Making Bold Climate Plans
Gumption is a space for making bold climate plans. I’ve learned—by being involved in over 50 plans—that the process of making plans matters almost as much as the plan itself.
I create plans through five distinct steps:
Follow the Problem
Compile a Recipe Book
Paint the Vision
Call to Action
Measure, Revise, Repeat
In this post, I walk through each step to make bold climate plans.
🔎 Step 1: Follow the Problem
"If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail.” 1
Starting a plan fixated on one tool is a common mistake planners make. It’s especially easy on climate plans while there is currently so much excitement around new climate technologies. Electric vehicles (EVs) are exciting, but starting a plan by asking what problems EVs can solve limits the plan’s reach. What if other tools could solve the problem better? What if the need for EVs is a symptom of a deeper problem?
Dig Deep
I’ve learned to always start a plan by understanding the problem. I start with a vague problem space and I obsessively trace its roots to the source. Then I question if I’ve reached the bottom and keep digging. I’ll start every Gumption plan by investigating the problem—often through multiple posts.
Starting with a deep understanding of the problem not only allows the plan to be effective; it builds trust. Conversely, starting a plan with a tool or an ideology can feel dogmatic. Dogma backs people into a corner. Whereas collaboratively defining the problem with stakeholders—before any solutions are identified—sets the stage for a rich and respected plan.
Center One Problem
I’ve also learned it’s critical to center one problem. Not two or three; just one problem. Centering a problem means elevating its importance above all else.
A good plan can solve multiple problems at once. But when a plan tries to balance multiple priorities at once, all held equal, the plan gets stuck in a gridlock of indecision. Centering one problem in a planning process gives everyone involved a north star to guide decisions. Once the needs of the central problem are met, solving other problems can follow.
Gumption Problems
Gumption’s climate plans will address at least one of the following problems:
Greenhouse gas emissions are rising.
Biodiversity is plummeting.
Communities are vulnerable to climate change and biodiversity loss.
The best climate plans will address all three problems. Even better, our climate plans will improve people’s quality of life and help solve deep societal problems.
Climate plans are all around us; from global climate treaties, to government action plans, to corporate sustainability plans. These are examples of organizations taking responsibility for guiding their constituents through the climate change problems they face. But what if a climate problem impacts multiple organizations and communities, and there isn’t an organization set up to lead? Or if an organization has authority over the problem, but fails to act? Gumption plans will focus on addressing climate problems without leadership.
📖 Step 2: Compile a Recipe Book
With the problem defined, it’s tempting to jump to the solution. Not yet. My next step is to compile a book of recipes. Each recipe offers a way to solve a part of the climate problem. Combinations of recipes will fully solve the climate problem. By offering multiple ways of solving the same problem, I’m giving diverse communities a flexible framework they can apply to their unique circumstances.
Choose the Cuisine
Developing a recipe book starts with setting boundaries. In what circumstances should the plan be used? Geography, political systems, resource availability, and more factors could bound a plan—every plan is different. The goal is to identify a set of conditions that are similar enough that one plan could be useful for the whole group. For example, a recipe book with flood protection solutions for Manhattan and Singapore is a ‘cuisine’ focused on dense coastal islands. Alternatively, a recipe book with flood protection solutions for Manhattan and Cape May is a cuisine focused on coastal American islands.
Collect Ingredients
We then need to test different ingredients to use in the plan. Ingredients are the ‘what’ of the plan. For example, a plan to reduce electricity from fossil fuels may include ingredients like wind farms or smart thermostats. We first need to examine every possible ingredient: is it useful in any circumstances? If an ingredient has no application or it’s not feasible, we store it away for another plan.
Scale Techniques
Next, techniques are how we get the plan done. With the right techniques, a plan can move faster and operate more effectively. Just as good cooking recipes recommend adjusting cooking techniques based on the humidity of the room or the size of the pan, plan recipes need to be flexible.
