Leverage Point #8: The strength of negative feedback loops, relative to the impacts they are trying to correct against

Leverage Point #5: The rules of the system (such as incentives, punishment, constraints)

Leverage Point #4: The power to add, change, evolve, or self-organize system structure

 

Sunrise over the Washington Monument. Photo: Leehi Yona

I have been spending the past week in Washington, D.C., interviewing stakeholders and attending events related to young people and climate change.

In my interviews, I have been going through the same standard laundry list of questions. One of my favourite interview questions – which also happens to be one that elicits some of the most insightful responses – is, “In your work on climate change, can you provide me with an example of a time you noticed an imbalance of power?”

Typically speaking, interviewees tell me of a specific time when they noticed an imbalance of power. Many mention the UNFCCC, in particular their participation in COP21. Others talk about social injustice. There was one answer I hadn’t ever heard – until I came to D.C., that is.

In four out of the six interviews I have conducted thus far, interviewees have told me: “Everywhere. The injustices are everywhere.” Some left it at that, while others sought to give me specific examples.

I found it striking that so many of the people working in D.C. felt this way. Maybe it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. As someone who’s worked in D.C. before, though, I had the impression that the people who are drawn to work in the nation’s capital do so because they acknowledge the inherent power (in whatever shape or form – concentration of NGOs and think tanks, proximity to legislators) that is present in the federal American government.

But maybe, by being in a space with such concentrated power, the imbalances inherent in society – beyond just environmental issues – become too big to be seen as distinct from anything else.

What does this mean for climate justice work? It’s hard to say. Maybe the most opportunity for change doesn’t lie in D.C. after all. Maybe it does – because here injustices are inflated, and here there is a lot of concentrated political influence. At the same time, how much can you change things when you feel so powerless? How much can you change things when politics gets in the way?

Some food for thought..