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��Transformative action��These slides were generously donated to the SOPHEA project by�

Dr. Friederike v. Gierke – M.D., KLUG e.V.

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You may use these slides under the following Creative Commons license:

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In this presentation

Reflection I
Transformation and tipping points
Why engagement is worthwhile and how to become active
Reflection II

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Reflection I

Take 2-3 minutes to reflect on the following questions:

What can I do individually to contribute to a positive transformation?
What can I do collectively?
How can I influence policy?
Where are my hurdles and how can I overcome them?

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Transformation – what is it?

What transformations do you know?

social, political, personal, historical, …

Examples for global transformations:

Neolithic transformation
Industrial Revolution

Digital transformation

- The Neolithic Revolution, also known as the First Agricultural Revolution, was the wide-scale transition of many human cultures during the Neolithic period in Afro-Eurasia from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement, making an increasingly large population possible. (Jean-Pierre Bocquet-Appel (29 July 2011). "When the World's Population Took Off: The Springboard of the Neolithic Demographic Transition". Science. 333 (6042): 560–561. )

- The African Union talks about the 4^th Industrial Revolution in Africa “the African Union Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Prof. Victor Harrison, notes that the rapid growth in the tech sector is an indication of a positive shift towards the 4th Industrial Revolution which the continent, if it prepares itself through adequate policies and readiness of the private sector, could enormously benefit through industrial development, digitalization and greater integration, which in turn would result in greater opportunities for our growing youthful populations.” https://au.int/fr/node/38163

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Characteristics of great transformations

co-evolutionary:

rely on a great number of changes in different socio-technical (sub)systems, and take place at local, national and global action levels.

Innovative:

Both in (niche) sectors as well as their embedding in embedding through markets, regulations, infrastructures and new social guiding principles.

numerous actors
radical in terms of impact and reach
so far: slow and uncontrolled
decentral!

Source: World in Transition A Social Contract for Sustainability (WBGU German Advisory Council on Global Change, Flagship report, 2011)

On this basis, the authors elaborate a set of general characteristics of large-scale change processes: Large-scale change processes are co-evolutionary, presuppose a multitude of changes in different socio-technical (sub)systems and take place at local, national and global levels of action. They include both the development of (niche) innovations and their selection by users and their anchoring in society via markets, regulations, infrastructures and new social models. They are influenced by a large number of actors from politics, science, business, civil society and consumers. They are ultimately radical processes in terms of their impact and scope, but may take place slowly over several decades. Following these characteristics, major transformations have no clear centre from which they emanate and they are difficult to control. In fact, the two previous surges of human civilisation (Neolithic and Industrial Revolutions; Box 3-1, 3.2-1), which the WBGU classifies as major transformations, were not controlled processes but results of evolutionary change. A central and historically new challenge in the great transition to a climate-compatible and resource-efficient global economy in which the limits of the Earth system are respected is thus to shape this complex process (Messner, 1997).

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Arenas of transformation today

Energy basis: From fossil fuels to renewable energy
Enormous acceleration to avoid irreversible damages to the Earth system

apply a long-term perspective to actions, to take on responsibilities and practice preventative instead of reactive problem solving

New basic infrastructures as a foundation for the low-carbon society

energy systems trend reversal
climate-friendly shaping of accelerating urbanization
climate-compatible land use

Social change and power shifts

global cooperation, and international fairness

Source: World in Transition A Social Contract for Sustainability (WBGU German Advisory Council on Global Change, Flagship report, 2011)

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Initiating transformation processes

Multi-level analysis approach, - three initially independent but nevertheless mutually influencing levels of action (megatrends, socio-technical regimes, niche level). Changes and dynamics in these levels of action create the possibility space for transformations. In the middle is the established socio-technical regime; in our case the global economy based on the use of fossil fuels (high-carbon economy). At the lower level, niches and pioneers of change are formed: the more marginal and smaller these pioneer groups are, the less likely a transformation to a climate-compatible society is. Without these pioneers, no transformative change is possible. They are no longer only actors on the margins of the established climate compatible system, but have also spread within the established structures of the economy, without the tipping point for system transformation having been reached yet: environmentally oriented economic sectors have emerged, as have the European emissions trading system or feed-in tariffs for renewable energies. The discourse on climate-compatible development is no longer an outsider's discourse; it stands almost on an equal footing with the established growth course.

