Climate Collaboration
Hello my dear friends and those who pay attention to these musings of mine,
I want to begin October’s Blog with this Statement from the International Coaching Federation, written 3 years ago in the height of the pandemic in 2020. It inspires me to connect what I am doing in my coaching practice and business to the greater coaching profession and the world at large. I hope it can inspire you as well. I have more to say below, so please read on:
JOINT GLOBAL STATEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE FROM
THE PROFESSIONAL BODIES FOR COACHING, COACHING PSYCHOLOGY, MENTORING & SUPERVISION
Dated 18/10/2020 v2.0
Humankind faces one of its biggest challenges in the current climate and biodiversity crisis. This challenge has been building for decades; many experts concur on the understanding that we have at most a ten-year window of opportunity to address the changes needed to slow down and stabilise the worst-case scenarios of runaway climate change before an irreversible tipping point is reached.
We write this statement in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. It is noteworthy how swiftly people have changed their behaviours in response to the pandemic, how they have come together to collaborate, share resources and do what needs to be done in the face of danger. This response provides many clues and possibilities for useful actions as we face the ongoing greater threats to our climate and ecology which equally provides us with a landscape of learning.
The facts of the ecological crisis are compelling and can be seen in reports by organizations such as the IPCCii. Hundreds of organisations, including governments, have acknowledged and declared a climate emergency. The WHO have estimated that between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress aloneiii. For some climate change represents a concern for future generations. For others crop failures, floods, economic breakdown and stark choices around survival are a current reality. The crisis is highly complex with many interlocking aspects, ranging from protection of natural environments to economic and social issues to mental health concerns.
The interconnectedness of all species and earth systems means this situation can only be tackled through collective action and collaboration at local and global levels. Thankfully, collaboration and connection are hard wired into our DNA and offer us the opportunity to come to this challenge with hope and love, rather than with fear and anxiety.
Coaching, mentoring, coaching psychology and supervision are concerned with developing the potential of human beings, of raising awareness to enable people to take responsibility for their actions and ownership for their contribution. We have a significant role to play in fostering new ways of being in service to a healthy human society and a healthy planet.
As professional bodies who are dedicated wholly or in part to the role of coaching, coaching psychology, mentoring and supervision, to develop individuals, teams, organisations, and to create social value, we have committed to work together to play our part in addressing the climate emergency.
We consider our role in four dimensions:
As individual human beings
As individual coaches, coaching psychologists, mentors and supervisors
As individual professional bodies
As a collective of professional bodies.
It is in this fourth dimension, as a collective of professional bodies, that we make the following joint commitments. These are based on two principal acknowledgements: that learning at pace is now critical, and that well informed professionals, building on core skills of raising awareness and responsibility, envisioning and positive mindset, are well placed to make a significant contribution in this area.
To address the reality and urgency of the climate emergency we commit to:
Raising awareness and knowledge with our members through sharing information and
research
Creating safe and challenging spaces for coaches, coaching psychologists, mentors and
supervisors to reflect on and reconsider their role and their practice
Raising awareness and offering support to our clients to enable them to redesign their
organisations in response to changing needs and good practices
Collaborating to share knowledge between professional bodies and pool resources for
free access by all coaches, without the need for membership. We will model the
behaviour we seek and always collaborate not compete
Developing our thinking and research to further consider how coaching and mentoring
can serve to support society’s transformation through our client work.
Working towards carbon neutrality in our events and activities
Continuing to seek and invite other professional bodies to sign up to this commitment.
Given the ever-changing nature of our global context, we commit to regularly reviewing and revising these shared commitments and active promises as our understanding and our landscape continue to shift.
i IPCC reports on climate change – https://www.ipcc.ch/reports/ https://www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/08/summary-for-policymakers-of-ipcc-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1- 5c-approved-by-governments/ and https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/spm/
ii IPCC reports on climate change - https://www.ipcc.ch/reports/ and https://www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/08/summary-for-policymakers-of-ipcc-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1- 5c-approved-by-governments/
iii WHO (2018) Climate Change and Health: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate- change-and-health
Pretty profound, right? I think of it this way: If we can gather 100,000 or more people in stadium for a Taylor Swift concert or a NFL football game, we can surely raise our vibration to usher in collective consciousness and change our systems to change our future. Agree? Imagine!
In my work and life, I support each and all of us humans on the journey of going from Conscious or Unconscious Climate Anxiety and Despair, to Deep Personal Transformation, to Genuine Hope and Faith, to Collective Motivation and Aligned Action. It sounds lofty I know, and it is. And, I believe we can do it. I have to. I will die believing and trying.
To honor what does need to die in our dominant, normative cultural belief’s and invite and welcome new truths to emerge in our hearts, bodies and minds, I want to borrow some wisdom from Lynne Twist, who wrote The Soul of Money. In her book, written in 2010 and one of my favorites which I highly recommend, she references and compares 2 belief systems: One, the recent and current belief system, that is made up of “3 Toxic Myths of Scarcity,” which are 1) Never Enough, 2) More is Better, and 3) That’s Just the Way It Is. And two, how we can reconceptualize our reality with “3 Surprising Truths of Sufficiency,” which are 1) What we Appreciate Appreciates, 2) Money is Like Water, a Current-cy, and 3) Generosity and Collaboration Create Prosperity.
Are you following me here? What needs to die and what needs to be born in order for us to survive on this planet? How can we assist with this change for our generations to come, for a chance for a meaningful existence with what we have left? We are facing stark realities and I believe it is not too late. We are beginning to awaken and shift.
I can coach you and/or your organization on this. I am all up in it and looking forward to building alliances with others in this shift in consciousness and action. Please reach out and let’s see what we can do together.
Our systems need to change, not just ourselves as individuals. It starts with each of us though. And, coaching can be an amazing way to begin this process of moving from awakening to purposeful action and community strength. NOW IS THE TIME, LOVED ONES, NOW IS THE TIME.
With love, gratitude and warmth,
Erin
“We have an inestimable gift. To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe - to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it - is a wonder beyond words. ANd it is, moreover, an extraordinary privilege to be accorded a human life, with self-reflexive consciousness that brings awareness of our own actions and the ability to make choices. It lets us choose to join the praising and healing of our world.”
~JOANN MACY, WORLD AS LOVER, WORLD AS SELF.
