#Resource Moral imagination How far into the future do you think, Phoebe? "Our society is based on very short-term cycles. In business, there are often five-year strategies, and in politics, there are four-year cycles. We are not trained to think long-term or dwell on the consequences of our actions today. I think at least 100 years into the future because I believe the heart of civilisation is taking responsibility for ensuring there is a civilisation in the future. There is an indigenous sovereign nation in North America called the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, who for thousands of years have exercised something called the Haudenosaunee principle: they always think seven generations ahead in their decisions. I find that inspiring. Imagine if we considered the needs of future generations in our decision making in Western societies too?" Isn't there a danger of getting caught up in imagination without acting? "When you change the way you see the world and your relationship with nature and other people, it changes your behaviour. You might start flying less or planting more trees in your local area, once you’ve envisioned the kind of regenerative future you would like to be living in. It can also be about imaginatively putting yourself in the place of other people or species," says Phoebe Tickell and gives a concrete example of an exercise she has done in collaboration with the British government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. "We held a citizen assembly with the government, which was about protecting the River Roding. An ecologist identified the key species that live by the river, and instead of the citizens representing humans, each of them had to represent one of these species. It could be for example a tree, a bird, a fish, or insect. They were then given two weeks to research their species and understand the challenges it faces, so they could subsequently bring the species' perspective into the debate. After the event, which is called an Interspecies Council, we asked people about the changes in their perception and their behaviour. And what we heard back was that 92% of those who participated said afterward that their relationship with nature had changed, and 75% changed their behaviour patterns. The power of imagination, visualisation and perspective shifts is that they go on to influence behaviour. And this is crucial, because action is what really matters." It sounds like an imagination activist is a climate activist? “The climate movement stopped making sense to me. I think there is a tendency to separate problems that are interconnected. Feminists fight for women's rights, climate activists fight for the climate, but we are in a crisis that spans broader than that. There is a crisis in the way we imagine ourselves, our relationship with nature, and the future. I fundamentally believe that we have all the resources, technology, and intelligence needed to solve the crises we face. It is a lack of action and belief in what is possible that holds us back." How do you think people living 100 years from now will look back on us? "They will question how it was possible to know so much about the impact of climate change and do so little. And they will probably think: Wow, that was the era when you lived with microplastics in your brain, ate meat filled with antibiotics, were addicted to your phones, and worked 10-12 hours a day in totally polluted cities - how did you survive? Maybe they’ll be shocked at those things. I think they will look back at the epidemic of loneliness and question why we didn’t come together more, and build community. Hopefully they will be in a better situation than we are, rather than worse – and it is crucial to imagine their perspective because it highlights our responsibility to the future today." You can read the full article on the Politiken website here.