In The Future We Choose authors Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac create a vision of a thriving future because we successfully averted the climate crisis. It blew my mind.
Then I read Eric Holthaus’ The Future Earth where he gives us a model of what the future could look like “when we win,” when we collectively come together and use our imaginations to envision a completely new way of living.
For the first time, these thinkers made me realize I had assumed there was no hope. I was not using my imagination to envision how reversing the climate crisis could be about making our lives better.
Instead of a story of loss and deprivation and horror, we need to imagine the benefits of changing our ways.
Figueres and Rivett-Carnac call this stubborn optimism.
For your first Create + Climate action, ignite a conversation about how life will be better when we successfully transform our society to dramatically reduce warming.
Why do this?
- To ignite your stubborn optimism
- To share alternative visions of a shared future in which climate doom is not inevitable.
- To begin to make the shift toward a positive view of what lies ahead so that radical change becomes possible.
How to do this?
Take the prompt Imagine if… and create a brief new story of what a future looks like when we address the climate emergency with creativity and courage. When we win and life is better not only because we lowered the carbon in our atmosphere but because we are living and working in a more just fair and loving way.
Here are some ideas to get you thinking (you can share this just as is if you wish):
Imagine if…
- Forest cover worldwide has increased by 50%. What would your favorite city look and feel like?
- Indigenous people worldwide were leaders in climate solutions and their wisdom integrated into policy?
- We had a global stewardship economy instead of an exploitive growth economy?
- Plant-based meat replacements are so affordable and tasty that nobody farms and kills animals anymore.
- Your whole neighborhood grew food together so medians and front yards and empty lots and sides of skyscrapers were gardens you tended together.
- There was a worldwide celebration because emissions have fallen for the 10th year in a row.
- It was possible to travel on an emissionless electric train through a rewilded landscape.
- You could see a species currently threatened with extinction by habitat loss flourishing again.
- You could be an agent for a thriving world without fossil fuels.
Where and how to share your imaginings?
- A conversation with a friend.
- A roundtable discussion at the dinner table or before a work meeting (for work, this kind of scenario building is good for team building and pre-brainstorming)
- On social media and include a link to this page.
- In your email newsletter
- A photograph or collage depicting your “imagine if”
- A family or friend “contest” to see who can create the most wonderful yet believable imagine if
- A video of you imagining your scenario
- A drawing or cartoon
- A poem
- A podcast episode, a conversation with a client, asking your child’s class to dream…
Imagine life when we turn things around.
KEEP IT SIMPLE. JUST START.
Create + Climate is a free service and our impact will grow because you share this with your corner of the world.
On social? Share what you make, discover, experience with #createclimate and tag me @jenlouden on Instagram and @jenlouden on Twitter.
Know that creating anything for anybody is going to feel so good. Action + stubborn optimism is what we need! Don’t make this a big ding-dang-do, just make it a do!
Resources:
In case you are wondering if Figueres and Rivett-Carnac are New Age dreamers, their bios are here and here.
TED talk (delivered in nature!) by Tom Rivett-Carnac or the TED talk by Christiana on stubborn optimism
Eric’s book is here.
Click around Drawdown.org for ideas.
Reimagine our future – more ideas to get your imagination flowing.