It was a cool experience conducting an online workshop using physical card decks with participants spread out across 5 ASEAN countries! How far the Getting to Zero game has come. 😄
My Reflections:
This run of the workshop was a good reminder that since the energy industry is the largest contributor to emissions, needle-moving solutions often involve institutional change. This is also the reason why the Getting to Zero game first seeks to help players understand institutional action, before shifting their focus to individual action (with relevance drawn to their context).
At the same time, it is also important to keep in mind that individual action is not restricted to small actions like refusing single-use plastic or making the switch to more energy-efficient appliances. Individuals have the power to rally those around them. Collective action can pressurise institutions in enacting system change.
This session also brought about more debrief pointers that we can add to our facilitation repertoire:
One group spoke about wanting to convey the idea that time is not on our side when tackling climate change, and that humans need to act more drastically in order to mitigate the effects of climate change.
A group from the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health (SCPH) shared that Ipoh has regular car-free days (fourth Sunday of every month), where some roads are closed for community activities. Possible discussion on the pros and cons of this policy:
(+) The event is well-received by locals, and can raise awareness of climate change.
(-) People may drive a longer distance to avoid the block roads, which is counter-productive.
(-) The scale of impact may not be large enough, i.e. it does not reduce emissions significantly. System changes may be necessary, e.g. improving public transport infrastructure.
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