Why we need more creative thinking to prompt climate action, by Rob Cobbold

As Dr Iain McGilchrist argues in his recent magnum opus, The Matter With Things, Western civilisation has a left-brain bias which is showing up in philosophy, art and science and hollowing out everything that is most meaningful to us.  

Although there’s no sharp distinction between the two hemispheres, and both are involved to some degree in almost everything we do, they attend to reality in different ways. 

The left hemisphere is detail-oriented, prefers mechanisms over living things, and is inclined to self-interest.  

It tends to abstract and flatten things, break them down into smaller parts, and categorize them so they can be operationalized.  

The right brain on the other hand has a far better grip on reality as a whole, is much more capable of understanding flow and motion and is more comfortable with uncertainty, ambiguity and complexity. It grounds us in the world and the people in it, and helps us to understand emotion, depth, time, metaphor, music, and humour. 

McGilchrist argues that the hemispheres work best when the left is the servant and the right is the master. But Western civilisation seems to have a (potentially terminal) over-reliance on the left brain, e.g. linear rational thinking, while the gifts of the right brain e.g. intuition, nuance, complexity, seem to be increasingly marginalized and under-appreciated.  

I believe this bias is showing up in climate action and inhibiting our ability to protect and restore our planet to health. 

In carbon markets in particular, left-brain bias shows up in an obsession with the ever-more-detailed measurement of “objective” metrics abstracted from context, metrics which are ultimately deemed to be more important than the real places and communities from which they are derived, often with disastrous consequences. To use a well-known metaphor, carbon markets tend to confuse the map for the territory. 

If we are to adequately respond to the climate and biodiversity crisis, we have to realise that this reductionist, left-brain approach to solving the problem, is itself, part of the problem. 

I believe we must approach the problem the other way around. Rather than selling abstract metrics only loosely tied to ecosystems (if at all), I am set on linking impact in real, tangible, places that can be seen on a map. This is why I founded Native.  

Native sells environmental rights to 3m2 areas (Native Squares) of nature such as rainforests, mangroves and coral reefs. Individuals and companies pay to conserve or regenerate these squares, and we deliver the impact on the ground in partnership with indigenous guardians. Buyers then receive a map and dashboard that allows them to directly fund, track, trade and showcase their impact. 

Although we offer metrics across carbon, biodiversity and community so companies can meet their ESG commitments, these metrics do not define a Native Square any more than your height defines who you are. Each Native Square you protect is unique and we have designed Native to ensure that any metrics we present are the servants of the real people and places they refer to. 

This disconnect between the left and the right brain underpins the challenges companies face when protecting nature with indigenous guardians. As Marciely Ayap Tupari, secretary coordinator of Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB) explains, “companies often end up coming to us with a proposal, wanting to finance, wanting to supposedly protect nature, but in their own way. When we explain our vision as indigenous peoples, many do not understand.” 

Native bridges the gap between companies and communities so that forward thinking firms can be a force for good while meeting their objectives. It gives indigenous communities the resources they need to continue protecting the world’s most precious and biodiverse ecosystems, in their own way, as they have been doing for millennia. 

As the market for nature-based solutions matures to accommodate a right-brain perspective, those companies who are brave enough to try a more transparent, fair and holistic approach will be ahead of the curve. 

Robert Cobbold is an entrepreneur, public speaker and philosopher who has spoken to over 40,000 people about the climate crisis worldwide. He is founding editor of Conscious Evolution an online publication and podcast aiming to kindle an evolutionary transition and help people find meaning and purpose. He is also Founder and CEO of Native, which launched on 4 December.