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Isaias Hernandez

Isaias Hernandez is an environmental educator and content creator from Los Angeles, and the founder of the Queer Brown Vegan media platform. Isaias grew up in a community that faced environmental racism and his experiences led him to believe that everyone should learn about the environment through an intersectional lens. He’s spent the last 4 years creating environmental education for digital mediums to help teach anyone, and everyone, about intersectional environmentalism in an accessible way. His authentic storytelling and informative blogs, videos, and graphics have captured the attention of organizations such as Vogue, Harvard, The White House, and earned him an audience of over 100,000 on Instagram.

Isaias’s work has been published and referenced by numerous media organizations, thought leaders, businesses, and nonprofits. He’s helped to elevate impact campaigns, bring awareness to current events, highlight meaningful research, and educate the next generation on climate issues, all while maintaining a recognizable and appreciated vulnerability that centers his own humanity and intersecting identities. Whether Isaias is communicating the importance of queer ecology, or drawing attention to the connections between racial and environmental justice, his work has helped expand what it means to be an educator and helped transform the climate movement.

James Salazar

Jean Marc Papin

JM has a 20 years Management Consulting experience he has been involved in multiple environmental initiatives for Engineering, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Retail and Consumer Goods clients. I has always been passionate about environmental issues and has been spearheading media industry to bring climate change action at the top of the priorities.

Jillian Gibbs

Jillian Gibbs is a seasoned marketing production consultant, author, award-winning CEO, renowned speaker, and supporter of sustainable production and women in leadership. With over 30 years of experience, she has worked with top brands, guiding their creative production efforts, and helping them achieve impactful results.Gibbs is the founder and CEO of Advertising Production Resources, a global advisory company specializing in production investment management. She is a frequent contributor to industry publications and a trusted advisor to marketing professionals and industry associations worldwide.

Joel Bach

Joel Bach is the Founder and Executive Director of The YEARS Project, the premiere digital media organization for the climate movement. He oversees the creative direction of the organization, manages the executive team, sets strategy and leads fundraising efforts. He is also the Executive Director and Publisher of INSIDE THE MOVEMENT, the weekly action toolkit for the climate movement.

Joel was the creator and series director of YEARS OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY, the Emmy Award winning TV series on climate change. The series was executive produced by James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the late Jerry Weintraub and featured an ensemble cast of A-list celebrities and journalists who traveled the globe to tell the story of climate change. The Daily Koz described YEARS OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY as: “The most important television series ever.”

Additionally, Joel has overseen the production of hundreds of short-form climate videos. Those videos have garnered over ONE BILLION views online. The YEARS Project has worked with more than a thousand individuals in the climate space and has produced digital content for practically every well-known climate organization. The Guardian calls The YEARS Project: “”The most important multimedia climate change communication endeavor in history.”””

Johnny White

Johnny joined ClientEarth’s London office in October 2020. His work focuses on exploring and implementing legal strategies to mainstream climate-related risk and to foster accountability for the impacts of climate change. Before joining ClientEarth, Johnny worked at the international law firm Clifford Chance for nine years, specialising in international and high value commercial and financial disputes and in international human rights law. He has also worked for human rights strategic litigation groups, and has a particular interest in social corporate responsibility and accountability.

João Talocchi

A climate campaigner for 15 years, prior to joining GSCC, João was head of campaigns at Purpose, where he started the agency’s Brazil and India offices. Other past roles include campaigning for Greenpeace Brazil, International and US; leading the Amazonas State Climate Change Center in Brazil and being an underwater and extreme sports video producer. João has led or supported coalitions and cultural campaigns and creative interventions in Brazil, India, Mexico, Argentina, Canada, Germany, France and the US, working with a wide array of stakeholders, as indigenous peoples, health advocates, filmmakers, economists, celebrities, business, politicians, comedians and many in the climate movement. João hold a biological sciences degree from the University of São Paulo.

