Our third question today:
@sandrasanchez Its indeed true that the youth are agents of transformation. As a youth led organization at the youth cafĆ© we have come up with a theory of change that will guide our activities until 2023. At core of it we have the youth as our greatest resource. You can see it here Theory of Change ā The Youth Cafe | Youth Empowerment in Africa | Creating a Better Future
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A2: To understand where we are now, we need to analyze statistics on Enterprise I.T energy consumption, in every industry. At BanQu this forms part of our mission. We support various supply chains using Blockchain technology, specifically Blockchain that uses the energy efficient consensus mechanisms (so not PoW, instead PoS, Byzantine Fault Tolerance). Blockchain can be more energy efficient due its decentralised nature, servers are distributed in different cities around the world, some operating in smart cities, some using renewable energy. This also makes it less costly than traditional data centers. Good for the environment and good for your pocket. 
I think that:
Exploration, discovery, disturbance as part of the process, thinking out of the box and constant adaptation to changing realities (instability as part and uncertainty as part of the journey in the new success and progress model for business).
Which need to change perspectives: Working With instead of FOR makes a huge difference.
Nature teaches us the power of renovation, adaptation, and resilience.
Adaptation to new contexts, realities and above all environmental challenges that are different and impact in different way populations around the world.
Putting human rights, nature rights and profitability of business as an integrated approach.
Social inclusion as a key component of the business model. Opportunities and inclusiveness for all.
Working with Fairtrade means joining a global movement which prioritises people. We understand that there is no climate justice without trade justice, and so working together with business to ensure that producers receive fairer prices and wages, enables them to invest in climate resilience and mitigation.
One way of āfast trackingā positive impacts, is by using partnerships to pool resources and create more impact, faster. This is āputting people firstā in the sense of using the principle that āthe sum can be greater than its constituent partsā, i.e. that bringing together the ideas and networks across multiple sectors can give an incredible boost to an initiative, and end up affecting the lives of many more people.
We can look for the triple wins of finding solutions to climate problems that also improve efficiency and profitability for business, and that benefit the poorest who are working in supply chains on the climate front line. We have been looking for these ātriple winsā (hard to find as they may be) on the Business Partnership for Global Goals programme with the FCDO. One such win/win/win came through the piloting of sea freighting flowers from East Africa. A win for the climate with potential emissions reductions of 95% compared to air freight, a win for business in adding resilience to a supply chain reliant on high passenger flight traffic, and a win for flower farmers and farmworkers who have an alternative means of getting their produce for export, should air freight be disrupted.
A crucial part of putting the pieces of the puzzle here was the financing provided by FCDO to underwrite the risk of piloting sea freight containers. These types of initiatives that use public funds to seed business innovation for climate gains can be highly effective but need careful forethought to make sure the risk is reasonably distributed.
Anthony, thanks for the sharing. I will read the document. We have to connect!
We are also are a part of the Crack the Crises coalition, made up of 75 of Britainās leading charities and organisations. We are also a part of the Climate Coalition, and backing the joint Climate Declaration, signed by over 100,000 people, calling for radical action to tackle the climate crisis and support for those feeling its worst effects.
Paving the way of a new development - in which nature is at
the core - requires a paradigm shift toward a wise
understanding and use of the natural capital by all actors of
society. This includes innovating decision-making
strategies, involving local communities and business sector,
integrating the values of biodiversity and ecosystems into policy, changes in economic incentives, and addressing shifts in consumption
patterns. Additionally, transforming the financial and the
policy system will benefit businesses, as well as society.
A3: Urgent action is needed from everyone, including the private sector, to deliver a fair and sustainable world, where climate change and its consequences on the lives of children and young people are addressed. Businesses can work with communities and affected groups to identify mitigations and solutions but also to better understand the negative impacts of climate change on them. For example, the Futures at Risk: Protecting the rights of children on the move in a changing climate clearly highlights how poverty and child labour affect children who have been uprooted by climate change. Businesses can support displaced communities where they operate with skills development and job opportunities. They can make sure that as part of their due diligence they assess the risk of child labour and exploitative working conditions for displaced and migrating families. Providing decent jobs to parents and carers would contribute to avoiding that children are forced into seeking work to support the family income, and therefore would help in keeping them in school.
