Thanks for writing! This was a very helpful articulation of a middle way. What I’ve been grappling with for the past decade, though, is how to orient career in light of this tension. Do I go into climate tech, despite being more of a doomer than technocrat, work on systemic issues - but where to even start within a deeply entrenched economy and society - or jump ship to some other more tangible dimension of impact such as education which inevitably has implications (though indirect) for climate? Curious if you have thoughts on where the “transitionista” view leads you in terms of deciding where to focus in the face of such a massive problem.
You're most welcome! Thank you for reading, and writing in with such thoughtful reflections.
While orienting your career depends on many personal factors, here are some responses to the hesitations you list. Hopefully these are useful jumping-off points.
First, even if you're more of a doomer, there are many systemic issues, and systems-thinking needs, in climate tech. Society can't afford to leave all of tech to the technocrats.
Second, although systemic issues outside tech loom large, due to the entrenchment you mentioned, that doesn't necessarily limit your personal leverage. The key analogy to remember: a tiny grain of sand can force a mighty machine to grind to a halt.
Finally, there is much work to be done outside climate tech. Working toward human wellbeing more broadly, especially where it uplifts the less fortunate (public education), rather than just accentuating the privilege of elites (much of US healthcare), is certainly a noble endeavor. While we're at it, indirect (positive) impact on climate is better than no (or negative) impact!
The main takeaway from the transitionista camp is that there's work to do, and the time to do it is now, but they're less prescriptive about what to focus on, or that everyone needs to spend all of their time on the energy transition. Drawdown.org has a fabulous index of actionable climate solutions which helps organize opportunities, including education, in the space well: https://drawdown.org/solutions.
Thanks again for reading and commenting--wishing you the best in your search!
Thanks for writing! This was a very helpful articulation of a middle way. What I’ve been grappling with for the past decade, though, is how to orient career in light of this tension. Do I go into climate tech, despite being more of a doomer than technocrat, work on systemic issues - but where to even start within a deeply entrenched economy and society - or jump ship to some other more tangible dimension of impact such as education which inevitably has implications (though indirect) for climate? Curious if you have thoughts on where the “transitionista” view leads you in terms of deciding where to focus in the face of such a massive problem.
You're most welcome! Thank you for reading, and writing in with such thoughtful reflections.
While orienting your career depends on many personal factors, here are some responses to the hesitations you list. Hopefully these are useful jumping-off points.
First, even if you're more of a doomer, there are many systemic issues, and systems-thinking needs, in climate tech. Society can't afford to leave all of tech to the technocrats.
Second, although systemic issues outside tech loom large, due to the entrenchment you mentioned, that doesn't necessarily limit your personal leverage. The key analogy to remember: a tiny grain of sand can force a mighty machine to grind to a halt.
Finally, there is much work to be done outside climate tech. Working toward human wellbeing more broadly, especially where it uplifts the less fortunate (public education), rather than just accentuating the privilege of elites (much of US healthcare), is certainly a noble endeavor. While we're at it, indirect (positive) impact on climate is better than no (or negative) impact!
The main takeaway from the transitionista camp is that there's work to do, and the time to do it is now, but they're less prescriptive about what to focus on, or that everyone needs to spend all of their time on the energy transition. Drawdown.org has a fabulous index of actionable climate solutions which helps organize opportunities, including education, in the space well: https://drawdown.org/solutions.
Thanks again for reading and commenting--wishing you the best in your search!