“10 tools for systems change to a zero carbon world” offers a curated selection of conceptual frameworks and practical approaches for navigating complex sustainability challenges. Developed by Future Stewards, this resource distills systems thinking into accessible tools that help individuals and organizations move beyond addressing symptoms to transforming the underlying structures that perpetuate environmental degradation. While not comprehensive, these tools provide valuable entry points into the rich landscape of systems change methodologies.
Key Highlights
- Multi-Level Perspective: The toolkit introduces a framework for understanding transitions through the interaction of three levels: the landscape (macro trends and contexts), regimes (dominant systems and infrastructures), and niches (emerging innovations). This perspective helps identify leverage points for intervention at different scales.
- Iceberg Model: This fundamental systems thinking tool reveals the deeper structures beneath visible events, highlighting how patterns, systemic structures, and mental models must be addressed for genuine transformation rather than merely responding to surface-level symptoms.
- Three Horizons Framework: A method for conceptualizing transformation as the interaction between the declining first horizon (business-as-usual), the emerging third horizon (the sustainable future), and the transitional second horizon (innovation and adaptation). This approach helps balance immediate needs with long-term vision.
- Transformative Scenarios: The toolkit presents approaches for developing narratives about possible futures that challenge assumptions and create shared understanding among diverse stakeholders, moving beyond prediction to actively shaping desirable outcomes.
- Power & Systems Mapping: Practical approaches for visualizing system dynamics and power relationships, revealing hidden connections, feedback loops, and leverage points that might otherwise remain invisible to change-makers.
Practical Applications
These tools can be applied in various contexts to:
- Help communities diagnose root causes of sustainability challenges rather than merely addressing symptoms
- Guide organizations in developing strategic interventions that account for system dynamics and potential unintended consequences
- Facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues that build shared understanding across different perspectives and interests
- Identify leverage points where relatively small interventions might catalyze system-wide change
- Design resilient initiatives that can adapt to changing conditions while maintaining direction toward long-term goals
- Balance immediate pragmatic actions with transformative aspirations that challenge underlying systemic structures
The tools are designed to be accessible to non-specialists while still providing substantial depth for experienced practitioners, making them applicable across different levels of systems change work.
Connection With SuperBenefit
- Directly connects to SuperBenefit’s bioregional approach to economic organization and systems transformation focus.
- The Three Horizons framework resonates with SuperBenefit’s commitment to balancing pragmatic near-term action with transformative long-term vision.
- The toolkit’s power mapping approaches complement SuperBenefit’s “anticapture” mechanisms that prevent shared resources from being monopolized by concentrated interests.