MILLIONS OF MINDS WITH A GOOD MAP AND A GOOD COMPASS
OUR MISSION
Equip millions of minds as fast as possible with a good map and a good compass to navigate the interconnected social and ecological crises we face.
The Institute for Planetary Thinking is an educational enterprise. Through our innovative digital curriculum and eTextbook, we aim to unleash millions of minds working coherently from a shared understanding of our current crisis landscape, the forces and processes that have shaped it, and the basic design criteria required to make authentic progress for a better future.
Where we are now...
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Human civilization is deeply unsustainable, deeply inequitable, and on a path to self-terminate on a decadal scale.
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This predicament is driven by a global paradigm of perpetual economic growth and a mindset of separation, thoroughly divorced from biophysical reality.
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Current response paths, which remain tethered to growth, are simplistic, incompatible with physics, and are accelerating (rather than mitigating) the collapse dynamics.
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We are not prepared for what's coming.
"This is a global emergency beyond any doubt."
"Much of the very fabric of life on Earth is imperiled. For many years, a group of more than 15,000 [scientists], have sounded the alarm...Despite these warnings, we are still moving in the wrong direction. In a world with finite resources, unlimited growth is a perilous illusion. We need bold, transformative change…adopting an ecological and post-growth economics framework.”
The 2024 state of the climate report: Perilous times on planet Earth. BioScience (2024)
Our colleges and universities pour millions of graduates into the world each year ― millions of sincere, talented young people who want bold, transformative change, but have not been exposed to the ecological and postgrowth frameworks necessary for authentic progress and are instead taught just the opposite - more of the same but with cooler tech; more complexity; more economic growth; more.
The Institute for Planetary Thinking is about reversing this dynamic.
We aim to change the direction civilization is on
Our programs consolidate fragmented expertise from thought leaders across many disciplines into complete and coherent learning tools.
Our programs include the following topics and more:
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The Metacrisis
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Social and Ecological Crisis
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Catastrophic Risks
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System Dynamics
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The Mindset of Modernity
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Animism vs. Dualism
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Wisdom vs. Knowledge
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Civilizational Metabolism
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Efficiency, Jevon's Paradox
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Exponential Growth
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History of Modernity
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Globalization
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Planetary Boundaries
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Tipping Points
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Game Theoretic and Group Coordination
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Systems Thinking
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Bioregionalism
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Postgrowth Economics
Our Programs.
College Curriculum
For: Undergraduate Gen Ed
Currently in development
Our comprehensive curriculum addresses all aspects of the global predicament: the Metacrisis, planetary boundaries, systems thinking, energy literacy, post-growth, and the response paths that will drive authentic progress. Our curriculum for higher education can be taught as a one- or two-semester general education course suitable for any undergraduate major.
The Problem With Current Offerings:
“Sustainability" is one of the top areas of interest for incoming college freshmen, but current “sustainability” education does not address the Metacrisis and is limited to a growth-based paradigm despite evidence that planetary boundaries are already being exceeded.
Millions of students across the globe are not being equipped with the holistic frameworks and tools needed to effectively navigate the Metacrisis and help forge viable, post-growth futures.
Most professors don’t have the bandwidth, incentives, or breadth of knowledge to create their own trans-disciplinary curricula. There is no single, user-friendly resource for faculty to teach about the global predicament.
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Professional Development
For: Working Professionals & Community Leaders
Currently in development
We are equipping leaders with the knowledge and framework to drive authentic progress in their companies, organizations and communities now through our 12-week online professional development course on systems thinking, post-growth science, and authentic response paths to the Metacrisis that can help bring humanity back within planetary boundaries. This course will explore how our current system operates, why it cannot continue, and how to move forward.
The Problem With Current Offerings:
Millions of professionals are earnestly trying to tackle urgent crises using narrow, outdated frameworks that focus on symptoms rather than systemic root causes and treat economic growth as the solution despite scientific evidence of planetary limits.
Existing professional development prepares workers to excel within status quo systems that are hurtling toward collapse rather than navigate beyond them.
New opportunities are urgently needed to update our workforce with frameworks and tools to effectively respond to the Metacrisis and help societies thrive within planetary boundaries
Community Convening
For: Businesses, Municipalities and Communities
Our two-day intensives, bring together essential service providers focused on identifying critical supply chain and community infrastructure vulnerabilities and opportunities for increasing resilience.
No more business as usual. Our provisioning systems will require major adaptation to meet the challenges we face this century. We will support your team along the way.
The Problem With Current Offerings:
Communities have long been conducting vulnerability and risk assessments; they are narrowly focused on the wrong metrics and incorrect assumptions.
COVID proved that our basic provisioning systems and current six-continent, just-in-time supply chains can break down quickly in times of major disruption.
As the Metacrisis intensifies, disruptions will become more frequent and severe. Communities are not prepared for the scale and diversity of disruptions they will have to navigate.
Interested to explore working together? Get in touch
Our Team.
We’re a team of scientist–educator–artist–entrepreneurs, united by an unwavering commitment to authentic progress in service of life.
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Dr. Rob Davies
Founder, Principal Steward
Director of Education
Rob is a physicist specializing in atmospheric physics, global environmental change and sustainable human systems. As co-creator of The Crossroads Project he developed a “performance science” initiative that weaves science, imagery, and music to emphasize human systems. Rob lives in Logan, UT with his wife and three adopted cats (they adopted him :). He teaches at Utah State University and enjoys spending quiet time in Logan Canyon.
Ali Dunford
Chief of Staff
Director of Operations
Ali is a serial social entrepreneur. In 2013 she founded Hole Food Rescue, a food recovery nonprofit based in Jackson, WY. In 2021, Ali co-founded the private foundation Walking Softer. She is passionate about using her life to engender authentic progress. She spends her time outside of work going to the sauna, reading nonfiction, woodworking, cooking and adventuring in the wilderness.
Heather Higinbotham
Program Director, Partner
Heather is an educator, systems nerd, writer, and TEDx speaker. She has 20+ years of experience working in sustainability/climate leadership. Her insatiable curiosity has led to multiple degrees. When she’s not busy trying to save humanity from itself, she can be found soaking in hot springs, adventuring with her dogs, cooking, sleeping, playing roller derby, geeking out on sustainability, and trying to make the world a better place.
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Brian Emerson
Program Director, Partner
Brian has 20 years of experience managing sustainability and social equity initiatives for local governments and nonprofits in the U.S. and internationally. He specializes in post-growth economics and strategies for developing more equitable and regenerative provisioning systems. Brian holds advanced degrees in Political Ecology and the Economics of Sustainability. He finds joy in nature’s wonders, camaraderie, and thought-provoking conversations.
Dr. Gäel McGill
Creative Partner
Gaël is faculty and Director of Molecular Visualization at Harvard Medical School, where his research and teaching focuses on visualization design in science education. He is also founder & CEO of Digizyme, Inc. a scientific multimedia company that creates engaging and scientifically accurate media, and co-authored E.O. Wilson’s Life on Earth iBooks textbook. A native of France, Gaël currently lives in Brookline, MA with his wife and two daughters.
Presentations
View Dr. Rob's Unique Educational Storytelling
