Seeing

After this very first Downloading phase, we started Seeing: perceiving the topic of climate justice from

different entry points, knowing new approaches and seeing from different perspectives.

What do we mean by Seeing?

Beutelschmidt et al (2013) summarized this phase as follows:

“The path now opens up to the next process stage: to Seeing. We see with “new” eyes and open our perception, look with fresh eyes at ourselves, our actions and our goals. What constitutes this new seeing?

A helpful metaphor here is the quality of amazement of a child who discovers the wonders of everyday life. Children refrain from judgement, they look at things that catch their eye with curiosity and from different perspectives in order to explore them better. Children do this without any pre-existing information or evaluation influencing their observation.

In this phase we are like an unaware child. We take in information with open eyes and ears and bring with us an inner willingness to discover new things. We allow an opening of thinking about ourselves and do not immediately go into evaluation. – We need to develop this inner readiness.

Our experience has taught us that it is essential for this opening of thinking to make visible, to examine and to question the assumptions and convictions of all participants about the present and the future.

This also applies to the habits that make up a process or a theme. Because habits by their nature tend to be conservative, they provide repetition but are not creative (Sheldrake 2012, p. 143).

It often happens that long-standing basic assumptions are not discussed or may not even be conscious. If they are then brought up, they sometimes collapse or the people involved are surprised that they exist at all. This is where people and organisations have so-called blind spots, as aspects that they themselves do not really know about themselves.

We basically assume that a broadened perception and opening of the mind has an immediate effect on our attitude, our visions and our actions, and that we thus open up the dance with the future.

The aim of Seeing is to arrive at the complexity of our realities with an open inner attitude. This requires the ability to question, to take different perspectives and curiosity. In a world that, with its often complex processes and interdependencies, is becoming ever faster for many, ‘seeing’ forms an important basis. It makes high demands on carefulness, attention and openness and at the same time on the knowledge that there will never be a completeness or a single truth at any time.”

Which methods and tools we are using during the Seeing phase?

Exploring, updating and deepening new concepts, models and approaches regarding Sustainable Development and Climate Justice.

In Module 1 and 2, to get new insights and to start perceiving new possibilities, we got a quick overview on new discussions about sustainable development goals, great acceleration, the 9 planetary boundaries, donuts economics, ecocide, environmental security, environmental justice, climate justice and climate equity, among others. We integrated different perspectives to challenge our current paradigms and mindsets.

The learning teams came together to reflect on the key challenges to achieve climate justice and to inclusive and transparent negotiations.

Outlining your climate action idea

You will draft your first ideas to co-create a climate action initiative related to climate change

adaptation, mitigation and/or climate justice.

Assumptions about the situation you want to change

Identifying our assumptions regarding to the changes that are needed. Here we used Galtung’s Violence and Peace Triads to identify direct, cultural and structural dimensions regarding climate injustice and climate justice.

At the same time, this tool provides a deeper understanding of the underlying root causes of climate injustice.

Understanding the situation that you want to change from different perspectives

First you will take a look at the way you are gathering, perceiving and using data. For that, you will reflect on our “Instincts vs. Principles of Factfulness” in order to elaborate your own fact-based analysis about:

• Impact of climate change on social-ecological systems
• Climate change
• Climate change adaptation and mitigation
• Specific footprints compared by country and/or regions (carbon foot print, ecological footprint, water footprint…)
• Climate justice
• Climate equity reference framework 
• Legal and political frameworks,

… according to your context and potential climate justice initiative.

Seeing from different perspectives:

• Identifying social actors
• Perceiving from different perspectives

Summarizing your findings according to the different levels of change

• Cow parable
• 4 levels of analysis from social psychology
• Analysis by levels of change