Global Citizens of the World Unite!

The role of collaborative power as a response to climate change

Karen OBrien
Department of Sociology and Human Geography
(For publication in University of Oslos Global Citizens Anthology, 2014)

There is clear evidence that humans are influencing the climate system, ocean chemistry, biodiversity,
nutrient cycles, ecosystem services and many other processes (IPCC 2013; UNEP 2013). This is
accompanied by widespread concern that environmental changes may not only have
disproportionately negative consequences for some groups, but may also eventually push the Earth
system into a state that no longer supports humans and many other species (Rockstrm et al. 2009).
We are now living in a period of the Earths history that scientists increasingly refer to as the
Anthropocene. This is the first era in geological history defined by the significant impact of human
activities on the Earth system (Steffen et al. 2011). The interrelated environmental and social
challenges facing humanity in the Anthropocene include anthropogenic climate change, loss of
biological diversity and ecosystem services, persistent poverty, inadequate health care, lack of
democracy and political freedom, growing food and water insecurity, and violence.
Importantly, the Anthropocene also marks the first time that humans are becoming collectively
aware of their capacity to influence future outcomes at a global scale. There is a growing recognition
that the future is a choice -- not just an individual choice, but a collective choice to be made every
day. This is where global citizens become significant, not only for the perspective that they bring to
complex problems, but also for their role as agents that capable of generating systemic change.
This chapter considers the role of global citizens in addressing the complex environmental challenges
of the Anthropocene. I first discuss the characteristics of global citizens, including how they relate to
the issue of human-induced climate change. I then consider the potential for rapid social
transformations by focusing on the concept of collaborative power. I contend that this type of
power is critical to transformative change in the world, and I conclude that enhancing this power
among global citizens can be a key leverage points for change at all scales. In short, collaborative
power is essential to realizing a transformation to global sustainability at the scale and speed that is
called for in response to the risks associated with climate change.
What is a global citizen?
A global citizen can be described as someone who holds a wide and inclusive perspective one that
erases the borders and barriers that humans have constructed between us and the them,
whether in relation to individuals and groups, species and ecosystems, or future generations. Global
citizens embrace the world in all of its complexity, and have the capacity to see themselves in a
bigger context, as part of a larger whole. Global citizens feel a responsibility for the long-term
condition of the planet, as part of a moral obligation linked to past, present and future generations.
This is quite different from international citizens, who operate globally but from a limited perspective,
prioritizing the interests of their community, group, nation, or company, even when they conflict

with the interests of the larger whole. International citizens claim rights to travel, exploit resources,
influence cultures, and take advantage of opportunities across the globe.
Global citizens, in contrast, recognize not only rights, but also responsibilities, including the
responsibility to respect and care for the world and other people, other species, and future
generations. For the international citizen, the world is my playground, while for the global citizen,
the world is our home. Although some individuals and groups have held this perspective in earlier
times, they have been exceptional. Now, however, it can be considered an emerging cultural
worldview one that is particularly visible among younger generations who have been raised with
the awareness of interconnectivity in a globalizing world.
Global citizens are by no means saints. They travel, consume, exploit, leave their tracks behind, and
often have large ecological footprints. Some global citizens have difficulty relating to any local
perspective that is not exotic. However, most global citizens also recognize that they are both part of
the problem, and part of the solution. Living with this paradox can be challenging, and in some cases
it can lead to the conclusion that the best thing to do is to withdraw, to tread lightly with a small
footprint, to work locally rather than globally, or even to be silent and focus inwards. Such responses,
however, present their own challenges; while global citizens are turning off their lights, bicycling to
work, growing organic vegetables on rooftops, or meditating for world peace, the media is constantly
reminding them that the Chinese are building more and more coal-fired power plants, the Canadians
are exploiting the oil sands, the Americans are fracking, and the Norwegians are celebrating potential
oil finds in the Arctic as if it were going secure their well-being in the future. An important challenge
for global citizens is to navigate meaningfully through a complex world, and this often raises a more
fundamental question: How can global citizens make a difference?

