Why exponential change?

We are always in the middle of transitions. Some creep up slowly and some change our daily lives in what seems like an instant. Right now, we are in a unique situation. Changes, big and small, have shaped a world where knowledge and technology are not only abundant but easy to share. It is, at the same time, a world with unprecedented complexity. Social problems such as poverty, lack of access to quality education and healthcare, and gender-based violence have grown and mutated. These problems are further intensifying due to climate change.

Since 1850, industrial emissions have raised atmospheric CO2 levels from about 280 to 410 ppm. Human population has crossed 8 billion. Despite decades of progress, more than 250 million children and young people are still out of school and 1 in 3 women experience gender-based violence every year. These facts, baffling as they may be, are a culmination of many social, economic, environmental and cultural changes that have been multiplying over the years.

Changes around us have been exponential – compounding and cascading. Then, why is it that our responses are linear and limited? Could we go beyond trying to solve exponential problems with incremental solutions? Could we create change that is exponential?