Positive Tipping Points Workshop
At the end of July, CAG Devon groups had the pleasure of attending the Community of Practice’s Positive Tipping Point Workshop led by Peter Lefort from the University of Exeter. The workshop was an insightful exploration into how communities can identify and influence positive tipping points – moments when small changes can lead to significant shifts towards a sustainable, post-carbon society.
Over the last year, members of DCC’s waste team, which part-funds CAG Devon, have been members of the Community of Practice for Positive Tipping Points – related to the work on Global Tipping Points that is coming out of the Global Systems Institute at Exeter University. The Global Tipping Points report was launched at COP28 in December last year: read here.
What is a Positive Tipping Point?
The concept of positive tipping points, relatively new but increasingly significant, revolves around identifying conditions and triggers that can accelerate societal transformation. Unlike negative tipping points, which often signal environmental degradation, positive tipping points aim to catalyse beneficial changes in technology, economy, and society. For example, rapid advancements in renewable energy technologies or shifts towards plant-based diets in food systems are seen as potential positive tipping points that can move us closer to sustainability.
Peter invited everyone to think about the system you are working to change or influence. Examples of systems ranged from how people get around in the community (cars, traffic jams, buses, LTNs, cyclists, walking, weather, pavements) up to the role of fossil fuel companies in our society (policies, money, energy dependency, war, advertisements, innovation in renewables).
The PTP workshop
During the workshop, we engaged in activities and discussions designed to help us understand the systems we are part of and the leverage points within those systems. We explored questions such as: What is a tipping point? How do feedback loops function in complex systems? Peter used creative methods, such as playground equipment, to illustrate the complexities of systems and tipping points. The workshop included various interactive exercises, including a parachute activity, to illustrate how collective effort can either propel change or maintain the status quo.
One key exercise encouraged us to consider the state of the systems we wish to change: are they near a tipping point and require just a nudge, or are they far from it, needing more substantial groundwork?
The workshop served as a participatory research activity, contributing to the development of resources that will be shared with wider communities. These resources aim to help people recognise and act upon positive tipping points in their contexts. We look forward to sharing the development of these!
For more information on positive tipping points, you can explore the Global Tipping Points website. You can find academic case studies and videos on PTP examples here. And more videos and resources from the Green Futures Network. When learning about these tipping points, think about where you sit within the system you are looking to change. Is the repair café movement just one push away from cascading?
