Rosemary Neave writes:

Climate change keeps me awake at night.  I am sure I am not the only one.  How to bring about change in this area is one my main occupations (unpaid of course!). Solar Panels went up on our roof this week, we are down to one car and looking at changing that to electric. We try to do our bit… but is it enough?

But most of us don’t want to change…

The Guardian recently reported a survey which says that while most of us see the reality of climate change is upon us, few of us are willing to change our lifestyle to save the planet.   You could argue that COP26 was simply countries agreeing with their constituents – yes there is a problem,  but we do not need to change (much).

• The activist says:  Stop Fossil Fuels now! (keeping it simple helps)
• The politician says:  Not now but soon (maybe)
• The ministry says: let’s be careful here, not rock the boat too much (silo thinking?)
• The political party says: What do the people I want to elect me think? (short term focus)
• The entrepreneur says:  I have some solutions (is any one listening?)

How do we collaborate on what is the most pressing issue of our time?
How do we take people with us on this journey?
How do we deal with this complexity?

1. I think coal should stay in the ground

• But is it better to leave our nz coal in the ground and import someone else’s coal while we transition away from coal?  Or should we use our own coal as we plan to stop it altogether

2. Yes we need to stop our dependence on fossil fuels

• But do we keep the Marsden Oil Refinery going so that we can process our own oil while we transition, especially if NZ is cut off from overseas supplies?
• Does the government have a role in supporting moving from Oil Refining to other greener technologies but using the infrastructure already in place eg at Marsden Point and Tiwai.

3. We need less reliance on Aviation and flying

• But are we all ready to stop flying completely – all of us (I have family in Australia)
• How will pacific countries survive without our winter visits?
• How do our fresh products get to markets overseas
• Is there any circumstances in which we will welcome travellers to NZ, what are they?

4. Tarras Airport

It is easy to say this a thoroughly bad idea, but is there another way of looking at this?  

I know there are good people working at Christchurch Airport on sustainability, on transitions to new technology and fuels.

The Rationale for a new Central Otago Airport states

• It is part of a low-carbon future
• Aviation is critical to trade

You may not agree with their arguments, but this is one company looking into the future and trying to prepare for it.  Is there any way aviation can be part of our medium and long term future?

5. Collaboration as a way forward

How do we deal with this complexity and get positive change to happen?

We need a plan, and commitment to that plan by all sectors in our society
– government at all levels, iwi and community, business, university and research institutes.

I am worried about our failure to collaborate on Three Waters, urban densification, biodiversity loss, RMA reform, Health reform and more…

Lots of questions I know  –  I love the idea of Rod Cameron’s Engage model that grew out of the Scirt collaboration after the earthquakes

Collaboration to me means getting the stakeholders in the room

Iwi, community, business, local and central government, Government Departments, education entities

Collaboration means creating a plan, a strategy a way forward, and getting the team of 5 million on board

I continue to believe that together we can find solutions…

Nice to have this response from Mark Kroening

I enjoyed your piece this week “Climate Change Complexities – are we up for them?”  A few comments that I feel called to share in response:

• No; I seldom speak with anyone who is remotely aware of the scale of change that aligns with a future viable, let alone thriving, planet for humans at scale; however, not all hope is lost
• I encourage adding another persona, something like: “The change facilitator says: ’the only way towards a better future is to go on a learning-by-doing journey in that direction together, solutions come along the way (what do you need to engage, in this place, and be part of developing and trying minimum-viable-solutions from a deeper place of connection and awareness?)’”
• A question I am currently sitting with is: “how can we invite people to go on such a journey without giving them a vision, giving them best practice/positive case studies, or without them suffering in some way first?”  (The first two feel good but don’t work, the third feels horrible, obviously, but has the potential to invite awareness and learning and action that aren’t possible without suffering)
• I would encourage considering the difference between planned and emergent strategy, and how the latter is faster, more fun, and has infinitely more potential; here I am discouraging planning in the ineffective ways it is currently done

It is an awesome time to be alive, with so many exciting puzzles to work on.  How we work on them is pretty critical in my experience (we typically don’t work on them in ways that ultimately lead to the systems change needed to produce different outcomes).  Thanks, and “see” you tomorrow!