What does Compassion have to do with Climate Neutrality?

I am unable to sleep because of an injured ankle and the resulting pain, so it has me up pondering the big questions of life and how those seemingly 'big' questions trickle down into the smaller implications of what choices are ahead of us each day and the relationships between everything.

Synergy to me is a key social function that we have yet to fully understand and I believe it is about whole systems design, living in right relationship to the whole, and recognizing the interdependence of life. In some ways this makes things more complicated and complex but actually if we are to just shift our frames (our ways of seeing) we would begin to see the simple patterns that are pervading everything.

Those of you who know me are aware that I am always seeing connections between things. In fact, I see connections where people don't and this gets me in trouble. How do we see through the eyes of each other when in order to do so, we must let go enough of our attachments to open our gaze to be more inclusive...Holopticism.

When you tug at a single thing in nature, you find it attached to the rest of the world.” ~~ John Muir

So I want to tug at compassion and its relationship to climate neutrality. Seattle wants to be climate neutral by 2030. Seattle wants to be a leader in compassion. What does one have to do with the other, you ask. I would say absolutely everything!


In an article about Empathy driven innovation connections are made between empathy (similar to compassion) and innovation. Since we are going to need alot of new kinds of innovation in the next few years and decades, this interesting 'pull' connection is important.

"Empathy-Driven Innovation is empathy-driven because it requires a deep understanding of what the people that will use your innovation need and want."

How this connects then to a city that wants to take global leadership also in the area of climate neutrality is essential! We have huge opportunities here - we need synergy not more fragmentation. The sectors need to be talking to each other. Those interested in climate change politics and empowerment need to be talking to the Compassionate Action Network and CAN needs to be engaged in the climate neutrality conversation.

I am inspired these days by a fierce urgency which some liken to the 'chaos window' (Ervin Laszlo's term) we are in. We have a window...an opportunity. Seattle is poised. Let's connect more of these efforts to each other and begin dialoguing in new ways across perceived boundaries. We will move from being more separate networks into a stronger more resilient community and once we embark on a journey of being more of an empowered community of practice and engagement we can begin to see our collective influence. We can become a system of influence.

Compassion needs to be a driving force in what kind of collective decisions are ahead of ourselves. We will need compassion for ourselves and for the whole. But this compassion is deeply rooted in action, design, reflection, learning.

Seattle can become a learning city and learn how to learn faster and with greater resilience and love.