I typically focus on five types of techniques in my work: money, time, politics, regulations, and organizations. Each of these techniques is scalar, and using more or less can make or break a plan.
In this step, the goal is to estimate how much each technique would impact the plan’s effectiveness. Is it make-or-break for implementing the plan? Does it speed up the process? Or reduce costs? Or deepen its impact? I’ll document how much each of these techniques is needed.
Test Combinations
Finally, we combine ingredients and techniques. I like to combine ingredients and techniques around what-if questions that capture a broad range of circumstances. What if a community has little money? What if there’s little political will? What if the plan needs to rely entirely on the private sector? Each combination offers a different path to the same goal.
Mise en Place
After following these steps, I lay all of my tools—the cuisine, ingredients, techniques, and combinations—out in the plan’s recipe book in a neat and easily accessible way. With our tools in place, we can begin the art of painting the vision.
🖼️ Step 3: Paint the Vision
Every plan needs a compelling vision to inspire action. A ‘vision’ in this context is an illustration of what the world could look like if the plan is achieved. Illustrating the future requires equal doses of demonstration and inspiration.
A good vision must demonstrate that the plan is possible. For Gumption’s plans, I’ll do this by selecting a few combinations from the recipe book and bringing them to life. What would it look like? How would it fit in its context? How would it affect peoples’ lives? How would its parts work together? And of course, how would it solve the climate problem?
A good vision must also inspire. The vision needs to promote a sense of awe. It needs to surprise and delight. It needs to go beyond what people thought possible.
But not too far. Many plans paint a vision that is too unrealistic. Unrealistic visions can breed distrust. For Gumption’s visions, I’ll seek to strike a balance. This means pushing the boundaries of what people think is possible, but never straying too far from what is achievable.
A vision can be expressed through many media—renderings, writing, data projections, and more. My approach is to match the media with my intended audiences. Writing will be my primary brush, and I’ll experiment with other media to meet the needs of each plan.
🫵 Step 4: Call to Action
Gumption’s plans are meant to guide action. No one person has the resources or authority to implement climate plans on their own. Solving climate change will require action from every corner of society including governments, businesses, activists, and individuals. Therefore, once the plan has a strong vision to inspire action, it’s essential to assign responsibility.
At the end of each version of a Gumption plan, I’ll highlight everyone who needs to be involved in its implementation and assign responsibility. In most cases, responsibility will be spread across multiple groups who may not already be working together; so I’ll make a guide for working together.
In other cases, there’s an established authority who is already responsible for solving the problem, but they fail to act. In these single-authority cases, I’ll speak to how climate champions can advocate for change.
🔄 Step 5: Measure, Revise, Repeat
Each version of a Gumption plan will end with a guide for measuring success. Success = solving the problem. Over time, I’ll track the plan’s progress and document opportunities for improvements.
For me, a big part of each plan’s success is whether people use the plan. If the plan is not being used, I’ll investigate why and experiment with refinements.
The climate and biodiversity crises, and our tools for action, are constantly evolving. Climate plans need to constantly evolve as well. Therefore, I strive for living plans at Gumption. This means I will frequently go back to past decisions, reevaluate assumptions based on new information, and continually refine Gumption’s plans. I won’t stop updating a plan until its climate problem is solved. Like software, Gumption plans will have multiple versions over time: (e.g. 0.5, 2.0, 3.0, etc.).
Tell me what you think!
As I said in my last post, you are essential in this process. I welcome your feedback and creative ideas on every step of this journey. Good plans are poked, prodded, and questioned by as many people as possible. Your feedback helps me be a better planner.
Everyone makes plans, whether in their jobs or their personal lives. What do you think about my planning process? Did I miss anything? Do you plan differently? I look forward to hearing from you!
Next on Gumption
On Thursday, January 18, we’ll kick off our first plan!
Maslow, “The Psychology of Science: A Reconnaissance,” 1966.