Meta-design in the complexity of global challenges

A growing sense of crisis in the world, manifest in effects of climate change, depletion of living species, exhaustion of vital resources, extermination of indigenous peoples, disparity of wealth and privilege, a persistent rise of autocracy and demise of democracy — these all compound the urgency of asking what role design and designers must have in addressing these failures to account for the basic needs and rights of all humans, all species, and the environment. Should we reform design practices or is there a meta conceptual level within which we can better understand, evolve, and apply design principles? What are the limitations and risks of design as an increasingly popular practice? Where and when can the talents and skills of designers and the effects of design processes be more effectively applied? Who participates, and how, as the interconnectedness of our individual lives with and across social, biological, cultural, and political systems becomes more apparent? To what extent do design practitioners consider its consequences, intended and unintended?