jennifer wells
[JENNIFER WELLS ] Workshop 45 Venice Degrowth Jennifer Wells
45. Hold the Line. The emerging forms of democratic expression
Transition & Occupy in San Francisco, California: Social movements and the degrowth of the fossil fuel economy in the San Francisco Bay Area
10-minute presentation
Abstract: Myriad social groups and movements in the San Francisco Bay Area are making important contributions to the goals of carbon economy degrowth, deceleration of climate change, and transitioning to a sustainable global society. To date the net effects are of course insufficient, but they provide a basis for greater change. Examples are numerous and diverse. Moving forward, their conjoined efforts may help to speed up necessary changes. I discuss several examples, focusing on two broad umbrella social movements, Transition Towns and Occupy. These two groups have in common the aim of transforming the root causes of the current social and ecological destruction of the planet.
It is argued that a complexity framework, including consideration of networks, hierarchies and feedbacks, provides helpful guidance for advancing the work of these and other such organizations, by highlighting and facilitating analysis of multi-sector and polymorphous societal changes necessary to sustainability. This perspective helps in various ways, for instance: (1) addressing greater shared synergistic goals via revitalization of various forms of participatory democratic processes, (2) building synergistic coalitions to advance key areas of societal change, and (3) valorizing the significance of various groups’ approaches and activities and in many instances, how they are mutually enhancing. Together, the
[JENNIFER WELLS ] Workshop 45 visions and work of these groups provide a comprehensive depiction of the truly momentous nature of ‘the great transition.’
**********************
Introduction: A great many varied social groups and movements in the SF Bay Area are making important contributions needed in hopes of carbon economy degrowth, addressing climate change, and transforming into a more sustainable society. Transition Towns and Occupy are two umbrella groups providing alternate approaches to the shared uses of commons spaces: cohousing and occupation. I will focus on these two organizations, while also exploring the intricate web of other organizations and social movements in this area. Many other groups are involved in the three major overall shared goals – carbon economy degrowth, addressing climate change, and various facets of becoming a more sustainable global society. Examples in the SF Bay area include: Food First, social service agencies, eco educators at all levels, Bay area university researchers and working groups, think tanks like Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, renewables entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, etc. As well as greater national and international organizations like 350.org, the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, Sierra Club and very many others. Paul Hawken estimated that the numbers of peoples working in social movements dedicated to sustainability and social justice far exceeds the number of people directly involved in the activities rapidly depleting natural resources. Though of course, most all humans, including most of those in these vast networks of social movements, are still very strongly dependent on a carbon intensive economy.
In the broad sense, the choices before us seem very clear in light of nonlinear, catastrophic climate change – we will transition to a lower-carbon economy, or we will witness untold tragedies for human civilization and life on Earth, impacting
[JENNIFER WELLS ] Workshop 45 the evolution of this planet for many millions of years. Moreover, it is clear to a great majority of the population that effectively addressing these issues will require radically revising our global economic system as well as almost all social and socioecological systems, as most are integrally involved in the fossil fuel economy that is driving planetary destruction.
In short, it has become increasingly clear that our economic system is driving the destruction of our ecologies and societies. The social, technological, economic, and ecological changes that are necessary appear to be possible. The changes required to industrial lifestyles are massive.
Many groups are working to bring about such changes. Yet, thus far, these groups and movements have yet to bring about the scale and types of changes necessary to global goals of sustainability, degrowth of the carbon economy, and regrowth of ecosystems, abundance and sharing of common space and commons resources, social equity, human rights, creativity, and political freedom necessary to transitioning to a sustainable society.
Nonetheless, these organizations and social movements provide the groundwork for the necessary multifaceted changes. They are the very infrastructure upon which we need to continue to synthesize, articulate, and construct a sustainable global society.
After mentioning ways in which each group has been successful, I examine three ways in which all of these groups are struggling. A much greater degree of social and societal support is necessary.
Next, I suggest that reference to complex thinking and the complexity framework provide one means towards articulating and actualizing the more comprehensive, systems-wide changes that are necessary for sustainability.
[JENNIFER WELLS ] Workshop 45 These movements need to shift in various ways towards more comprehensively transforming root causes and actualizing root changes in various sectors:
(1) addressing greater shared synergistic goals via revitalization of various forms of participatory democratic processes, (2) building synergistic coalitions to advance key areas of societal change, and (3) valorizing the significance of various groups’ approaches and activities and in many instances, how they are mutually enhancing.
Environmental thinkers have been talking about these deeper goals for decades. The synergies between multiple sectors are at the very basis of post-Rio thinking – the three key dimensions of change: economic, social and ecological. Yet, just because we have failed for twenty years to make substantive policy and political progress on these intertwined solutions, does not make the principle of synergies between these three less true. It means we have to find better ways to get to the root issues, which are the only ways we can implement more synergistic policies in all these sectors.
