In many ways, design thinking is the way of the future. The intersection and collaboration of diverse ideas, perspectives, and Indigenous ways of thinking and knowing is how we, as a society, can effectively tackle the pressing issues driven by the factors of climate change. The purpose of design thinking is in “redesigning existing ecosystems” to focus on the wicked problems generated by an altering climate (Cankurtaran and Beverland, 2020, p. 259). The question I ask is how do we redesign an existing ecosystem? Where and how do we begin this complex process? During and throughout the anthropocene, human induced changes have caused crippling impacts to every ecosystem on our planet. I argue that deep listening and decolonizing the anthropocene through a design thinking lens is not only how we can understand the current climatic issues at hand but further problem solve practical and realistic solutions.
Design thinking must begin from a place of empathy and listening deeply. As defined by Gram-Hanssen et al. (2021) “deep listening is different from active listening in that it goes beyond listening to the words spoken; it enters into an engagement with Indigenous paradigms, ontologies and epistemologies in a meaningful effort to think, feel, and act” (para. 24). Deep listening actively engages us, as human beings, in the past and present context of colonialism. Colonization is directly linked to climate change and design thinking must inherently begin with this profound and ever present concept when facing the climate challenges presented. Indigenous ways of knowing, through story, oral history, and traditional ecological knowledge, offers perspective and expertise yet to be adopted by mainstream western philosophy. Gadgil et al. (1993) add that “Indigenous knowledge…hold[s] valuable information on the role that species play in [creating] ecologically sustainable system[s]” (p. 156). Design thinking must incorporate this vastly important and unique knowledge base, along with western scientific practice, to generate a multi dimensional approach to confront climate variability.
In conclusion, the way forward is in many ways the way of the past. The anthropocene has been driven by mass production and extraction of our planet’s ecosystems and the unfathomable amount of GHGs emitted into our atmosphere for the sole purpose of fulfilling human need and the desire to conquest. It is colonialism at its worst. Indigenous knowledge offers insights into reestablishing and recreating harmony within our earth systems and introduces us to solutions based on a history of adaptability. By utilizing Indigenous knowledge, deep listening, and design thinking we can reshape and redefine our role as actors in the climate action space in order to tackle the most pressing dilemma of our time.
References
Cankurtaran, P., & Beverland, M.B. (2020). Using design thinking to respond to crises: B2B lessons from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Industrial Marketing Management, 88, 255-260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.05.030
Gadgil, M., Berkes, F., & Folke, C. (1993). Indigenous knowledge for biodiversity conservation. Ambio, 22(2-3), 151-156. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/4314060
Gram-Hanssen, I., Schafenacker, N., & Bentz, J.(2021). Decolonizing transformations through ‘right relations’. Sustainability Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-00960-9