Juancho Gómez de la Torre

Juan Carlos Gómez de la Torre is one of the most influential creatives in Latin America. He began a precocious and remarkable career in 1980. When he was an 18-year-old intern, he created the most remembered TV campaign of the year in Peru. Eight years later, he was already the interim ECD (Executive Creative Director) of JWT in Lima. After training that took him to Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, he was transferred as Creative Director to JWT Central America, where he began a significant harvest of international awards. Following a successful stint at JWT Chile between 1991 and 1993, he was hired by Joe De Deo to lead the creative team at Y&R Lima. In 1999, he founded Leo Burnett Lima, where he assumed the creative direction and led a true advertising revolution in Peru. During this decade, he won Gold awards at every festival around the world without exception, including the only gold Lion that his country has in Film. Under his leadership, Leo Burnett Lima was chosen as the world’s best agency within the network and ranked in the top 10 in all of Latin America. It was during this time that Gómez de la Torre created ‘Magia’ for Ponle Corazón, the most awarded spot in the history of Peruvian advertising.

Karen Land Short

Karen Land Short is a creative leader and leading sustainability voice with two decades of experience building influential brands through purpose-driven creativity and innovation. She’s the Global Executive Creative Director for Accenture Song’s Sustainability Studio, whose mission is to make sustainability relevant and actionable for everyone. She’s been named to Adweek Creative 100 twice and Business Insider’s Most Creative Women in Advertising. Her campaigns have been honored by the United Nations, ranked in best work of the decade lists, and acknowledged by top award shows. She previously spent ten years at Droga5, recently named both Adweek and AdAge’s Agency of the Decade.

Kumi Naidoo

For over 40 years, Kumi Naidoo has been a voice amongst many for social, economic and environmental justice. From his humble township upbringing in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, to his work as an anti-Apartheid activist, to his leadership of international NGOs, Kumi has remained rooted in Martin Luther King’s Creative Maladjustment principles – refusing to normalize inequality and devoting himself to exposing injustice.

Kwame Taylor-Hayford

Kwame is a creative executive and entrepreneur whose passion for innovation fueled award-winning global work for brands including Mailchimp, Delta Air Lines, Chobani, P&G, and Uniqlo. He was included in Adweek’s Creative 100 list in 2022, Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 list in 2020, Crain’s New York list of Notable Black Leaders in 2021, and inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement in 2019. Kwame serves on the board of trustees for D&AD and the board of directors for SATURDAY MORNING, a nonprofit he cofounded in 2016 to shift perception on racial bias and injustice.

Laura McGorman

Laura McGorman is the Director the Data for Good Program at Meta. Prior to joining Meta, Laura held positions during the Obama Administration at the US Department of Commerce, Opower, the World Bank and USAID. She has a BA from Columbia University and a Masters in Development Economics from Harvard.

Leah Thomas

Leah Thomas is an intersectional environmental activist and eco-communicator based in Southern California. She’s passionate about advocating for and exploring the relationship between social justice and environmentalism. You could say she’s tryna make the world a little more equal for everyone and a little nicer to our home planet. Follow this mindset through her writing on The Good Trade.

She graduated from Chapman University in 2017 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy with a cluster in Comparative World Religions. Her goal is to inspire others to explore new places, live more sustainably and practice radical self acceptance.

Lisa Merrick-Lawless

Lisa is Co Founder of Purpose Disruptors and has over 20 years’ experience in the marketing, advertising communications industry. She has held leadership positions both client and agency-side working with brands such as Coca Cola, Tetley, Strongbow, Unilever, Greenpeace, WWF and innocent.

Lucy Von Sturmer

Lucy von Sturmer is the founder of award-winning impact consultancy The Humblebrag. A champion of business as a force for good, Lucy works to support business leaders and brands to take a stand on social, cultural and environmental issues.

