Transformative social change within a complex adaptive (and ecologically finite) system

The 6th mass extinction is one (very important) symptom of the broader Anthropocene that we find ourselves in. To me, the most important questions that the Anthropocene raises are about our collective ethics and some of the fundamental (or dominant) worldviews that shape the governance and norms in our current civilisation. A key question this raises for the type of change we are calling for is:

• Do we truly appreciate the significance of our moment in history as requiring a collecitve cultural shift, or do we see it as a series of engineering challenges?

Underneath this, I think important questions to be addressed when considering transformative change as a system change might be:

• How do we provoke a smooth transition, whilst reaching the necessary scale and time demands? and
• How do we make our interventions impactful and conscious of dynamics and uncertainties inherent in complex systems and directive social change? 

Some rationale and sub-questions behind these points- and apoligies, I'm sure it goes into the topics and questions covered over the coming days.

1. Many observers recognise that the Anthropocene calls us to shift humanity's collective (cultural) niche regarding our role in the biosphere- re-orienting our economic systems within societal goals, and re-orienting our societal goals to fit within the biosphere.

2. To truly grasp the significance of humanity's role in biodiversity loss, I think we need to better appreciate the significance and impacts of our decisions in the perspective of deep time- extinctions in the context of evolutionary scales, and the universal rarity and complexity of life on Earth. It may help us realise the buffoonery implicit in extinctions that could be avoided, and the irony for “Homo sapien sapiens” to knowingly presiding over the destruction of natural systems that underpin our own near, mid and far term prospects.

3. If we grasp the time issue, and the urgency for shifting the system, it raises questions about how do we change. How can we support meaningful change in the deep roots of our dominant ways of viewing and valuing nature and do so rapidly, but with consciousness of the dynamics of change inherent in complex adaptive systems? Are the ontologies, axiologies and other elements of Modernist and Post-Modernist worldviews fit-for-purpose to govern us in our newfound influence over the biosphere? How do we start to raise consciousness of the problematic elements deep in our values and, how might we support diverse and emergent exploration of solutions that are fit-for-purpose for many world views and cultures? How do we start to support a shift in values about nature at multiple levels and aspects of society? How can we be strategic to avoid unexpected impacts, and how can we navigate systemic pushback to change? How might we start to change the conversation & what is the role of the UN and the IPBES to influence system change? For example, might we provoke governance systems through global environmental monitoring and legal change through recognition of the rights of nature so as to keep us paying attention and responsive to our impacts? How do we make the interventions open to IBES their most meaningful?