Our seasons here are changing. Last weekend the fall colors were glorious; today we woke up to our first snow. Transitions. The team at Climate Generation is in transition — new leadership, new team members, a renewed commitment to anti-racism. And we work together towards a just transition to a healthy planet and community-rooted society.
Transitions are good times to witness and acknowledge the complexity in our world. As we prepare our delegates for COP27 this November we have been in deep conversations about the complexity of perspectives and solutions needed to solve the climate crisis. As a team we are wading into complexity in our conversations about how to be better together across departments. None of this is easy.
We recently hosted a #TeachClimateChat Twitter conversation with friends and co-conspirators Nikki McDaid Barry, Megan Bang, and Forrest Bruce of Indigenous STEAM. As I watched the Q&A unfold, I was reminded that putting knowledge and practices into silos is a western invention, that Indigenous Knowledge Systems are inherently transdisciplinary. We have much to learn from our Indigenous friends and family about embracing and navigating complexity.
Climate change is a highly complex issue, and just and equitable solutions cannot be found if we proceed with the climate science and policy lens alone. By overcoming disinformation, centering anti-racism and equity, and personalizing and localizing climate change action we can activate individuals, as well as build resilient communities. This work requires us to embrace a holistic approach, one that integrates Western science and Indigenous ways of knowing, centers justice and anti-racism, supports the leadership of youth and frontline communities, and doesn’t rely on fear, but rather focuses on solutions.
What complexities are you grappling with right now in your climate work? How are you called to find common ground amongst them?
Susan Phillips
Executive Director