Download Our White Paper

Download our landmark white paper A New Era in Climate Communications and unlock insights from more than 40 contributing organizations and 60 experts from across industries including advertising, marketing, and communications, as well as the creative and climate science communities. Designed as a key resource for all those who share our vision for a world in which everyone is inspired to play their part in the climate solution, understands what they can do, and has the opportunity to do it.

Global Warming’s Six Americas

The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication has identified six unique audiences within the American public that each responds to the issue in their own distinct way; the Alarmed, Concerned, Cautios, Disengaged, Doubtful and Dismissive. Want to know which of the Six Americas you are in? Take Yale’s short quiz now!

Hero

HERO is the first subscription service of its kind, empowering citizens to directly fund verified climate campaigners of their choice. This support ensures a monthly stable income for campaigners, so that they can accelerate climate policies worldwide. Subscribe for just €6 a month and get exclusive Q&As, behind the scenes content on campaigns, recognition in policy wins and bi-monthly action reports. Join HERO in changing the way the work of campaigners is valued and how citizens engage in climate action.

Good Energy Playbook

Our groundbreaking resource is a climate storytelling playbook for screenwriters. Created by writers, for writers, this expert-informed guide supports screenwriters in telling urgent, nuanced, and engaging climate stories that go beyond stereotypes, to entertain audiences and create unmissable content.

Nature Positive Initiative

27 of the world’s largest nature conservation organizations, institutes, business and finance coalitions came together together to launch a new initiative aimed at driving alignment around the definition, integrity and use of the term ‘nature positive’ and supporting broader, longer-term efforts to deliver nature-positive outcomes.

IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report

Thorough evaluation of our planet’s climate system, encompassing key insights into climate change causes, impacts, and potential solutions. It serves as a vital tool for informing climate policy and driving global action.

Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action

The UNFCCC is mobilizing the creative industries to accelerate climate action in our sector and beyond. ECCA is part of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, a framework to support implementation of the Paris Agreement by non-State actors and advance ambition by strengthening collaboration between governments and key stakeholders, under the leadership of the High-Level Champions.

ActNow

ActNow is the United Nations’ campaign to inspire people to act for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs spell out how we can protect our environment and slow climate change, from forests to oceans to everywhere in between. Think about your electricity use and your travel. Check your dinner table. Reuse whatever you can. Every one of us can make choices to help take care of our planet. The possibilities for action are many – and add up fast!

H&M Foundation Partners with New Zero World to Transform Climate Storytelling

New Zero World is partnering with H&M Foundation to transform climate communications and empower communicators.

The year-long partnership sees H&M Foundation provide critical funding for New Zero World’s Research Hub and Young Creatives programmes; focusing on creating the tools and platforms needed to build on the momentum and insights generated by our white paper A New Era in Climate Communications.

“We’re on a mission to overcome the barriers to climate action through the power of creativity and communications, and at the heart of this partnership is a shared passion for the power of inspiring storytelling to shift narratives.

“Working together we have an opportunity to build on the momentum created by our white paper A New Era in Climate Communications and ensure insights become action and action becomes impact on the journey to a world where everyone is inspired to be a part of the climate solution.” Natalia Vega, Founder and Executive Director, New Zero World

With the support of the H&M Foundation, our new partnership focuses on developing our interactive Digital Knowledge Hub and new work to help communicators in all sectors cut through the noise and create positive change.

“Through the Climate Communications Accelerator initiative, we’re not just looking to inform – we’re looking to transform. We want to tell stories that inspire, challenge, and drive us all towards a future where we live within planetary boundaries.” said H&M Foundation.

2024 Tribute to Champions of Good

Advertising Community Together (ACT) Responsible is an international non-profit organization

dedicated to showcasing the vital role and responsibility of the advertising industry in promoting

social and environmental awareness while prioritizing sustainability.

Its annual Champions of Good – presented at Cannes Lions – celebrate movement makers, advertisers, non-profits, and ad industry leaders who have played leading roles in advancing social and environmental causes through personal contributions.

