Resilience Lab Fourth Pathway Summary
This is the Resilience Lab’s fourth pathway of the 8 pathways that were developed by the UNFCCC’s Resilience Frontiers Initiative. The fourth pathway is ‘Managing Water and other Natural Resources Equitably and Inclusively’.
“On 6 November 2021 at COP 26, the Resilience Lab focused on equitable and inclusive resource management to secure a climate-resilient and water-secure world. Introducing the pathway, Tia Kansara, CEO, Replenish Earth, said that before questioning what it means to have an equitable civilization, one must understand what it means to be “civil.” She underscored the differences between justice, equity, and equality, saying that unjust supply chains are seldom linked to personal demands, and sometimes reveal subconscious colonial bias. Linking equity and scarcity, Kansara opened the discussion on what needs to change in order to give everyone the agency to participate at all levels. Participants pointed out that the tragedy of the commons often stems from capitalist ideologies which promote anthropocentric notions of dominion over nature and encourage the cherry-picking of global resources with no consideration for the supply chain or the greater impact this has on communities. Others spoke of hope and celebrated the increasing momentum towards collective, collaborative behavior. Some suggested that the first step in ensuring equitable resource management is to address systemic inequality, and create the social infrastructure needed for people to connect to their community in meaningful ways.
Liv Torc and Chris Redmond, Hot Poets, performed songs and recited poems about finding self-sovereignty and reflecting on feelings on the climate crisis and on discovering resilience even during the darkest of times. They explained that through Hot Poets, they explore the role of arts in environmental dialogue and attempt to counter the narrative of doom and despair. They highlighted the need to restructure our definition of success and make it synonymous with service, linking this to prior discussions on creating a just world that fuels mutual cooperation. Redmond and Torc raised questions relating to the role of arts on the path towards resilience. As a field that communicates with emotion and not just information, they said the arts offer a new mode of thinking, one which can create holistic mindsets. To create a fresh perspective in the audience, they asked participants to write a haiku about a resilient world. The short poems drafted by the participants revealed messages of longing towards mindful co-existence with nature and a world where poetry and science are interconnected.
The organizers highlighted that Resilience Frontiers allowed creativity to flourish, both through performing arts and through explorative conversations. They expressed hope that panelists and participants had discovered new pathways for thought and action, aligning with the Resilience Lab’s overarching goal of envisioning a regenerative world. Merging emotion through art, with dialogue about global resource management, the organizers welcomed the creation of novel, multi-sensory experiences unlocking new mental avenues for positive change (Resilience Frontiers, 2021).”
References
Resilience Frontiers, 2021. Introducing Pathway 5: Managing transboundary issues equitably.
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