Laura Fogg Rogers’ Post

Addressing #climatechange will require systemic change and investment in groundbreaking solutions across sectors, industries. That's why incentive prizes and #openinnovation approaches could play a pivotal role in surfacing and accelerating groundbreaking ideas to tackle environmental challenges. We collaborated with the Environmental Policy Innovation Center to curate a list of 50 climate prize ideas that could be championed or sponsored by federal agencies, grantmaking institutions, and other types of funders. From carbon capture technologies to sustainable agriculture breakthroughs, these prize opportunities will inspire fresh thinking about how open innovation could be used to invite a wide range of people and ideas to climate and environmental problem-solving. 🌎 ➡ Help us expand this list! Which prize ideas spark your interest and show the greatest potential impact? What crucial climate opportunities are missing? #OpenInnovation #ClimateInnovation #ClimateAction #SustainableSolutions #GreenInnovation #EnvironmentPrizes https://lnkd.in/e9EwUrjE

New from Luminary Labs: 50 Prizable climate opportunities. Addressing #climatechange will require systemic change. But how will that change actually happen? Many federal agencies use “push mechanisms” like grantmaking and #policy to advance climate goals. But sometimes #grants and policies alone aren’t enough to solve complex problems. When it’s too early, too risky, or too hard — or when push mechanisms won’t deliver an innovation fast enough — “pull mechanisms” and market-shaping tools like prizes can accelerate innovation by delivering the right incentives at the right time to generate and develop viable solutions. To be sure, not all problems are “prizable.” Traditional procurement is often better when the ideal solution is known and already exists. Sometimes the market solves a problem on its own, or policies are enough to create the desired change. But when a problem is well-defined, a group of innovators is engaged, the foundational science and technology exist, and sufficient incentives are available, an incentive prize can yield breakthrough solutions. Inspired by the once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance rapid and transformative solutions and make a real impact on the future, Rebecca Meyer, Janna Gilbert, Benjamin Algreen Adler, Cameron Fox, Jessica Hibbard, Alex Leader, Andrew Wallace and I teamed up with Reed Van Beveren, Jessica Mahr, and Christopher Putney of the Environmental Policy Innovation Center Center to curate a list of 50 climate prize ideas. Which ideas have the greatest prize potential? What’s missing from this list? Are you considering a pull mechanism in this space? Share your thoughts in the comments below. https://lnkd.in/eHMjk8aS

"Efficiency alone will not solve the climate crisis." Talk at the annual Society of Environmental Journalists meeting. 1. Efficiency is a powerful tool, but it mostly just makes the wheel of production and consumption spin faster, helping us degrade resources more quickly. You have probably heard about the rebound effect, also called Jevons Paradox, the tendency of people to simply spend some (or all) of the savings they gained through efficiency improvements, but I want to talk about something more fundamental. 2, Which is the tendency of systems of all kinds, from forests to cities, to self-organize in order to maximize their power. Most ecologists agree that there is some maximizing function at work in ecosystems, but I am quoting Howard Odum, who not only argued that systems self-organize to maximize their power, but that they do so at intermediate efficiencies, and inefficiencies mean waste. Which is to say that waste is not a bug, but an inevitable feature of self-organization. But there is waste and there is waste. In their growth phase, when resources are abundant, cities (like the Pittsburgh of my childhood) dump their wastes in the air, water, or land for some other system to process. This is where we are now with greenhouse gas emissions in the global atmosphere. 3. But when growth slows and cities encounter limits, whether because of resource scarcity or pollution effects, systems begin to enhance their power by capturing and using that waste. I am showing a diagram of a climax forest with its almost perfect cycling of waste and materials. Let me paraphrase Kim Stanley Robinson (because I can’t find the exact quotation), who observed that cities or regions only discover their biophysical potentials when growth phases end, as wastes become valuable. 4. As environmental architects, we work with individuals and institutions that have recognized or encountered limits of some kind, and we explore the bioclimatic potentials of their locations. Efficiency is part of the toolkit, but mostly we try to think like a forest, sampling and sharing “wastes” as environmental resources work their way through the geo-biosphere.