Climate change as a catalyst for transformation

There are probably few problems that are more unsettling to global citizens than human-induced
climate change. Climate change is occurring at a rate, scale and magnitude that is unprecedented in
human history and its impacts will be felt around the world, now and for many centuries to come.
Global citizens recognize that climate change does not represent a benign global warming, where
countries like Norway will emerge as the happy winners. Instead, they understand that it involves
systemic changes in global atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns, in ecosystems and species
distributions, and in human societies. Global citizens understand that some populations are more
vulnerable to climate change than others, and that issues of justice, equity, and ethics are critical
dimensions of any response. Although it is possible to talk about winners and losers in the short term,
integrated Earth systems science research reveals that these distinctions are likely to become
irrelevant in the long term.
A world with global average temperature increases of 4C or more compared to the recent past is
likely to be a very different world, as many of the impacts of climate change are non-linear. A nonlinear system is one whose output is not directly proportional to its input. One additional degree of
temperature increase does not mean only one more degree of impacts (i.e. just more of the same
impacts as the previous degree). With continued change, thresholds and tipping points may be
exceeded, triggering unexpected changes and surprises (Lenton 2011). Climate change contributes to
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rising sea levels that will alter coastlines, and it can influence the frequency and magnitude extreme
events, such as heat waves and wildfires. Carbon dioxide emissions are also increasing the acidity of
oceans, which has implications for many marine species. Climate change is not an isolated process,
but interacts with other environmental and social changes, creating synergies and positive feedbacks
that can exacerbate change.
Social changes, however, can also create negative feedbacks that decrease the risks associated with
climate change. The social solutions to climate change have been elusive, and after decades of
efforts, there is little evidence of progress on international agreements to limit greenhouse gas
emissions. Nonetheless, more and more businesses and governments are starting to recognize that
green solutions can be profitable, create jobs, and address environmental problems, and there is
growing emphasis on developing a green economy. The ideas of ecological modernization or green
capitalism leave many global citizens worrying and wondering whether technical fixes are sufficient
for addressing complex problems. Will the green economy address the vulnerability of individuals
and communities to environmental changes? Does this approach acknowledge the uneven capacity
to adapt to changes, as well as both barriers and limits to adaptation? Will such a solution lead to a
more equitable and sustainable world?
Global citizens often question business-as-usual solutions that address complex and interrelated
issues in a direct, linear way. As Mainzier (2004, p. 1) puts it, [l]inear thinking and the belief that the
whole is only the sum of its parts is evidently obsolete. Instead of a linear approach, global
sustainability calls for transformative responses that address both the scale and complexity of the
challenge. These may include ideas for collaborative economies, social entrepreneurship, and not
the least, for a global citizens movement (Raskin, 2012).
The power to transform
A global citizens movement can potentially catalyze social transformations to advance a plural and
cohesive movement for democratic global governance, justice, and sustainability (Raskin 2012: 5).
Such transformations go beyond the technical responses that are currently favored to include both
political and personal dimensions. Politics here is interpreted in the widest sense, which goes back to
the Greek work politikos, meaning of, for, or relating to citizens. Politics can be defined as the
theory and practice of influencing other people on an individual or civic level, and it is closely linked
to the concept of power.
Power is recognized to play a key role in change processes, including in the suppression of change.
There are, however, different types of power, including hard vs. soft power and resource power vs.
relational power (Nye 2011). One of the basic definitions of power involves the capacity to do things,
and in social situations to affect others and achieve desired outcomes. One can, however, distinguish
power over others from power with others, both of which involve the concept of empowerment
(Moser 2013). Power over others involves push or pull factors manifested through hard power. Hard
power requires force, which typically creates resistance; demanding or manipulating others to do
something to meet ones objectives is often perceived as oppressive. Although it may work well with
some people, at some times, individuals and groups are likely to want to decide for themselves and
to become the subjects of their own lives, rather than be the objects of anothers decisions (Freire
1970).
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In contrast, power with others represents soft power that is built on collaboration rather than
competition. Power with is very effective, for it is self-organizing and it creates synergies, or a
situation where two or more people working together produce a result that goes beyond what each
individual could create alone. In contrast to power over, power with can result in emergence, which
is defined by Goldstein (1999, p. 49) as "the arising of novel and coherent structures, patterns and
properties during the process of self-organization in complex systems". Power with others can have
rapid and widespread impacts; it is considered to be a highly effective leverage point for large-scale
transformations because it is self-organizing and creates synergies. Indeed, research on social
networks shows that interconnections between people give rise to phenomena that are not present
in individuals or reducible to their solitary desires and actions (Christakis and Fowler 2009: 303).
When global citizens generate collaborative power, they can potentially change the world.