Such comprehensive goals may benefit from employing complex thinking and referencing a complexity framework.
********
45. Hold the Line. The emerging forms of democratic expression
Transition & Occupy in San Francisco, California: Social movements and the degrowth of the fossil fuel economy in the San Francisco Bay Area
10-minute presentation
Abstract: Myriad social groups and movements in the San Francisco Bay Area are making important contributions to the goals of carbon economy degrowth, deceleration of climate change, and transitioning to a sustainable global society. To date the net effects are of course insufficient, but they provide a basis for greater change. Examples are numerous and diverse. Moving forward, their conjoined efforts may help to speed up necessary changes. I discuss several examples, focusing on two broad umbrella social movements, Transition Towns and Occupy. These two groups have in common the aim of transforming the root causes of the current social and ecological destruction of the planet.
It is argued that a complexity framework, including consideration of networks, hierarchies and feedbacks, provides helpful guidance for advancing the work of these and other such organizations, by highlighting and facilitating analysis of multi-sector and polymorphous societal changes necessary to sustainability. This perspective helps in various ways, for instance: (1) addressing greater shared synergistic goals via revitalization of various forms of participatory democratic processes, (2) building synergistic coalitions to advance key areas of societal change, and (3) valorizing the significance of various groups’ approaches and activities and in many instances, how they are mutually enhancing. Together, the
[JENNIFER WELLS ] Workshop 45 visions and work of these groups provide a comprehensive depiction of the truly momentous nature of ‘the great transition.’
**********************
Introduction: A great many varied social groups and movements in the SF Bay Area are making important contributions needed in hopes of carbon economy degrowth, addressing climate change, and transforming into a more sustainable society. Transition Towns and Occupy are two umbrella groups providing alternate approaches to the shared uses of commons spaces: cohousing and occupation. I will focus on these two organizations, while also exploring the intricate web of other organizations and social movements in this area. Many other groups are involved in the three major overall shared goals – carbon economy degrowth, addressing climate change, and various facets of becoming a more sustainable global society. Examples in the SF Bay area include: Food First, social service agencies, eco educators at all levels, Bay area university researchers and working groups, think tanks like Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, renewables entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, etc. As well as greater national and international organizations like 350.org, the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, Sierra Club and very many others. Paul Hawken estimated that the numbers of peoples working in social movements dedicated to sustainability and social justice far exceeds the number of people directly involved in the activities rapidly depleting natural resources. Though of course, most all humans, including most of those in these vast networks of social movements, are still very strongly dependent on a carbon intensive economy.
In the broad sense, the choices before us seem very clear in light of nonlinear, catastrophic climate change – we will transition to a lower-carbon economy, or we will witness untold tragedies for human civilization and life on Earth, impacting
[JENNIFER WELLS ] Workshop 45 the evolution of this planet for many millions of years. Moreover, it is clear to a great majority of the population that effectively addressing these issues will require radically revising our global economic system as well as almost all social and socioecological systems, as most are integrally involved in the fossil fuel economy that is driving planetary destruction.
In short, it has become increasingly clear that our economic system is driving the destruction of our ecologies and societies. The social, technological, economic, and ecological changes that are necessary appear to be possible. The changes required to industrial lifestyles are massive.
Many groups are working to bring about such changes. Yet, thus far, these groups and movements have yet to bring about the scale and types of changes necessary to global goals of sustainability, degrowth of the carbon economy, and regrowth of ecosystems, abundance and sharing of common space and commons resources, social equity, human rights, creativity, and political freedom necessary to transitioning to a sustainable society.
Nonetheless, these organizations and social movements provide the groundwork for the necessary multifaceted changes. They are the very infrastructure upon which we need to continue to synthesize, articulate, and construct a sustainable global society.
After mentioning ways in which each group has been successful, I examine three ways in which all of these groups are struggling. A much greater degree of social and societal support is necessary.
Next, I suggest that reference to complex thinking and the complexity framework provide one means towards articulating and actualizing the more comprehensive, systems-wide changes that are necessary for sustainability.
[JENNIFER WELLS ] Workshop 45 These movements need to shift in various ways towards more comprehensively transforming root causes and actualizing root changes in various sectors:
(1) addressing greater shared synergistic goals via revitalization of various forms of participatory democratic processes, (2) building synergistic coalitions to advance key areas of societal change, and (3) valorizing the significance of various groups’ approaches and activities and in many instances, how they are mutually enhancing.
Environmental thinkers have been talking about these deeper goals for decades. The synergies between multiple sectors are at the very basis of post-Rio thinking – the three key dimensions of change: economic, social and ecological. Yet, just because we have failed for twenty years to make substantive policy and political progress on these intertwined solutions, does not make the principle of synergies between these three less true. It means we have to find better ways to get to the root issues, which are the only ways we can implement more synergistic policies in all these sectors.
Such comprehensive goals may benefit from employing complex thinking and referencing a complexity framework.
********