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Transformation and tipping points

Tipping points are “critical thresholds in a system that, when exceeded, can lead to a significant change in the state of the system, often with an understanding that the change is irreversible”.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Source: National Climate Assessment 2014. https://www.c2es.org/2014/09/tipping-points-and-climate-change-revisiting-the-day-after-tomorrow/ consequences

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Social tipping elements

Otto et. al.; Social tipping dynamics for stabilizing Earth’s climate by 2050.; 2020

Social tipping elements (STEs) and associated social tipping interventions (STIs) with the potential to drive rapid decarbonization in the World–Earth system. The processes they represent unfold across levels of social structure on widely different timescales, ranging from the fast dynamics of market exchanges and resource allocation on subannual timescales to the slow decadal- to centennial-scale changes on the level of customs, values, and social norms (51).

Otto, Ilona & Donges, Jonathan & Cremades, Roger & Bhowmik, Avit & Hewitt, Richard & Lucht, Wolfgang & Rockström, Johan & Allerberger, Franziska & McCaffrey, Mark & Doe, Sylvanus & Lenferna, Alex & Morán, Nerea & Vuuren, Detlef & Schellnhuber, Hans. (2020). Social tipping dynamics for stabilizing Earth’s climate by 2050. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 117. 201900577. 10.1073/pnas.1900577117.

‘positive tipping points’ at which small interventions can trigger self-reinforcing feedbacks that accelerate systemic change. (Lenton, T., Benson, S., Smith, T., Ewer, T., Lanel, V., Petykowski, E., . . . Sharpe, S. (2022). Operationalising positive tipping points towards global sustainability. Global Sustainability, 5, E1. doi:10.1017/sus.2021.30)

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Social tipping points can start transformation

Examples of positive socio-political change:

Independence from colonial rule
End of apartheid in South Africa
Women's suffrage
Human rights
Abolition of slavery
Prohibition of child labour
Establishment of trade unions
…

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Levels of transformation

Makro

Meso

Mikro

e.g. individual lifestyle changes

e.g. national and international politics

e.g. in the workplace, community, sports club, ...

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Why engagement is worthwhile

It makes sense to reduce the footprint, but above all to �increase the handprint
Commitment pays off!

Makro

Meso

Mikro

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Action for planetary justice

Public investment in sustainable infrastructure
Promotion of circular economy
Introduction of sustainable measurement indicators for prosperity
…

Quelle: Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire

Don't forget to think about climate justice. Those who have caused the climate crisis the least suffer the most from its effects. Not only fix the unjust status quo, but work for real climate justice.- Wealth taxes, carbon taxes on luxury goods - such as carbon sales taxes on SUVs, private jets or superyachts, or levies on business class or frequent flyers - and broader progressive carbon pricing- Ending subsidies for coal, oil, gas, aviation fuel, company cars- Public investment in sustainable infrastructure, e.g. public transport, cycle paths, digital communications, improving the energy efficiency of homes, expanding renewable energies- Promote circular economy, e.g. ban on advertising in public spaces, right to repair - Detachment from GDP and introduction of sustainable indicators for measuring prosperity, e.g. New Zealand Wellbeing Budget- Inclusion of marginalised groups in social discourse.Equality refers to the general absence of differences between groups of people. Equality would mean, for example, that all people are equally exposed to environmental risks, have the same prevalence of disease and have the same life expectancy. Equality means that there are no avoidable, unfair or remediable differences between groups of people and therefore involves a value judgement. For example, differences in mortality by age group are natural and cannot be considered an equity issue. However, significant differences in mortality or environmental impact between low-income and high-income groups would be considered unfair and avoidable, and therefore pose an equity challenge.

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How to become active: Target and Action levels

Action levels

Knowledge

Engagement

Material

Research

Climate-sensitive health counselling

Mitigation

- Climate-neutral health sector

- Related or further topics

Target levels

Adaptation

- Treatment of diseases

- Structural adaptation

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Everything is interconnected!

Projects & groups

SOPHEA

Grass root projects

Networks

Planetary Health Alliance

Research projects

Many more opportunities

Action level

Knowledge

Engagement

Material

Research

Climate-sensitive health counselling

Mitigation

- Climate-neutral health sector

- Related or further topics

Target level

Adaptation

- Treatment of diseases

- Structural adaptation

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How to start ?

Impact

Effort (time or money)

little impact + little effort

--> "low hanging fruits

little impact + much effort

--> rather less worthwhile

much impact + much effort

--> resource consuming

much impact + little effort

--> worthwhile!

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Reflection II

Take 2-3 minutes to discuss with your neighbour:

What is my take-away from this lecture?
How did these insights changed my perception of how to contribution to a positive transformation?