The climate researchers behind TransitionView on the new tool for climate action
Åsa Löfgren, climate economics expert, and Sverker C. Jagers, environmental policy expert, have together with Another Tomorrow developed TransitionView - a tool that discloses how well-equipped and prepared companies are to execute a green transition, and that reveals their strengths and weaknesses in the transition process, providing a solid basis for decision-making regarding priorities within an organisation.
Åsa and Sverker have extensively focused on applied research and want to contribute to making a difference for policy makers, society and the environment. One of their shared interest areas is Collective Action research and both were involved in establishing CeCAR, the Centre for Collective Action Research at Gothenburg University.
We met with Åsa and Sverker to talk about the background, purpose, and possibilities of the tool.
TransitionView is based on Collective Action, what does that mean?
Sverker: Collective Action means collaboration. The reason we have environmental problems, as well as several other societal issues, is that we fail to collaborate. In many cases, individuals have more to gain in the short term by not collaborating and instead overexploiting a resource. However, if everyone overexploits resources, no one ultimately benefits because they will either suffer significant damage or will be depleted. What we need to do is to coordinate and align all parties' behaviours and actions.
Åsa: Research tells us that people are willing to cooperate if they are guaranteed that others are also doing so. The difficulty lies in companies taking the lead and doing more if they don't believe that others are also on board. Within an organisation, you can find varying interests and responsibilities, therefore coordination is important when it comes to setting sustainability goals and visions. By incorporating the Collective Action theory in TransitionView, users can understand their challenges and opportunities lying ahead.
How would you describe TransitionView?
Sverker: Based on the Collective Action theory, TransitionView is a tool that can help companies assess how well-equipped they are to actually achieve their climate goals. With TransitionView, you can determine whether you currently have the coordination capacity that your goals will require. Sustainability is not a separate issue for a specific department but something that concerns everyone within an organisation and therefore needs to be coordinated.
Åsa: TransitionView has been developed for companies that are struggling to implement and achieve their set sustainability goals. The tool creates the prerequisites for internal coordination, which is absolutely critical for reaching set goals. Merely setting goals is not enough. If a company is not equipped to reach those goals, it tends to continuously postpone them.
“TransitionView is particularly suitable for at least three types of companies: companies with significant emissions that need to reduce them, companies that rely on others who emit a lot e.g. on logistics companies for the delivery of products, and all investors.”
Who should use TransitionView?
Åsa: Those who realise that we are in a period of transition and are aware that change is necessary for the company's survival. TransitionView can also assess the credibility of other companies' objectives, which can be useful when comparing two companies with the same sustainability or climate goals.
Sverker: TransitionView is particularly suitable for at least three types of companies: companies with significant emissions that need to reduce them, companies that rely on others who emit a lot e.g. on logistics companies for the delivery of products, and all investors. With TransitionView, investors can find out if the companies they want to invest in are equipped to meet current and future sustainability requirements.
What is the greatest value of using the tool?
Sverker: TransitionView can create security, provide guidance, and help make the transition feasible. It's like a nautical chart that shows how to navigate to reach climate goals.
Åsa: Even though TransitionView doesn't provide answers to everything, it offers an important overview for the entire organisation. It's a way to see what needs to be improved, involve everyone within the organisation, and help each department understand its role in the transition.
Which are the dream organisations to use the tool?
Åsa: Large emitters! It would also be exciting to have one of the major companies within the finance and banking sector testing the tool on its customers. There is currently a significant information gap in that area.
Sverker: Companies that directly and indirectly emit a lot, companies with significant impact, and investors who have the ability (and are legally required) to select forward-thinking companies and gradually phase out their involvement with the ones who are not on track.
TransitionView measures organisations’ transition capability and breaks it down into three key areas: Willingness, Readiness and Openness
Why did you choose to collaborate with Another Tomorrow?
Sverker: Another Tomorrow wants to effect change, and we need someone who can help convey our research into the real world. They have knowledge about leading big transitions, and together we become two communicating vessels with a common vision.
Åsa: We need to do this together with a reliable company that shares the view that research is genuinely important for a transition and that it should never be used for greenwashing, for instance. Another Tomorrow also places great value on our research, and we can contribute on our own terms.
What has been most satisfying about the work so far?
Sverker: It has been an eye-opener in terms of how we can translate research into practice. It has been an exciting journey. Another Tomorrow is deeply interested in our research and they’re able to translate our findings into a practical context.
Åsa: And we challenge ourselves to let go of the thought that we are part of a research project, which is also fun. I enjoy being challenged, and this is truly a challenge. No one involved has worked in this way before; we learn from each other's ways of working.
Gabriel Wikström, the national coordinator for Agenda 2030, wrote in DN Debatt that "the climate goals are within reach if the willingness exists." What are your thoughts on that? How does TransitionView fit into that equation?
Sverker: Willingness is imprecise. Many are familiar with the concept of cognitive dissonance, where goals and actions don't always align. To translate the willingness into practical action, it must be broken down into more specific elements, and you must understand how to coordinate these elements, which is something TransitionView can do.
Åsa: Our tool also shows that willingness is multifaceted. Many organisations want to do things, but they may not always be able to, and sometimes there are obstacles in the way. There is a quote by Hjalmar Söderberg that basically says "to want is to be able to choose, to be able to choose is to be able to sacrifice," and I think people miss the aspect of being able to choose.
Sverker: There are endless possibilities in a transition. What may appear as a sacrifice in the short term can develop into a huge advantage in the long term. It's about daring to take this step. Dare to believe that it will be beneficial in the long run.
About Åsa von Ekensteen Löfgren: Åsa is an Associate Professor in Economics at the University of Gothenburg, a visiting professor at Luleå University of Technology and a University Fellow at Resources for the Future in Washington, D.C. She has a particular focus on climate change and behavioural economics and is interested in the effects and design of regulations and policy instruments, fairness, and industrial investment behaviour such as companies carbon-reducing investments in response to climate regulations.
About Sverker Carlsson Jagers: Sverker is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg, Zennström Professor in Climate Leadership at Uppsala University, and Director of CeCAR (Centre for Collective Action Research). His research profile encompasses a wide range of topics in environmental policy, such as explanations of actors' environmental behaviour, perceptions and attitudes toward environmental policy instruments, the relationship between democracy and sustainable development, climate policy, and environmental justice.