This year we were delighted that New Zero World founder Natalia Vega was the recipient of the Movement Maker accolade, alongside this year’s other winners:

Philip Thomas, Chief Executive at Ascential & Chair at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – Ad Industry – for his pioneering leadership at Cannes Lions, where he has championed sustainability and inspired global action in the creative industry.

Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia – Brand – for steadfastly prioritized environmental sustainability and ethical business practices setting a precedent for global corporate responsibility

Ibtissame ‘Betty’ Lachgar, Founder & Coordinator of the MALI Movement – Non-profit

Leader – for her relentless advocacy and leadership in advancing women’s rights, LGBT rights, and individual liberties in Morocco through the MALI Movement.

“Since our first Champion, Kofi Annan, in 2009, who united the United Nations with the advertising industry, we have made significant progress and continued to grow. Like the Olympic flame, our four Champions of 2024 will receive their ACT Tributes from past Champions, symbolizing the ongoing legacy,” says Hervé de Clerck, ACT Responsible Dreamlead.

“This work is only possible because of the many people working to support it, so it was an honor to receive this recognition on behalf of all of our fantastic New Zero World allies – thank you,” said Nataia after the event.

Cannes Lions: “The Most Important Brief”

When it comes to the creative industries there isn’t a bigger stage than Cannes Lions – which makes it the perfect place for the New Zero World team to engage with allies who share our vision for a world where creativity inspires everyone to take climate action.

On Tuesday, June 18th. We’ll be at the Goals House in Cannes, joined by Katja Iversen, CEO of the Museum for the United Nations, gathering some of the biggest names and brightest minds in creativity, to begin work on a world-changing campaign; ‘The Most Important Brief’.

Delivered through the Earth Public Information Collaborative (EPIC), which we launched in partnership with the Global Commons Alliance, this is a first-of-a-kind collaboration aligning brands, the creative community, global media, storytellers and the science around SDG Goal 13, an urgent call to action on climate change and nature loss.

Convened by Tim Kelly, Executive Director, EarthHQ at Global Commons Alliance and moderated by Natalia Vega, New Zero World founder and CMO of EPIC, discussion will focus on drivers of behavioral change of the global population, how EPIC is set up to scale messages of sustainability across the world, and how we can develop a “generation-defining” creative brief together.

If you would like to connect to find out more about our New Zero World programmes, please email the team hello@epicplanet.org

Here’s what else we’re up to at Cannes:

International Advertising Association & ACT Responsible

We are delighted to be partnering with the International Advertising Association and ACT Responsible to bring the New Zero World message to the Sustainability Hall at Cannes Lions. Look out for our displays and panel sessions, as well as our on the ground team, who will be interviewing leaders who are making an impact.

Young Creatives

Our Young Creatives initiative is returning to Cannes to focus on how the next generation of creative talent can reshape the industry, including a special briefing for young creators to be held in the Sustainability Hall.

A System Change Approach to Communications

Our founder Natalia Vega was joined on stage by climate communications expert and former Museum of the UN CE Molly Voss Fannon at the Green Media Summit in New York in April, where they delivered the keynote talk Empowering Tomorrow’s Consumers: Best Practices in Communicating Brand Sustainability Efforts.

‘NEICC’ – downloadable edition

We are delighted to announce that our landmark white paper A New Era in Climate Communications is available to download for the first time.

Supported by more than 40 contributing organizations and 60 experts from across industries including advertising, marketing, and communications, as well as the creative and climate science communities, this paper has been designed as a key resource for all those who share our vision for a world in which everyone is inspired to play their part in the climate solution, understands what they can do, and has the opportunity to do it.

