Towards Cooperative Commonwealth: Transition in a Perilous Century

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System Change, not Climate Change, is a common refrain among climate justice activists. It makes sense.  My 13-year-old niece, daughter of a hereditary chief, and her aging uncle  (me) shouted this chant along with 10,000 others. Led by the drumming and songs of indigenous people we climbed Burnaby mountain with one purpose: to declare the pipeline to bring Alberta Tar Sands oil to the Vancouver harbour was the wrong path. Respecting the rights of nature and indigenous territories and the vital need to politically commit to a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels was elevated as a declaration to Choose Life.

The news is discouraging. From 2009 to 2019, fossil fuels dropped from 80.3% of total energy consumption to 80.2%. This was when electricity from solar and wind power grew exponentially.  However, though their contribution to electricity generation grew to 8.7%, it represents only 3.3 % of total energy. 

It is little wonder UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is so strident in his warnings. 

“We continue to feed our fossil fuel addiction, emissions continue to rise, and our collective negligence radically alters human and natural systems. Yet alternatives like renewable energy remain a minuscule percentage of total energy generation, and world leaders continue to promote economic growth as a viable response to climate change.

We have a choice – collective action or collective suicide. It’s in our hands.

Can we Navigate to a Safe Space for All Beings?

Inspiring and regenerative innovations to meet basic needs exist, and we know quite a bit about what it takes to spread them and scale impacts. 

The Synergia Institute elevates ‘transition innovations’ that are democratic, decentralized, distributed, diversified, and tailored to place,  the key features of resilient communities and regions. Likewise, we know the regeneration of dead soil and ecosystem health is possible on small and large scales. This is among the good news stories featured in the 6th edition of a Massive Open Online Course called ‘Towards Cooperative Commonwealth: Transition in a Perilous Century. 

However, it is not easy. There are no cookie-cutter approaches. Focused attention over time to organize and make connections, challenge the status quo, and build partnerships; all and more must be brought into play. Changing the priorities, policies, and rules to preserve the commonwealth of all beings of the earth rather than the private wealth of the few is possible.

However, meeting basic needs is becoming ever more complex. The climate system is only one of 9 planetary boundaries being breached. Fresh water is the 6th, announced in 2023.

Our Way of Being in the World – our Systems – are out of Sync with Reality

Economic growth is tethered to fossil fuels, profit-seeking investment capital, and loans that must be paid back with compound interest.  But it is not likely they will be. Why? 

We depend on fossil fuels for a reason; there is no more powerful, dense, and flexible energy source on the planet.  Consider this:

Eight hours of physical work generates 0.6 kWh. One barrel of oil generates 1700 kWh, equivalent to 4.5 years of physical work by one person.  In September 2022, oil hit $97, its highest price since 2014. One human working 4.5 years (2000 hours at $10/hr U.S.) costs  $90,000, enough to buy 928 barrels of oil. Do the math, and it turns out the 100 million barrels we consume yearly is equivalent to having  93 billion energy slaves working for us 24-7. 

It is not hard to see the dilemma we are in. What is very challenging is to take this physics-based fact and work on three broad fronts.

Reducing Emissions is Important: Every 10/th of a Degree Matters.

In June of 2023, the average global temperature breached 1.5 degrees, exceeding the high point  (about 1.2 degrees) reached in the interglacial period of 150,000 years ago. Resistance to fossil fuel expansion must be sustained. It is a practical and moral imperative embedded in Choosing Life.

Adaptation, Resilience: Restoring the Foundations for Life

Meeting basic needs in ways that draw down carbon from the atmosphere, conserve energy, and restore ecosystem health can be taken where we live.  Indeed, with proper resources and support, we also know ecosystem restoration on a grand scale is possible. Take a look and be inspired.

Demanding the Top 1% Pay their Share

The top 1%  emit 70% as much carbon as the bottom 50%. Estimates by the IMF identify $483 billion in annual direct tax losses due to avoidance (2021) and triple that amount in indirect losses from tax from multinational corporation tax abuse and fraud. While the 2009 $100 billion/year commitment by ‘developed’ countries to support adaptation in the south while improving, it has never been met to date. 

If you have read this far,  I invite you to join an international team of excellent facilitators with incredible dialogue and join us for a collaborative learning journey in 2024. In 2023, 1060 people from 75 countries registered. 

Here are just a few of the scores of comments from the 2023 participants.

Sense of Community

“Thanks to the real sense of community the MOOC provided me, I no longer feel as though I am just a voice in the wilderness when it comes to speaking out to support those whose voice has been muffled, ignored, and marginalized. This course has given me the confidence to converse with others regarding finding solutions for complex issues. … I feel I can see new avenues towards making real and sustainable change in my neck of the woods thanks to looking at things from a systems theory lens.”

An Amazing Resource

“I felt the authors and speakers were often the most highly respected and sought-after voices. …I teach college students so I am going to integrate some of what i learned in my own teaching. It was excellent – such an amazing resource.”

Peer-to-Peer Learning

“The richness of this MOOC lies in the diverse knowledge and experiences of the community, comprised of practitioners, academics, activists, and students, who come together to share and exchange knowledge in the forums. Reading and engaging with these experiences and contributions … will allow you to gain perspective on your own experiences before presenting them.”

Tangible Alternatives

“I’ve been exposed to tangible alternative models & tools that have the power to enact systemic changes towards a regenerative economy. From agriculture, energy, healthcare and finance, the threads of how these sectors can be interwoven have become much clearer. I can better see the whole picture, which gives me the ability to act on a select area and find my role tangibly.”

Study Circles

“The local study circles organized really helped to deepen knowledge and bring it into the local context… I especially loved the small group sharing, as it allowed us to be in the questions together. The interaction was really key for me. And I loved that we all brought our stories. It was deepening, for sure. I had done this course a few years back, and hadn’t been part of a small group. It made a big difference for me in terms of impact.”

Reflection

“The MOOC provided the time and space to have reflective conversations about systems that I encounter constantly and examples of how people have tried to change or move away from these systems.”

Syneriga hopes to nourish and strengthen your individual and collective capacities to contribute meaningfully to our common and troubled home.

The course is composed of 7 modules that run over 21 weeks.

Each of the seven modules runs for three weeks. Each requires at least 2 hours a week.

• Week 1 of each module is devoted to reviewing video and text resources and an initial discussion of the module topic.
• In week 2 of each module, we explore forum topics in more depth with participants across the world and also invite small groups to meet to develop a collective grasp of the issues, strengthen their capacity to think about how to effect systems change, and explore specific ways to apply ideas and frameworks in their work.
• Week 3 is guided by you. We provide a reflection prompt that will help you deepen your learning. Or you can take some downtime or catch up on reading or watching 

An 8th module, “Constructing your Synthesis,” is optional and requires an additional two weeks. Each year, some participants have used Module 8 to firm up and share their action plans to receive constructive feedback.  Synergia and Athabasca award certificates and a Masters Level University Credit is available. The latter requires a fee of around 350 Canadian and is awarded by Athabasca University. 

If you are serious or only curious, take a look at www.synergiainstitute.org. There is lot to consider on the website that will help you decide. And remember, you take what you need. You are in the driver’s seat, fueled by renewable energy.