L&D’s role in fighting climate change

by Rob Hubbard

Last month the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of scientists endorsed by the world’s governments, delivered their latest report. It makes grim reading. In brief:

* Humans are unequivocally to blame for climate change

* Temperatures will keep on rising, though we have an opportunity to slow / limit them

* Our weather is getting more extreme, as we’ve witnessed worldwide this year

* The seas will rise no matter what

It sounds like the opening to a disaster movie with accompanying gravelly voice over. Unfortunately; it isn’t.

In November 2021 the UK will host the UN climate change conference in Glasgow, COP26. Historically governments have been strong on rhetoric but poor on action. Given the damning content of the IPCC report, I hope this summit will be different.

There are numerous drivers for the situation we find ourselves in. Number 1 I believe is greed - specifically the prioritisation of monetary and material wealth above all else. Whilst this harmful human trait is catastrophic for the planet, it’s been easy for companies and investors to ignore, as until now, it hasn’t been bad for business. But that I think is soon to change.

Every day we increasingly experience and see first-hand the effects of a warming climate. We as individuals, have begun changing our habits; travelling less, eating less meat, shopping more responsibly and recycling. Green ways of doing business will no longer be the fluffy, nice-to-have thing businesses do for ‘Likes’; they will increasingly be survival critical for organisations. As things get worse, consumers will ditch companies who are harming the planet and exacerbating climate change. Those not on the front foot with the green agenda will go under. We've already seen huge organisations fall and there will be more. Size is no longer a predictor for resilience - adaptability is.

And that is where we in L&D come in. There will be a huge amount of rapid change for organisations globally and with this comes the need for new knowledge, new skills, new attitudes and new behaviours. Covid has prompted a stampede to digital learning and finally L&D have a voice at the top table. It's time now to start to lead the narrative and demonstrate the value we bring - not just to the bottom line, but to cutting carbon through reducing travel and helping people and organisations be more adaptable.

Whilst it’s fair to say that things look pretty dark at the moment, I have hope. The real key to successful change is people, and making sure they are equipped to adapt and have the skills needed for this new world. L&D can (and should) be the key to the culture change that’s desperately needed in organisations. We can open up those critical conversations and support people on this important journey to make our organisations, not only more green, but more successful too.