Collaborative Power
What exactly is collaborative power? Slaughter (2011) defines it as the power of many to do
together what no one can do alone, and argues that it can take many forms: 1) mobilization (not as
a command but a call to action); 2) connection (broadening access to the circle of power and
connecting as many people to one another and to a common purpose as possible); 3) adaptation (a
willingness to shift views to enter into meaningful dialogue). She also points out that collaborative
power is not held by any one person or in any one place. It is an emergent phenomenon the
property of a complex set of interconnections. Leaders can learn to unlock it and guide it, but they do
not possess it.
This definition recognizes collaborative power as an emergent property of collective action that
arises among groups. However, one can also consider it to be a power that exists within individuals
or groups, i.e., a quality or capacity that can be used to work with people of diverse backgrounds,
interests, and outlooks. As such, collaborative power can alternatively be defined as the nonlinear
capacity of a person, organization or group to work collectively with others to achieve a desired
intention. It is a subjective quality that can be difficult to quantify or measure. Although collective
action is about individuals working together, each individual, organization or group has a different
capacity to collaborate with others. The power of connections has been studied by Christakis and
Fowler (2009), who show that some nodes in a network have significantly more influence than others.
Collaborative power depends on a number of individual and collective qualities. What are these
qualities? While it is difficult to identify them with certaintythis would be a good subject for
research-- it is possible to speculate about variables that could enhance collaborative power. Below,
a potential model for collaborative power is represented as an exponential equation, with the
variables described and explained below, using various examples. Then significant point here is that
collaborative power is exponential rather than linear, such that even small positive changes in the
variables can have disproportionately large impacts on outcomse.
CP = Ix, where x = f(A, I, C1, C2, C3)
CP = Collaborative power
I = Intention
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A = Attention
I = Integrity
C1 = Compassion
C2 = Courage
C3 = Creativity

Intention: An intention is a resolve or determination to bring something about, or to manifest

