A model to co-create solutions to Singapore's carbon conundrum

Dec 28, 20202 min read

This video explores Singapore's carbon conundrum by asking the question of how to create large scale, community wide systemic changes that are required when action is lacking

from large institutional actors in government and business. In particular I address the question

What can volunteers and NGOs do to affect these changes from the perspective of a concerned observer with limited ability to directly influence decisions and behaviors?

Part I : lessons learned for collective action solutions to the common pool resource situation

The video explores the lessons from Elinor Ostrom's research on the role of institutions for solving collective action problems and how they could be a useful guide for solving coordination and collective action problems. In the first part of the video, I explore Ostrom's research for a specific class of collective action problems known as "Common pool resource" situations, the lessons learned and an actionable framework for how concerned observers could operationalize these learnings into activities and new resources

through the general process of grassroots community organizing.

Part II : Adapting the community organizing framework to Singapore's urban sustainability challenge

In the second part of the video, I then connect those lessons and how they could apply to Singapore's carbon conundrum and the challenges of translating the lessons from rural Common pool resource problems to unique challenges of urban sustainability.

I end the video with a few sample proposals of collective action proposals which could create the systemic shift changes that need to occur to reduce Singapore's carbon emissions, and may be able to adapt some parts of the lessons learned from Ostrom's community organizing framework.

handout slides for this presentation