“We live in an age where each of us is bombarded by messages every day, yet the most important ones are the ones that seem to struggle the most to get through. By bringing together insights from so many incredible contributors, we hope the downloadable addition of A New Era in Climate Communications will help to not only show the world why we need to rethink the way we communicate about climate change, but provide many of the tools for us to do it.” said New Zero World founder Natalia Vega.

The timing of the downloadable edition, updated for 2024, is significant. More than half of the world’s population live in countries due to elect new leaders this year, while at the same time the threats of misinformation, disinformation and polarization – fueled by advances in AI – have the potential to undermine our ability to address the climate crisis relies on how well we can drive trust and engagement in climate solutions.

The white paper is structured around key themes that are crucial for effective climate communication:

Re: focus | Understanding the interconnectedness of climate change with social justice and economic stability.

Re: wind | Addressing the history of misinformation and greenwashing that has hindered progress.

Re: think | Crafting narratives that resonate with people’s lived experiences.

Re: wire | Leveraging insights from psychology and neuroscience to create impactful campaigns.

Re: design | Moving away from doom narratives and equipping communicators with new skills.

Re: imagine | Envisioning a sustainable future with the help of the creative industry’s expertise.

Re: create | Balancing urgency with hope to empower audiences and inspire action.

Re: sist | Challenging the status quo and advocating for genuine transformation².

Re: start | Learning from other efforts.

Our hope is for A New Era in Climate Communications to not only act as a rallying call for those engaged in the climate story, but to be an invitation to communications professionals and creatives to engage deeply with the issue of climate change and to use their skills to supercharge the solutions.

Download the Whitepaper here

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Impact Report 2023/24

A note from Adam McKay

Yes, it’s carbon pollution that is cooking our planet — causing immense human suffering, escalating worldwide chaos, and increasingly dire pleas from scientists.

But the biggest obstacle to solving this problem isn’t the science. It’s the BS oil companies have blasted us with for decades to create confusion and delay.

We’re launching Yellow Dot to combat, correct, and challenge decades of disinformation pushed by oil companies, and amplified by the politicians in their pocket and the large swaths of the media the polluters hold sway over.

We aim to take the constant sales pitches and distorted realities that bombard most of us on a daily basis, shred them, and use the remains to tell a new story based on science and reality. And yes that last sentence was sponsored by American Express.

We’ll use creativity, humor, and the vast well of artistic talent around us, to empower more people to be part of a bullshit-free conversation about what we’re facing and what we can do about it.

Urgency, scale, and clarity are words we like. We also like the word “corduroy” but that is not relevant to this subject.

We exist to cause trouble. Silly trouble, angry trouble, the kind of “trouble” that isn’t trouble at all, but is only labeled trouble by people who profit from you not making any of it.

Yellow Dot is the sun, which is a part of the problem thanks to the heat-trapping pollution from burning fossil fuels… and also a major part of the solution.

It is a yellow light about to turn red.

We are here to make life healthier and safer for people, and to serve all who support that goal, including organizations, scientists, and activists all over the planet.

Do you need something? A video, a documentary team, graphics, billboards, a foot rub? Just ask.

We are non-profit. We accept donations.

The oil companies have more money than God. Really. We saw God’s portfolio. It’s mostly bonds and GE stock.

We also welcome your ideas and thoughts. You can send them here.

Welcome to Yellow Dot. Let’s get to work before it turns red.

— Adam McKay

Announcing Earth Public Information Collaborative

Global Commons Alliance and New Zero World Announce the Earth Public Information Collaborative (EPIC)

EPIC (Earth Public Information Collaborative) is a first of its kind, new initiative drawing on world class marketers, the creative community, media and tech power, and climate science experts. The mission is to bridge the gap between science and society, and to catalyze public engagement at a global scale to achieve a more just and sustainable world. This fusion of media, tech, and@ advertising industries with science communicators is the beginning of a new public service ecosystem, drawing on leaders throughout the communications world to support a new era where citizens everywhere have access to vital science, data, and solutions on climate. EPIC will also serve as a centralized communications resource, enabling organizations, companies, campaigners and policymakers to access reliable evidence-based information, mutually learn and effectively communicate the urgency of our human and planetary climate crisis.

