The Necessary Revolution

A very significant book about how individuals and organisations are working together to create a sustainable world, drawing on many actual case studies. The necessary revolution of the title is the transition from the Industrial Revolution to a sustainable economy, which requires a systems rather than a reductionist understanding, reminding ourselves that the economy is a subsystem of the natural world. There will inevitably be resistance from those attempting to maintain the status quo, but real change will be innovated, as in previous revolutions. This involves new ways of thinking and perceiving, and therefore new types of action. We will no longer interpret nature in mechanistic terms, but rather focus on how we learn to learn. The book gives as comprehensive picture as anywhere about how we got into our predicament, including the fact that 90% of the energy within the industrial age bubble has come from burning fossil fuels. It also details the necessary changes in assumptions which are already being articulated by leading thinkers such as Senge himself.

Case studies include biofuels in Sweden, water management between WWF and Coca-Cola and US Green Building. These involve small groups of people taking collaborative action, one step at a time. Much of the latter part of the book explains how to go about bringing change within businesses and institutions, starting with the business rationale for sustainability in terms of long-term shareholder value, which is translated into sustainable value. All this is expressed in language that business will understand and includes outlines of the processes likely to be involved. We need to remind ourselves that social and economic systems are created by human beings, and that they arise from how we work, that is how we think and act. So, although systems are far larger than we are, they can be redesigned. One example given is the tragedy of the commons where all-out competition lines individual players to the larger threat - a good example of failing to see the larger system within which all competitors are embedded. The larger system in this respect is the earth itself. There is a growing imperative to collaborate across boundaries, which involves convening interested parties and building shared commitment. The book concludes with some reflections on the future of the corporation, leadership and humanity as a whole, involving not only our relationships with the earth, with each other and with other species, but also with ourselves. This is about the next level of human development, which is both an evolutionary challenge and an opportunity to grow into new ways of relating. A provocative and compelling read, especially for