Life hacking: Building resilience through innovation

Did you know that a plastic bottle filled with water and a little bit of bleach can act as a lightbulb? A single bottle can give the same amount of light as a 40-60 watt lightbulb by simply refracting light from the sky, as established by Brazilian mechanic Alfredo Moser in 2002.

This type of innovation, also known as “autonomous innovation”, is about finding simple solutions to otherwise complicated problems in contexts where ingenuity abounds but resources are limited. You may know it as “bodging” or “life hacking”, but books and articles often describe it using the Hindi/Punjabi word “jugaad”.

It could potentially help some of the world’s most vulnerable communities build resilience to the impacts of climate change by allowing them create solutions to the problems they face. After all, the poorest countries are the most vulnerable to floods, droughts and other climate stresses – and are also the places where resources are most limited.

Autonomous innovation has received a lot of attention in the media, such as the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, and the BBC, among others. The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) recently published a paper that argues for the use of autonomous innovation for enhancing resilience.

It contends that climate change brings a high degree of uncertainty, making it difficult to plan for its possible impacts. 

Poorer communities tend to be the first responders to any kind of emergency, and their actions can be the difference between life and death. It is therefore essential that their ability to innovate in order to deal with this residual risk is harnessed for enhancing resilience.     

Be it a £50 solar-powered electricity generator that helps communities in central India fight heat waves, or potato varieties developed by indigenous people and that can withstand extremely cold temperatures, autonomous innovations are already proving extremely valuable in the fight against climate change and disasters.

But quick fixes and a lack of resources can be a dangerous combination. These innovations can sometimes overlook safety and sustainability concerns. Vehicles built in India using this approach have proved hazardous, often due to crude steering or braking systems.

Similarly, the wide use of the Moser lamp can result in ecological damage due to the anti-bacterial chemicals that are essential for it to function.

DON'T JUST FIX IT, CURE IT

Perhaps the biggest problem with autonomous innovation is that it can encourage adaptation to problems rather than devising long-term solutions. In this way, it might limit the possibility for transformational change.

For example, tired of struggling with his bike on India’s bumpy, potholed roads, Kanak Das retrofitted it to make the most of riding over bumps. Innovations like these are creative, but they are akin to sticking plasters when surgery is what is really needed.

This is why those studying this model of innovation, including the ODI, argue that it cannot be treated as a silver bullet for solving intractable problems but merits serious consideration as one tool to be included in a toolbox for dealing with complex development challenges.

Mann can be found tweeting @MannVirdee