something. It is important to be clear about what is intended to be created through collaboration.
This is what the individual or organization stands for, what they are committed to, what they burn for,
and what they are passionate about. Intention is relevant, whether it is in relation to an
interdisciplinary research project, a green university, or a low-carbon society. An intention is not the
same as a goal. The former corresponds to current actions, whereas the latter is often seen as a
future outcome. It is important to be clear about intentions, but careful about them too. The
intention of a no-growth society, for example, may lead to a world where everything shrinks,
including the capacity to take perspectives. Some relevant examples of intentions include
transdisciplinary research collaborations, creating a green university, or contributing to global
sustainability.
Attention is the amount of available energy a person or group has to focus on an intention. One may,
for example, have the intention of being part of an interdisciplinary research project, yet commit
most attention to a particular discipline or approach, or to other problems or interests. Universities
may intend to be green, yet place most attention on finding cost-cutting measures to balance the
annual budget. Groups may intend to create a sustainable world, but place most attention on
critiques of everything that is lacking or wrong with the world, rather than what is new and emerging,
abundant, and working well. Collectively, many individuals and groups appear to have an attention
deficit disorder, whereby attention is placed here and there, leading to many disconnected actions.
Having free attention available to focus on a particular intention is a valuable component of
collaborative power.
Integrity is the quality of the individual or group that is brought to the intention, or an expression of
their wholeness. If a person or group is operating from a position of dishonesty, or from a lack or
void perhaps a need for disciplinary recognition when the intention is to collaborate on an
interdisciplinary research project, or for international recognition when the intention is to create a
green university, or for self-recognition when the intention is to contribute to global sustainability
they are more likely to sabotage rather than strengthen collective efforts. Increasing integrity means
dealing with these voids, addressing competing commitments, recognizing hidden agendas, and
looking more closely at habitual patterns, vested interests and unquestioned loyalties. Integrity
involves recognizing personal and collective shadows, i.e., those characteristics that tend to be kept
hidden or disowned yet seem to be visible everywhere else. The more integrity that is brought to an
intention, the greater is the power to collaborate.
Compassion can be considered the action component of empathy (Rifkin 2009). It involves the
recognition that everyone is struggling with the same issues, viewing and interpreting the world from
unique perspectives, and doing the best that they imagine that they can do at the time. It is not
about pity, but about enduring something with another person, or putting yourself in someone
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elses shoes. According to Rifkin (2009: 543), [a] distributed, collaborative, non-hierarchical society
cant help but be a more empathic one. Compassion does not mean accepting everything as being
of equal value, but instead recognizing that people may prioritize different values, and that these
values may change with circumstances. Compassion acknowledges the power held by short-term,
narrow interests, but recognizes that some responses are more consistent with the collective good
than others. For example, a mining executive in Greenland was quoted as saying For me, I wouldnt
mind if the whole ice cap disappears ... As it melts, were seeing new places with very attractive
geology (Rosenthal, 2012). Seven meters of sea level rise occurring over relatively short time period
would threaten the lives of millions of coastal residents; compassion in this case involves prioritizing
a sustainable, equitable, and ethical outcome over an interest in exploiting resources.
Courage involves acting despite fears and uncertainties. It is about moving forward even if one does
not see evidence of success in front of them, or know when it will appear. Courage is a key to
collaborative power because humanity is currently moving into unfamiliar territory, facing risks,
disequilibria and potential failures that can create anxiety and fear. Without courage, there is a
tendency to stay on the same path and do the same thing over and over again. In terms of research
collaboration, courage means listening to different perspectives, being open to new ideas, methods,
and theories, and being willing to question explicit or implicit assumptions and beliefs. In terms of a
green university, courage involves trying new things, challenging traditional perspectives, and making
investments that might not pay off right away, or may in fact fail. To realize global sustainability,
courage involves not listening to those who say that climate change is inevitable, or that things will
never change quickly enough, or that people are too this and too that to really change. Since it is
not easy to create something new and different, courage is an essential component of collaborative
power.
Creativity is the capacity to see, hear or feel things in new ways, and it is essential to collaborative
power, since complex, nonlinear problems call for new concepts, ideas, and ways of doing things. It
is about working with both the rational and the intuitive, and connecting the head with the heart and
hands. As McGilchrist (2009, p. x) argues our education systems and Western culture in general
have tended so much to favor the left side of the brain that we have almost destroyed civilization.
The two hemispheres of the brain need to cooperate, rather than continue in a struggle for power
and domination. Kagan (2011) discusses the arts as a bridge that can connect different types of
knowledge, and he points to what many artists readily confirm: creativity is at the heart of
collaborative power.
All of these factors combine to create a powerful exponent something that can magnify the impact
of individuals and groups around the world. Needless to say there may be other important factors.
For example, Horlings and Padt (2011) draw attention to the X-factor in leadership for sustainability,
which includes the inspiration, passion, energy and inner motivations that are crucial for realizing
effective coalitions when facing obstacles. They point out that passion vital to persisting during long
processes of cooperation. Passion and love could thus be considered to be the heart of collaborative
power, for if a person or group is not passionate about what they are doing, or do it for the love of
something or someone that really matters, it is likely that the energy of the intention will dissipate;
people risk falling into despair, giving up, turning cynical, or simply burning out. Collaborative power
moves individual and groups from a very limited perspective of it wont matter if I/we plant this tree,
organize this event, or pursue this idea to a perspective of I/we can make a huge difference in the
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world. Collaborative power is not about creating a mass movement, but rather about creating a
massive difference.
Change is a Choice
As more and more people begin to view the worldincluding humansas one large, complex
system with emergent properties, an important realization is likely to occur. The realization that
although humans are a driving force behind many of todays environmental and social problems,
they also have the power to collaborate can be used to generate non-linear social transformations in
support of global sustainability. Importantly, such transformations do not require everyone to
change. A study by Xie et al. (2010) concluded that when only 10% of the population hold an
unshakable belief, their belief will be adopted by the majority of the society. The question remains
whether this collaborative power will be both recognized and realized.
The collaborative power of global citizens can be considered critical to social transformations
because they hold a perspective that includes both rights and responsibilities; they are more likely to
respect different viewpoints while also recognizing that some are more consistent with the goals of
the largest we that can be imagined; they are more likely to respect and value diversity and
difference; and they are more likely to be committed to reflection before reaction. By increasing
their collaborative power, individuals and communities enhance their capacity to connect with other
people, not to convince them of what they think is right, but to inspire them to work together
towards something that is bigger than what they might currently imagine themselves to be capable
of. For global citizens, increasing collaborative power, both individually and collectively, is the most
effective way to create the types of responses that are needed in to create a different type of global
change. Anthropologist Margaret Mead advised us to Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. She clearly
understood the non-linear potential of collaborative power, and the important role that global
citizens can play in shaping the future.
References
Goldstein, Jeffrey (1999) "Emergence as a Construct: History and Issues", Emergence: Complexity and
Organization 1 (1): 4972.
Horlings, I. and Padt, J. (2011) Leadership for Sustainable Regional Development in Rural Areas:
Bridging Personal and Institutional Aspects, Sustainable Development. DOI: 10.1002/sd.526
Kagan, S. (2011) Art and Sustainability: Connecting Patterns for a Culture of Complexity, Bielefeld:
Transcript.
Mainzier, K. (2004) Thinking in Complexity: The Computational Dynamics of Matter, Mind, and
Mankind. Berlin: Springer.
McGilchrist, I. (2009) The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western
World, New Haven: Yale University Press.
Rosenthal, E. (2012) A Melting Greenland Weighs Perils Against Potential. New York Times, 23
September 2012.
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Slaughter, A.M. (2011) Towards a foreign policy frontier: Collaborative power, The Atlantic Monthly,
November 30, 2011, accessed 10.05.2012.
Steffen, W. et al. (2004) Global Change and the Earth System. Berlin: Springer.
Xie, J., Sreenivasan, S., Korniss, G., Zhang, W., Lim, C., and Szymanski, B.K. (2011) Social consensus
through the influence of committed minorities, Physical Review, E 84: 011130-38.