Blueprint

The Knowledge Hub
Greener Vision works with partners towards finding solutions to major challenges

A long-term solution to climate change requires systemic change.  Working for a more environmentally sustainable future is impossible without at the same time working to irradicate poverty, hunger, social injustices and the causes of conflict.  The major challenges we face are interconnected and stem from our way of thinking.

Systemic change is first and foremost a personal endeavour. Greener Vision draws on insights from The Tabula Project with the aim of developing a blueprint for change. If we are to change behaviours and outcomes, we need to change the premises which led to them.  For real and lasting change, we need to begin with ourselves.

A BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE

 

THE TABULA PROJECT – A Blueprint for Change If we are to rise to the challenge of addressing our most serious social, environmental and systemic problems we must start by looking at ourselves.

We need a radical realignment of how we perceive ourselves in relation to others and the environment on which we depend. We are wired to focus on immediate self-interest, but the result is a lack of systemic wisdom.  We need to think and act in a global long term context.  Such a realignment could be beneficial and potentially transformative for businesses, governments and all parts of society.

By examining our current thought patterns and clearing our minds of obstructions to progress we can begin the work of building a new paradigm.

The level of threat we live with is greater than ever, but the mindset that got us into this predicament won’t get us out of it.

Our planet is heating up at an alarming rate. We face increased risks of nuclear war, ecological collapse and global systemic failures which could trigger untold chaos and suffering. We are living through a period of heightened geopolitical tension with conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East bringing ever greater dangers. There is growing concern about the potential existential risk posed by the misuse of artificial intelligence.

Addressing these major challenges will require a global commitment to sustainable development and responsible technological innovation, a sea change in international negotiations and an unprecedented level of global cooperation at a very time that the world order is being upended.  A new approach is needed if we are to rise to the existential threats we face.

We need to realign how we perceive ourselves in relation to others and the environment on which we depend. We need shift in mindset from one where we are narrowly focused on immediate self-interest to one where we recognise our fundamental interdependence with each other and the biosphere, and are at one with our society, our environment and the world around us.

Everything is connected. We must remove climate change and sustainability issues from silos and push for systemic change.

Climate change is often mischaracterised as an exclusively environmental issue when it is a broader system threat to the global economy, financial system, public health and security. Rising global temperatures, extreme weather events and disruptions to ecosystems and agriculture could lead to widespread displacement of people, food shortages and resource conflicts.

Those most vulnerable to the climate crisis are those who did least to cause it.  Issues pertaining to the environment, society and ethics cannot be separated. The 17 interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim for “peace and prosperity for people and the planet” [i] . Progress on one SDG can positively impact other goals, whereas setbacks in one area can hinder progress across the board.

Armed conflicts have the capacity to derail global efforts to limit warming. It has been estimated that in its first two years the Russian-Ukraine war generated at least 175 million tonnes of GHG and produced $32 billion in climate damage [ii]. And yet in a future dominated by resource shortages and mass migration, as more parts of the world become uninhabitable, the risk of conflict increases exponentially.

The sanctity of truth in a post-truth world.

“The first casualty of war is the truth”. Whether attributed to US politician Senator Hiram Warren Johnson in 1918, or Dr Samuel Johnson in 1758, or ancient Greek dramatist Aeschylus around 550 BC, the quote encapsulates the eternal challenge of being guided by the evidence and of recognising all sides of the argument during times of crisis.

A clear goal for The Tabula Project from the outset has been the sanctity of truth. This imperative comes into ever sharper focus with the concerning rise in populism. Opinions are increasingly based on emotions and beliefs rather than facts. We are seeing an erosion of our capacity to think at a very time when new threats are emerging with the potential to wipe us out.

It has never been more important to be able to separate fact from fiction. In his famous quote, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” Mahatma Gandhi emphasized the importance of personal transformation as a catalyst for positive change. Ultimately it will be through the cumulative impact of changes at the individual level that society may one day evolve.

PART I – EXAMINING PERCEPTIONS

 

In order to focus our minds on what matters we need first to observe our thinking. This involves examining assumptions governing our understanding of the world, how we perceive ourselves in relation to others, and how we relate to society and the world around us.

Does language determine thinking, or is it the other way around? Where can meaning and truth be found? Are there inalienable truths, or is everything we know just opinion?

Our understanding of the world is heavily influenced by prevailing paradigms. It is also limited because we are part of the world we seek to understand.  We need to recognise the filters through which we perceive the world.  This involves the need for insight and perspective on ourselves.

PART I – EXAMINING PERCEPTIONS – DISCUSSION

  1. Understanding the self
  2. Evolving to survive
  3. Learning to see better

PART II – CLEARING OBSTRUCTIONS

 

Socrates once famously declared that “The unexamined life is not worth living”. We need to develop the ability to observe ourselves with a higher degree of detachment.

We create much of our own misery. We are often burdened with conflicting thoughts and feelings, which cause confusion and hinder us – both as individuals and as a society.

We need to strip away false preconceptions and misperceptions if we are to understand the fallacies we labour under and respond adequately to the challenges we face.

PART II – CLEARING OBSTRUCTIONS – DISCUSSION

  1. Gaining a deeper understanding
  2. Removing barriers to progress
  3. Living fully in the present

PART III – BUILDING A NEW PARADIGM

 

The aim is to use the mind as opposed to being used by it. This includes the freedom to choose what to think, where to put our attention and at times to clear the mind of thought.

To understand itself the mind needs to step outside of rational thought. If we use analytical thought we will be fighting a losing battle, because we would be using the same thinking to understand the very thing we are trying to transcend.

Art can be a window into higher awareness. Patterns can be a means of expressing the inexpressible, where verbal communication is inadequate. There are fundamental principles about how things work. These principles can be captured in patterns.

PART III – BUILDING A NEW PARADIGM – DISCUSSION

  1. Transcending current thought patterns
  2. The foundations of a new paradigm
  3. Where we will be one day

REFERENCES

[i] https://sdgs.un.org/goals

[ii] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/russias-war-in-ukraine-has-produced-usd32-billion-in-climate-damage/