‘Setting the Challenge’ seeks to explore new approaches to addressing our greatest challenges.
UN Secretary General António Guterres has declared, “The state of the climate is in a state of emergency. Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key indicator is flashing red.”[1]
Our response to the climate crisis is falling far short of what is required. Our thinking needs to change if we are to rise to the scale of challenge. We are out of alignment with ourselves 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.
The Tabula Project: A Blueprint for Change proposes a radical realignment. Climate policy would benefit from more holistic thinking and an approach that creates unity rather than division. Policy should be underpinned by five ‘Pillars of Unity’*.
In 2025 Greener Vision partnered with the Centre for Energy Ethics-University of St Andrews on The Tabula Project 2025 exhibition and roundtable discussion series. Applying the Pillars of Unity concept to the roundtable discussions highlighted a range of policy priorities, governance and institutional changes and tactics for engaging with the public on net zero.
Building on conclusions from the roundtable discussions, Greener Vision is undertaking a wide-ranging consultation: Setting the Challenge.
Discussions with politicians from all political parties, business leaders and other experts will explore how we might develop a new approach to the most serious challenges we face. The long-term aim is to help foster a realignment that would be beneficial not only in the context of climate policy, but more broadly for governments, businesses and across all parts of society.
Strategic oversight is provided by the Council for the Future chaired by The Rt Hon Lord Deben, former Chair of the Climate Change Committee. Council for the Future is an independent high-level forum to explore new approaches to tackling climate change with particular focus on rebuilding political consensus on net zero and issues pertaining to the public debate.
*THE PILLARS OF UNITY
- Seeing the whole picture – we need to become more honest and self-aware about the rationale for our decision-making. Are our assumptions fit for purpose?
- Integrating heart and mind – we need to engage our emotional as well as rational brains in climate change. Tackling climate change is a battle for hearts and minds.
- Being at one with nature – we need a radical realignment of how we perceive ourselves in relation to the environment on which we depend. We must foster the understanding that protection of nature is protection of ourselves.
- Healing the whole system – means addressing the root causes of problems. To tackle climate change we must tackle the root cause: our addiction to fossil fuels.
- Becoming citizens of ‘One World’ – climate change is a global intergenerational problem requiring unprecedented levels of cooperation. We need to connect with our natural empathy and respect for each other and all living species.
[1] https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/earths-climate-swings-increasingly-out-of-balance
