transparency only going to be more critical as this work evolves around scope 3
1 Like
Question 3 What role can technology, including social technology, play to ensure that employees, workers and impacted communities can contribute and innovate towards the just transition?
In both the UK and low to middle income countries, technology can play an important role in helping employees, workers, and impacted communities contribute and innovate towards the just transition.
1 Like
A3: Technology can play a strong role. First, it can act as an enabler. For instance, in our agriculture work, we’re creating digital solutions to help farmers feed a growing population in a sustainable way, helping them make more informed decisions about their crops and rethinking how they use resources.
Technology can also serve as a voice. Individuals seeing companies not living up to standards can be called out in social media. And it can also be a means to crowdsource ideas. I’ve seen companies, like Nike, put sustainability challenges out to their communities to help fuel ideation. We do this internally at Bayer, enabling our employees to share their ideas on how to help identify problems and share solutions.
Technology can also be convenient. Simple tech like SMS and QR codes can serve as a means to deliver education in a simple way for time-starved audiences.
3 Likes
For Pearson and from a broader learning point of view, becoming a digital business has multi-pronged benefits – driving growth, driving increased access to learning for everyone, developing our people’s potential to contribute, and reducing our environmental footprint. The challenges however, include equal access to technology, energy, and data privacy and security.
2 Likes
In the UK, low carbon heating, e-mobility and smart home management devices (e.g. thermostats, smart EV chargers and smart controllers for storage heaters/heat pumps) can help people save money and lower their energy use. People need to be able to affordably adopt these new technologies to help manage their energy use. The availability of impartial advice and support can also help embed important behavioural changes, which also lower energy use.
1 Like
We work with unions around the world - South Africa, India, Indonesia, Brazil, US, Canada, across Europe, Australia, Japan … on Just Transition. Here are the questions we have to be able to answer - and the question about what are the new jobs and how do we get them is all about technologies (pathways with less emissions) and skills.
2 Likes
We’ve also seen through WASH4Work leaders like Xylem bring a network of support around their supply chain as they work together with them to transition. We worked with the Ethical Tea Partnership over the last few years to help tea growers provide not only sanitation services to their communities but also to reap the valuable nutrients and energy in those systems to integrate back into the industry to advance towards social and environmental targets. You can read more on the that theme in this piece with UNFAO or in this one that takes a sector lens.
2 Likes
It makes it easier to disseminate the concept of a just transition. It was a while back, but I’m reminded of Project Everyone to share the concept of the UN SDGs
I think it also has a critical role in gathering the voices of those most impacted by the transition, to enable better design of solutions. Building on my first point, the challenge might be how we do this in a structured way - love to hear if others have examples or case studies?
1 Like
Technology can play a very important role in data collection, transparency and impact reporting that will ultimately help us to make better decisions. Block Chains and digital twin technology could help us to collect data and model potential impacts across value chains. Crowd sourced data using mobile apps could also help us to collect better information on things like the cost of living, biodiversity levels and climatic conditions. If what we need is more and better data, then technology will be key in enabling us to collect, analyse, learn and communicate that data in a way that is inclusive, accessible and objective.
1 Like
Hi @Sam can you illustrate for us which social initiatives you wouldnt put in the JT bucket?
For a just transition we must look into different realities of developed and developing/least developed worlds. A pre-requisite (for the latter group of countries) to invest in education and skills is awareness raising of all stakeholders (women and men); policy makers, government, academia, journalists, students, business houses, farmers and so on. They can get inspiration from the advancements in the developed work. But they need concerted efforts from al of you to prepare fertile ground to fight against climate change.
The key question is how do panellists and other participants in this discussants can help in this regard.
best
Aftab
Resilient Future International Pvt Ltd
1 Like
Thanks Simon - I like this and it links back to the work on Project Trado that both I and @b.curran2 were involved with. However, one learning from that is not to let the design of the approach be so complex that it overwhelms the outcomes.
1 Like
Agree that skills play a vital role. Ensuring the workforce has the skills and knowledge demanded by the job market is essential for Just Transition.
2 Likes
A few things ive seen recently which piqued my interest include: Facilitating funding platforms - to make sure impacted communities are reached - eg WWF/Nedbank Green Trust
Tech enabled carbon footprint quantification tools and education for SMEs - something Verizon are doing via the We Mean Business coalition.
Also Verizon’s ‘Forward For Good Accelerator - which aims to ‘uncover the story of communities disrupted by climate change, and spotlight the startups working to bring them justice’ (including around employment and re skilling) See more here: Forward For Good: Climate Justice Cohort
1 Like
In low to middle income countries, high-performing appliances and technologies that can be exclusively powered by renewable energy sources and offer a low carbon pathway to sustainable development by avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. Access to appliances will also help communities living in rural or remote areas in low to middle income countries, which are often disproportionately affected by climate change, to adapt to global warming and build resilience to external shocks. For example, solar water pumps offer smallholder farmers a clean energy alternative to diesel pumps and can help their users withstand droughts and changing water patterns. Solar-powered fans are a low-cost technology that helps people stay comfortable and earn an income in a world of rapidly rising temperatures.
1 Like
The labor movement is a face to face movement. The pandemic has pushed us though to use digital communication to a much greater extent. We and other movements can also see the limits of social technology and virtual activism. There is no substitute for in person collective bargaining for example, or for large in person mobilizations - marches, picket lines, etc.
2 Likes
Totally agree! Keep it as simple as possible so that it is inclusive and accessable - and ultimately scalable. The moment it becomes too complex and requires a PhD to understand, it is doomed to fail. I often think with a lot of tech, that if it requires lots of training, then it wont work!
1 Like
Solar-powered appliances can also play an important role in levelling the playing field for women and girls, people with disabilities, and vulnerable groups such as refugees.
Access to modern energy and appropriate appliances can have a transformative impact on women’s lives. Due to their user-friendly design, solar mills can free women from the drudgery associated with manually processing grain, giving them time to engage in income-generating activities. Moreover, over one billion people need one or more assistive products, which can help them to lead a healthy and productive life. Innovations such as visual and audio cues on appliance function buttons can improve the accessibility of appliances for blind or deaf people.
Am I right in anticipating that the lifecycle cost may be lower, but the upfront cost higher? If so have you seen commercial financing schemes available? This is something I usually see in more of a ‘circular economy’ framing but very mindful about scalable solutions