At Penny U
on March 3, 2015, participants were charged with this question:
How can we
raise awareness that the crises of climate change and economic inequality are
heating up? What image would be catalytic? Is there an icon for climate change?
"Image"
was not meant to be just visual. It could be expressed as metaphor, story, or
symbol. We seem to have international symbols for many things, like fragile or recycle, but not, apparently, for climate change.
The images
& stories that emerged from 30 participants around six tables follow. More
background on the conversation and other ideas that came up are in another
post, "Notes March 3: Climate Change & Economic Inequality"
[here].
• There's
a gigantic opportunity here. The green economy is coming, and it's coming fast!
Drawn from her hand gestures, a chart in Rachel's mind is something like this:
The
green economy is growing, but the negative impact of climate change is
increasing at a faster rate. The goal is to ramp up the trend line for green
energy.
• Technology
offers one of the happier images.
• The
Bullitt Center is an example of the positive use of technology. (Several tables
mentioned it.) It's inspiring in its aims to meet the goals of the "Living
Building Challenge." <http://www.bullittcenter.org/vision/living-building-challenge/> Its commitment to zero waste shows the
possibilities, even though it plays into a market mentality. It's flawed, but a
good example. The building feels austere; it is a scientific image not an
artistic one, and that's OK. Can the ideas it embodies be expanded to more
situations?
• Van
Jones used powerful images of solar panels, gleaming in the sun.
• 350.org
has become an image. In its own words, it "is building a global climate
movement"…"To preserve a livable planet, scientists tell us we must
reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from its current level of 400 parts
per million to below 350 ppm.
• What
always sticks in my mind is the group effort, training for the art of action.
• James
Balog's documentary, Chasing Ice,
asks, "What are you going to tell your kids (or future generations) about
what you did back then to make their
lives possible?" This is often said, but in this film it was put in a way
that can relate to many people.
• Termite
mounds are a demonstration of balanced communities.
• A
cool green stream.
• Earth
image –>
Earth Day The Whole Earth Catalog, with the earth even
farther out. Apollo image with earth in the background. Several tables
mentioned this image, though one person whose family is from China added, "This picture of
the earth wouldn't make sense to my family."
• Mountain peak and snow.
• Radical
inconvenience = radical change.
• Green
is beautiful, green is $. "Green is cool." Focus on lifestyle, on a
way of life that's cool.
• Create
an interactive icon that allows an audience to create what they care about in
it. That will reflect who your market is.
• The
peace symbol as an example. Several tables mentioned it. "Everyone knows
what it means."
• Provide
an image that shows we have made some positive changes, have become more
efficient.
• Stories: When Morgan Stanley says, "Get out of
coal," I'm really inspired. There's also a story going around that the
reason the Saudis dropped the price of oil is that they see the end of the game
and want to be the ones who sell the last drop.
• Thailand
is HOT, it's HOT in the American West. "We live in hotter places."
(Thailand)
• Though
not an image as much as an action, maybe payment systems should be put in
place. That is, make people pay a personal penalty.
• "Intimidation
into ethics." Can we use
intimidation to move people toward ethical behavior? Can an image create shame
and guilt?
• Ideas
that resonated at one table: "pricelessness," "sacrifice,"
and "scarcity." Some environmental assets are priceless. The earth is
more important than any economic activity.
• Concept
artwork, proof of concept, and speculative fiction can all contribute to this.
• An
anti-image
• Predictive
texts might be catalytic: 1) Storm
impact
Katrina –>
New Orleans
Sandy –>
DC
2) Drought
3) Super cold weather
• Image/story
of climate change as a tipping point for war, especially in terms of the
scarcity of resources. For example, the 1783-1784 Laki volcanic eruption in
Iceland led to food scarcity in Europe and was a tipping point for the French
Revolution. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/15/iceland-volcano-weather-french-revolution>
• Or,
an image/story of the connection between global climate patterns and the
political economy, as presented by Mike Davis in his book, Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third
World. What happens when a well-off country is afflicted by food shortages?
• Another
story: the future will be more fulfilling through work that builds community.
"Let's have fun doing
this!" The Transition Initiative
movement was given as an example. <www.transitionnetwork.org/support/what-transition-initiative>
• Water
scarcity is the pivot point for everything now. State policies have to change
and encourage conservation instead of utilization.
• Is
disaster good, or even necessary? What will pull society off the edge? Will it
take population reduction? Will it take sacrifice? And, how do you sell that in the world? Sacrifice is tied up
with scarcity, but it's part of the process and the $ is there.
• Small
steps from the ground up. We have to believe we can make a difference. It has
to be easy to understand. Preparing to go to the moon took many little steps
over a long time.
• "Imagine
a desert landscape and you're in a car packed full of your belongings, and you
come upon a hobo and a dog," Miles said. "You have room for only one
of them. Which would you take along?" Or would you get rid of some
stuff? Or would you get out and walk
with them?
• "The
'blue planet' image is positive for all."
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