As the climate crisis accelerates at an unprecedented rate, a global communications strategy is critical to exposing the problem, translating new scientific tipping points, and harnessing our collective imagination towards a more just and sustainable path forward. EPIC plays a critical role in convening cross-sector stakeholders and ambassadors to collectively engage humanity at scale with public service campaigns, accurate science and reporting, and accessible resources designed for broad public engagement.

Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries

PUBLISHED IN NATURE

New research quantifies the conditions needed for communities and economies to thrive – and provides guide for leaders to operate within Earth’s finite limits.

Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries provide one of the most holistic measurements of Earth’s finite limits, and mark a step change in understanding how to protect people and planet.
New quantifications of the limits of Earth’s vital systems (such as climate, biodiversity, water and air) include impacts on people – measured for the first time in the same units as planetary stability.
The findings underscore the urgent need for action across all Earth’s vital systems, the injustice inherent in current world targets, and the need for just transformations.
The analysis is set to become the scientific backbone of the next generation of sustainability targets and practices, which are broadening their focus beyond climate, and is aligned with the recently published ‘science based targets for nature’ by the Science Based Targets Network.
Leaders call on the public and private sectors to urgently adopt the boundaries in their sustainability efforts, to mitigate risk and create the conditions for thriving societies and economies.

New research published today in Nature defines a set of Earth System Boundaries that scientifically quantify safety of people as well as stability of the planet – which until now have not been measured in the same units. This work builds on existing knowledge and marks a leap in understanding of how to protect the planet’s finite resources and create the conditions necessary for communities and economies to thrive.

Co-authored by over forty leading natural and social scientists from the Earth Commission, and led by Prof. Johan Rockström, Prof. Joyeeta Gupta and Prof. Qin Dahe, the Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries provide a scientific foundation for assessing the stability and resilience of the planet and the connection therein with human wellbeing. These Earth System Boundaries can guide companies and governments in evaluating risks, performance and opportunities as they navigate urgent efforts to achieve a net zero, nature positive and equitable future, especially in combination with just transformation practices.

The Earth Commission was established by the Global Commons Alliance – a coalition of 70+ leading organisations working to safeguard the global commons, including the World Economic Forum, World Business Council For Sustainable Development, The Nature Conservancy, Capitals Coalition, and Future Earth – which hosts the scientific secretariat of the Earth Commission.

The Earth System is made up of many interconnected processes that keep our planet stable or, when disrupted, radically alter its ability to provide a habitable environment. The Earth Commission’s research explores processes in climate, air, water – both ground and surface water – biodiversity – within natural ecosystems and working landscapes – and fertilisers – both nitrogen and phosphorus.

While previous research such as the ‘Planetary Boundaries’ have studied the ‘safe’ limits of these processes, this is the first to incorporate ‘justice’ into scientific analysis, using the same units of measurement. This means the scientists identified limits at which humans are protected from significant harm resulting from planetary changes. These ‘just’ boundaries are in some places more stringent than the ‘safe’ boundaries. Additional work from the Commission identifies the conditions needed for people to access resources for a dignified life.

Almost all of the Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries have been breached, adding urgency for accelerating action to meet existing sustainability goals, including the Paris Agreement for climate, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. This science emphasises that these goals must also be achieved in a just manner.

Prof. Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and co-author of the report, said: “All the models today that take us to net zero assume that nature will continue to provide buffering capacity against global warming. There are nine biophysical processes and systems that regulate the state of the Earth System – the Planetary Boundaries – the Earth Commission took six of these and scientifically quantified them with safety and justice considerations to indicate a safe landing zone for people and the planet. Working holistically across these domains is crucial to our ability to reach net zero.”

