfully address climate change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is widely known that wealthy nations are disproportionately responsible for climate change, while poorer countries and communities feel the direct effects of climate change at a much higher level.\u00a0 We also know, based upon the practice of design thinking, that to tackle any \u2018wicked problem\u2019 it is important to listen deeply to the needs and concerns of those who are most affected by the issue and bring a user-centered or human-centered approach to any attempt at problem-solving (Cankurtaran & Beverland, 2020). <\/p>\n\n\n\n If we are to combat climate change, we must work to create \u2018right relations\u2019 with those who have been kept silent for too long, including Indigenous, BIPOC, and those in the global South; those who are experiencing the worst of the climate disasters, and those who hold the ancient knowledge of how to live in harmony with the planet. We must dismantle our colonialist, individualistic, and exploitative systems, make space for societies where all voices are heard, and fully embrace the concept of \u2018right relations\u2019 by \u201clistening deeply, practicing self-reflexivity, creating space and being in action\u201d (Gram-Hanssen et al, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n References:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cankurtaran, P., Beverland, M. (2020). Using design thinking to respond to crises: B2B lessons from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Industrial Marketing Management. <\/em>88, 255-260. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.indmarman.2020.05.030 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gram-Hanssen, I., Schafenacker, N., Bentz, J. (2021). Decolonizing transformations through \u2018right relations\u2019. Sustainability Science<\/em>. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11625-021-00960-9 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Goodchild, M., Senge, P., Otto Scharmer, C., Longboat, R. D., Longboat, K. D., Hill, R., and Deer, K. (2021). Relational Systems Thinking: That\u2019s How Change Is Going to Come, from Our Earth Mother. Journal of Awareness Based Systems Change<\/em>, 1<\/em>(1), 75-103. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.47061\/jabsc.v1i1.577<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leighton, H. (2021). Resilience. Leading Climate Action in Society Part 1.<\/em> Retrieved from https:\/\/moodle.royalroads.ca\/moodle\/local\/kalturamediagallery\/index.php?courseid=8518 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have been exceedingly impressed with the holistic and transdisciplinary approach to addressing the climate emergency as presented by the MACAL program. Upon entry, I expected this program to be heavily science-driven and focused on the negatives; how little time we have left to course correct, how few politicians actually care. I expected to feel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":953,"featured_media":265,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,1],"tags":[39,37,42,44,48,47,45,36,49,38,40],"class_list":["post-262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cals501","category-uncategorized","tag-cals501","tag-climate-action","tag-climate-change","tag-climate-mitigation","tag-decolonization","tag-design-thinking","tag-ecopsychology","tag-holistic","tag-indigenous-knowledge","tag-macal","tag-transdiciplinary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/k5martin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/k5martin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/k5martin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/k5martin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/953"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/k5martin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/k5martin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":273,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/k5martin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions\/273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/k5martin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/k5martin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/k5martin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/k5martin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}