Can we transform the world by 2031? A new BBC Ideas video shows how we've made major shifts before
We really liked this video from veteran environmental campaigner Andrew Simms, on how we shouldn’t be so daunted by the IPCC’s challenge that we have 12 years to avert runaway and cataclysmic climate disruption - because we’ve made rapid transitions before.
And then we remembered we had blogged this argument a year ago - based on Simms’ excellent paper on the subject. Enjoy the above, but head here for the deeper arguments in their booklet (launch page, download PDF). The contents page lays out the key examples of rapid transitions they cover:
HOW WE’VE CHANGED
When volcanoes erupt: the Eyjafjallajökull explosion in Iceland, and how people adapted to when the ashes shut everything down
In extreme circumstances: How Rojava and Greece responded to economic and military shocks
When work changes: The Netherlands' 4 day week has embedded itself in the society
When culture shifts: How consumerism shifted, when Sao Paulo began to ban adverts
When new movements emerge: Transition Towns and Ecuador's Buen Vivir as inspirational exemplars
HOW WE’VE CHANGED THE WORLD AROUND US
When homes are needed: After the Second World War, millions of houses were publicly built in the UK
When you need transport: Post-war highways, containerisation and electric trains were grand acts of construction
When you need clean energy: Costa Rica, Denmark, Germany and the UK show how quickly it can be generated
When the world suddenly shifts: When the Soviet Union ended, Cuba was unplugged - but responded powerfully, improving health and wellbeing
HOW WE’VE CHANGED THE ECONOMY
When Banks Fail: After the Crash in 2008, the state did what it had to, to save the economy
When you need a new deal: Franklin D. Roosevelt turned the US around in the 30's with visionary legislation
When a country reinvents itself: Iceland after the financial Crash fundamentally reexamined its way of governing
When industries become obsolete: it's possible to shift spending from military industry to other forms
When conflict calls: faced with Nazism, Britain reorganised itself with startling speed