Prof. Joyeeta Gupta, Professor of Environment and Development in the Global South at the University of Amsterdam and co-author of the report, said: “Justice is a necessity for humanity to live within planetary limits. This is a conclusion seen across the scientific community in multiple heavyweight environmental assessments, including our own. It is not a political issue. Overwhelming evidence shows that a just and equitable approach to both goal setting and transformation to achieve the goals is essential to planetary stability. We cannot have a safe planet without justice. Anyone building a resilient company, institution or nation for the long term must work towards this future.“

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Figure 9: Limits of a Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries.

A call for leadership

‍As the most up-to-date understanding of the planet’s limits to supporting thriving societies, the Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries are set to become the scientific underpinning for the next generation of sustainability targets, expectations and actions. For example, the Science Based Targets Network – a group of organisations providing tools for companies to transform their impact on nature – has just released its first iteration of targets for water and land, which are informed by the scientific literature, and are now being road tested by seventeen major companies. By designing sustainability efforts around the Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries and just transformation, business leaders will be able to stay

This emerging science quantifies both the influence of humans on the Earth System, and the influence of the Earth System on humans. Building on existing frameworks, it integrates a justice perspective for the first time – which includes minimising human exposure to significant harm, and ensuring access to the resources needed for a dignified life and freedom from poverty for everyone. By quantifying these conditions in the same units of measurement as the conditions for stability, the scientists say they have defined the Safe and Just Boundaries.

Of the eight Earth Systems, human activities have pushed seven beyond their Safe and Just Boundaries and into the risk zone – threatening both planetary and human health. This highlights the urgent need for global leadership, rapid decision-making and just transformation toward a ‘Safe and Just space.’

Transforming our economies to operate within the limits of the planet offers huge opportunities for business leaders to stay ahead of regulatory scrutiny, meet the expectations of an increasingly conscious consumer and stakeholder base, and protect the communities, economies and natural resources upon which their operations depend. These boundaries allow leaders to see a more complete picture of the risks they face and supercharge their sustainability efforts, with a comprehensive framework for measurement and action that can be applied across markets, at both national and regional level. Global businesses including AB InBev, Carrefour, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, H&M Group, Holcim Group, Nestle and Tesco are now setting science-based targets for nature alongside their climate targets, informed by the same science that Earth System Boundaries have drawn from.

This work is more prescient than ever following the recent IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report, which stressed that – despite the richest 1% of the world’s population being responsible for double the CO2 emissions of the poorest 50% – climate change has increased inequality, and will continue to do so without action. This science will equip leaders to build justice and human wellbeing into their decision-making on sustainability.

Harnessing The Power of Creativity for a Greener Future

ARTICLE FROM CREATIVE DENMARK

Creative Denmark releases white paper to accelerate green transition through creativity

All across Europe, a shift is happening. The shift is to a greener future, the so-called ‘green transition’, where consumers are starting to choose more sustainable paths, businesses are moving to more sustainable practices thanks to both consumer demand and green incentives, and communities, governments and societies at large can see the path ahead to a sustainable future. We can see where we need to go. But how to get there, and get there faster, remains a challenge for many. We have spent the last year at Creative Denmark looking deeply into how creativity can help accelerate this green transition and help individuals, business and societies create a sustainable future. Our new white paper ‘Creativity as a driver for green transition’, that will be launched September 19th, during Climate Week NYC, takes a deep dive into the hidden value of creativity as a tool to drive sustainable change and a green future. In this article you get a sneak peek to the topics we touch upon in the white paper. As Daria Krivonos, CEO of the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies notes in the white paper, change is uncomfortable, but there is no alternative to creating a sustainable world, so the sooner we can embrace it, the better.

“I believe that creativity is not only a key driver for the green transition, but also a vital tool for businesses looking to stay competitive in a rapidly changing world.”

Morten Bødskov, Danish Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs.

