Our latest blog from community member Prof Tom Oliver, proposes that in the 1960s, “a cultural shift seemed to be occurring, from the hubris of infinite growth to perceiving how all humanity exists together on a fragile and finite planet.”
How true is that in 2024, really? In the recent UK general election rhetoric has majored more on economic ‘growth’ than ecology. Bill Clinton’s 1992 winning mantra of ‘It’s the economy, stupid’ seems to have held sway.
Tom goes further:
“Such cultural shifts in the way we see ourselves in relation to the planetary environment are hugely important for environmental protection.” They are examples of what “Donella Meadows, a seminal systems thinker, once described ‘deep leverage points.’” (Do see Simon Cooper’s previous blog)
“For our human interactions with ecosystems, there is growing recognition of the limits of an instrumentalist approach where we value nature only in terms of what it does for us, and an openness to embracing other relational and intrinsic values.
“A root cause of environmental problems … is the dualistic ‘us and them’ thinking that is at core of the Anthropocene.
“A nature-centric perspective is one where we see humans as being on a par with other species, fostering a sense of kinship where we deeply appreciate a more equal connection to nature and appreciating its intrinsic value.
“Can we identify potential developmental programmes that will be most effective in enabling the acceleration of nature-centric awareness in both policy makers and wider society’?
Tom’s writing got us thinking:
· How do the Leading Through Storms Four Pathways to Spirited Leadership help nature-centrism flourish in our societies? Or do they actual hinder it?
· Which of his assumptions ring true for us? Which don’t? How do they relate to our personal ‘deep leverage points’?
If you’re interested in exploring more, do read the blog and reflect on the questions, and then join us online for a small-group inquiry on Monday 16th September 4 -5 pm UK time where we’ll look at what this all means for our actual leadership practice in the world too!
References
It's the economy, stupid - Wikipedia and a recent FT article, which is now behind a paywall: It’s no longer the economy, stupid (ft.com)
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