There is resistance from vested interests in the old economy. This is because these economies have thrived through intricate relationships that ventures have had with practices that guarantee profit at the expense of the environment. That resistance is quick to latch on to the limitations of any climate policies that do not put people first.
Using CCAFS experience we learn the following:
- Use of communities as active change agents.
- Setting up information sharing platforms to share innovations and best practices on climate action.
- Scaling up practices/ innovations that have been proven as effective climate action interventions.
- Pooling resources to invest in community led action as a more sustainable option.
A3: Children and young people are making their voices heard about how climate change is affecting their lives, rights, and futures. They have led protests calling on world leaders to act on climate change; they wrote to companies asking them to adopt sustainable practices: children and young people have demanded bold action on climate change and demonstrated they can be powerful agents for change. Businesses need to listen to children and young people, hear their views and act on them. They should include them in their decisions regarding climate change action ā children and young people need to be part of the solution.
A3: Governments have also an important role to play to ensure that the transition to a sustainable economy is a fair one: one where the rights of people are respected. Governments need to create a legislative enabling environment for businesses to respect child rights and especially their right to a healthy environment while driving the transition to a green economy.
To really measure carbon, nature & social positive impact, it will be critical to shift the way we think, act and measure success. Looking at the recent Dasgupta Review & the interconnections transitions of:
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moving beyond measuring impact where we are consuming 1.6 planets
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away from GDP growth models
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and towards transforming institutions through a natural capital lens.
This has been hugely elevated, since the global pandemic and proves we can move quickly if we need to.
Big business also need to put their competitive ego to one side for greater good - product synchronization is key and NGOs can help create the safe space to do this.
More awareness is needed on the role and the responsibility of businesses to support a just transition. A lack of corporate accountability and attention to the just transition leads to limited information on what companies are doing. This means that stakeholders ā investors, policymakers, CSOs - are in the dark on the influence and impact of companies, therefore lacking an accountability mechanism to better steer a just transition.
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Incentivize: again depending on specific circumstances, business could (and many are increasingly doing so) to link elements of remuneration and reward structures to climate action.
Finally to complement my ideas, some insights come from:
- Kate Raworth on doughnut economics( https:// wellbeingeconomy.org/; https://www. kateraworth.com/doughnut/) suggests:
- Reduce inequalities that make part of the lineal economic system: She develops the idea of increasing education for ALL, rural reforms, wages and prices transformation, which will create a redistribution economic system by design.
- She bases her argument on the work of Sally Goerner, Bernard Lietaer and Robert Ulanowicz, network theorist that describes diversity and distribution as principles form natureās thriving networks that can be replicated in order to transform economies.
- āeconomic development must become more focused on developing human. Community and small business capital, because long term, cross scale vitality depend on theseā Goerner, et al (2009) Quantifying economic sustainability: implications for free-enterprise theory, policy and practiceā Ecological economics 69, page 79
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Moving impacts to scale means moving away from small responsible business partnership projects. Developing a shared framework that includes robust social and environmental standards. The WBA are making great progress in this area.
I am sorry I am late to this dialog. My name is Peter Burgess. I am post-career but still very interested in the big issues of our day. The idea of performance measurement has been central to my career, and it remains as important today as it ever was. The dominant metric in the modern world is profit performance of the business sector, and the associated company value / stock price that results from this. Because these metrics are in play, performance has improved over time. The metrics for social progress and performance are weak, and people have not progressed (in terms of quality of life) very much at all. Powerful rich companies and individuals donāt want social activities and success to get in the way of profit performance of their investments. The same goes for environmental progress and performance. ESG metrics are a big con. The set of metrics should be ESP ā¦ Environment, Social and (Economic) Profits not Governance which is not a metric of performance but something quite different. There are few (if any) situations
The practice of Beneficiary Feedback is critical to this. We must listen to the communities we are impacting and ensure that they have a direct channel back to us about how they are being impacted by our work.
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