Starting with the individual

There is a multilayered approach to the green transition that takes in individuals, businesses, and systemic change. Each of them plays their part in making the shift happen. Starting at the individual level, creativity has a role to play in helping shape behavioural change. If you consider how marketing and advertising industries use their understanding of how people behave and why to influence behaviour, you can see how it can help in shifting them towards a greener state of being.

Charlie Stjerneklar, CEO of Kreativitet & Kommunikation (Creativity & Communication, red.), the industry organisation looking after the communications and influence industry, has seen the power of Danish advertising agencies first hand, and cites positive examples of brands from Coors to IKEA using Danish creative ideas to shape these new, climate-friendly behaviours.

“While the creative toolbox we use hasn’t changed much,” he says, “it now is being put into action in new ways and for new purposes… We can change the world with creativity – if we want.”

Applying creativity to business models

Individual actions and behaviours are important, but so too are actions that take place on a larger scale, including rethinking how businesses operate. Moving the ethos from a ‘take, make, waste’ model to a circular business model takes effort, commitment, and creativity but is an essential action on a planet with finite resources. Critical creative thinking needs to be done to work through problems, educate staff and consumers, and fundamentally rethink how we do business as a whole. Problem-solving at scale with stakes on this level needs a level of daring and a willingness to experiment – traits that require creativity.

In the paper, Circular Economy Expert Sara Lindeblad Wingstrand of Boston Consulting Group discusses how this new business model is an integral part of the solution to the environmental crisis that will need bold investor moves, ambitious policies, and radical innovation if it is to be successful. It’s a daunting task, but as many Danish businesses are able to prove, not an impossible one. From furniture companies offering reuse models and take-back schemes to businesses creating high-end products from waste, Danish businesses are already operating and innovating in this sphere, providing examples to follow.

“We need to think differently, involve and engage all stakeholders, and let sustainability become part of our everyday thinking and DNA. But most importantly, we need to include the dimension of beauty and aesthetics to turn the transformation into something irresistible.”

Torben Klitgaard, CEO, BLOXHUB.

Creating a desire for change

Making the sustainable choice irresistible is another key theme in the white paper. Bridging the gap between knowing about climate change and wanting to do something about it on an individual, business or systemic level is all about shaping a desire for it. Citing examples of storytelling and the power of imagination as drivers for this desire, Julie Hjort, Director of Sustainable Transitions at the Danish Design Center clarifies that science needs a little creative magic to help people bridge that gap.

“Science has told us what to move away from,” she said. “Our imagination must tell us where to go next. We must dare to imagine a living, sustainable, and circular society where people and the planet thrive.”

Shaping a new kind of systemic thinking

Beyond shaping individual desires and creating business imperatives, changing the system at a systemic level can accelerate far wider change. In the report, Connie Hedegaard, Former European Commissioner for Climate Action, explains how the European Commission is driving incentives across European societies to lead to a carbon-free future, recognising the global nature of the climate crisis: we are all connected, after all.

In Denmark, the new Bauhaus project Desire works across multiple disciplines, considering how they are all connected, to shape a better future. It’s a unique way to work on a systems level across multiple sectors, using collaboration and a set of principles to create better places to live. By throwing out profit as a guiding factor and instead looking at the values of belonging, circular mindsets, planetary perspective, agency and aesthetics, three pilot projects are ploughing a new path.

Creativityas a driver for change

From the power of advertising to the problem-solving solutions business leaders need to find, and the systemic shifts that move us all in the same direction, creativity can power a faster and more desirable transition into a greener age. As the examples of Danish businesses in the white paper show, it is possible to adapt and change, innovate with the environment in mind, and succeed in a global and local market.

Creativity is the missing link when it comes to empowering individuals to take action, as well as shaping incentives that drive better business and societal change. It’s the secret sauce that makes us want to be a part of the green revolution, rather than stick to the status quo. And, as we rethink how to live and work in a world that does not have limitless resources, there is no future without it.