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Polycrisis and Just Transition – Part 2
As I offer ideas, I want to be clear: no one can do all the things. We can do our part, as I try to remind myself daily. While it can be daunting to see many things to do, I offer these as a menu of possibilities, and I encourage you to add your own in the comments. Be inspired by the myriad ways that we can counter injustice and create the relationships and ways of being that we want to see grow.
What does just transition mean?
Just transition has become a buzzword (turns out this term can be used to describe a word or phrase) for the future world we want to move toward. It is generally defined as a transition from our current extractive capitalist system toward something better and more equitable. The “something better” may be defined differently by different people. Among the words that are used are regeneration, interdependence, community control, solidarity, and mutual aid. I like the Diverse Economies Iceberg image shared here as it gives us a quick sense of alternatives to our visible, dominant economic arrangements. The Generative Journalism Alliance just completed an interesting set of interviews with various leaders working toward just transition, which you can read about here.
Image description: A graphic of a light blue iceberg floating in a dark blue ocean. Above the waterline, the iceberg says “paid wage labour, production for markets, capitalist business.” Below the water are a long list of other economic activities such as bartering, cooperatives, unpaid labor, informal lending, and volunteering. The Diverse Economies Iceberg is by Community Economies Collective and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
How do we get there?
From my readings to date seeking out new and better models that can support a just transition, I see a few themes. Before launching in, I want to acknowledge that many of us face financial and other constraints that prevent us from taking some of the actions listed below. But it is also true that many of us allow so much of our way of life be dictated by outside forces. We behave as if the standard way of life—wage labor, consumption, and aligning with societal expectations—is the only option. In fact, there are numerous examples of people successfully doing something different. You can, too.
Build power locally. Organizing at a human scale allows us to build meaningful relationships and address conflict constructively. As a part of this, we must rebuild democracy and shared decision-making at the grassroots level. Ideas: engage in local politics in ways that match your passions, join a civic organization that is governed democratically, invest in independent local media, develop skills in facilitation and conflict resolution.
Support the evolution of democracy. There are voting methods that are proven to increase democratic participation and representation. These include measures to make voting more accessible, proportional representation, rank-choice voting, and more. Ideas: vote, encourage others to vote, support non-partisan democratic renewal, oppose gerrymandering.
Participate in mutual aid. Mutual aid organizes people to help each other, with the goal of sharing resources equitably, giving and receiving as needed for everyone to be better off. As UW grad student and researcher Emily Devora Hops comments, “Mutual aid has long been a part of society, and arises whenever ineffective or unjust governing bodies make it necessary for communities to care for each other directly.” Note to nonprofit leaders: mutual aid can challenge us to extend help to all without judgments about worthiness, a cultural habit that is very ingrained for nonprofits and can be damaging to communities. Resources: Check out this visual history of mutual aid, the book Mutual Aid, and the South Seattle Emerald’s recently updated A South End Guide to Mutual Aid Groups in Seattle.
Seek out and promote ethical and equitable alternatives. Individuals want to purchase food that is ethically and sustainably sourced. They prefer to live in communities where everyone can thrive and has their basic needs met. How can we identify good options and reduce barriers to participation for people with lower incomes? Ideas: be an informed consumer, join with others to understand which businesses are aligned with your values and support them, advocate for policies like universal basic income and affordable housing development, consider living in an intentional community.
Invest in the solidarity economy. Building new institutions will take resources. Through philanthropic giving and new forms of investing, we need to shift the resources we control toward new, life-affirming institutions. Ideas: subscribe to community-supported agriculture (CSAs) and shop at farmers markets, join cooperatives, direct your philanthropic giving toward organizations that are creating the future you want to see, offer a low-interest loan to a young person or a local entrepreneur.
Embrace different forms of land ownership. How can we grow collective land ownership and reduce real estate speculation and profiteering? Community land trusts, protection of public lands, housing cooperatives, social housing, and community-owned real estate are all strategies that are working now and can be increased. The land back movement also counters colonial exploitation of land and resources. I read Henry George’s compelling arguments against private property in Progress and Poverty in college, and I agree that private ownership of land is detrimental to society. Alternatives can counter excessive wealth accumulation and land speculation.
Build chosen family. We can create circles of care and concern beyond the nuclear family structure. This has been a survival strategy for trans people, gay men during the AIDS crisis, new immigrants, and other marginalized people. It can also be a values-driven choice to join with others in a collective that commits to being “in it together.” Organized circles of care can be looser, voluntary bonds such as those developed in “villages” helping people age in place, or stronger ties such as an income-sharing intentional community.
What do all these strategies have in common? They are avenues to band together with others who share commitments to living in ways that are more ethical. Communities of care require a leap of faith, and they can offer security and support in difficult times. For me, the draw of building a resilient network of relationships is a powerful reason to pursue some of these ideas.