I trained a GPT on around 50 documents I have downloaded from the Climate Change Professionals group on LinkedIn. Based on the comprehensive review of the sources studied so far, the top three actions humankind needs to take to address climate change and overconsumption of resources are: 1. Restore Ecosystems and Prioritize Nature-Based Solutions Protecting and restoring ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and oceans is essential for mitigating climate change and reversing environmental degradation. Healthy ecosystems play a vital role in absorbing carbon dioxide and regulating water cycles, which in turn stabilize regional climates and improve biodiversity. Nature-based solutions, including reforestation, sustainable agriculture, and coastal restoration, offer a powerful way to simultaneously address resource overuse and climate change. These approaches can enhance resilience to climate impacts, improve food security, and promote sustainable resource management. 2. Transition to Renewable Energy and Reduce Fossil Fuel Dependency Reducing reliance on fossil fuels and transitioning to renewable energy sources (such as wind, solar, and hydropower) is critical for curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Fossil fuel combustion remains the largest contributor to global warming, and replacing it with clean energy can significantly lower emissions while ensuring sustainable energy use. Expanding renewable energy infrastructure and cross-border energy cooperation, as discussed in various climate reports, can provide a foundation for energy security while reducing the carbon footprint associated with overconsumption 3. Promote Sustainable Consumption and Resource Efficiency Addressing overconsumption requires a shift toward sustainable lifestyles and resource efficiency. This includes reducing waste, promoting the circular economy, and adopting practices like sustainable agriculture and responsible production. Sustainable consumption also emphasizes reducing the use of non-renewable resources and prioritizing local, eco-friendly goods. The concept of "degrowth" in over-consuming nations, as explored in ecological reports, highlights the need to reduce material and energy throughput while improving social well-being and environmental justice. These three actions—restoring ecosystems, transitioning to renewable energy, and promoting sustainable consumption—form the cornerstone of a global strategy to combat climate change and resource overshoot effectively.

What are some of the trade-offs involved in the green transition? I'll be taking part in a panel next week hosted by Clement Sefa-Nyarko, PhD on 'The psychosociology of climate response for environmental sustainability'. I'll be discussing some of the competing incentives and interests of stakeholders involved in the pursuit of sustainability. How might the push for renewables affect the planet's biodiverse regions? How might this affect marginalised communities? And what could be done to bridge these different interests? #GreenTransition #Sustainability #ClimateAction https://lnkd.in/et79Uncd

Education, education, education. "Three-quarters of the British public have a poor understanding of commonly-used climate terminology like ‘environmentally friendly’ and ‘locally grown’. The majority of people in the UK struggle to understand key language to do with the climate crisis and environmental policy, a new study has found. Only a quarter of Brits responding to a poll said they understood clearly what was meant by ‘green’ and around the same number could not define the term ‘sustainable’. The survey, conducted by insights experts Trajectory and communication agency Fleet Street, shows key terminology for discussing climate change and climate protection is understood by a minority of people in the UK." Learn more https://lnkd.in/etqYkyiT #education #climatechange #environment #sustainability #future #uk

Voluntary corporate emissions targets have become a staple in the business world’s response to climate change, mirroring national commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, a recent perspective paper published in Science by an international research team led by Utrecht University, including experts from Imperial College London, questions the sufficiency of these targets in driving genuine environmental change and supporting emerging green technologies. Have you read the new research? https://lnkd.in/dq_JTmqs

Data serves as the cornerstone for developing precise strategies to address ecological challenges, especially for our Global South nations that often lack comprehensive datasets as we are on a journey of developing. Understanding microclimates, blooming patterns, weather changes and seasonal shifts is crucial for effective environmental management and resilience planning. In contrast, developed countries like the UK, USA, Germany, Russia, Denmark and France have amassed extensive ecological data over the past 35 years, providing them with a robust foundation to tackle climate-related issues. They have established extensive monitoring systems, research institutions and databases that facilitate a better understanding of environmental changes and climate-related issues. As our nation prepares to host COP 33 in 2028, we urge all countries to enhance their efforts in data collection, encompassing everything from lichens to broader biodiversity shifts. Every detail contributes significantly to our understanding of ecosystems and their responses to climate change. The COP process embodies a collective journey towards a sustainable future, one where nations unite to uphold the lamp of hope. By sharing knowledge and collaborating on data-driven solutions, we can innovate pathways to create a thriving, sustainable world for humanity. Only through this unified approach can we truly address the pressing ecological challenges that confront us all, ensuring that future generations inherit a planet capable of supporting diverse life and vibrant communities. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: The World Is One Family

Lucy Almond, Chair of Nature4Climate highlights the scientific evidence supporting the use of environmental attribute certificates to be used toward #Scope3 emissions, which demonstrates that the responsible use of high-integrity carbon credits leads to increased #climate ambition, enables companies to decarbonize faster and ensures a vital source of funding for people and nature. "A high-integrity voluntary carbon market has the potential to mobilise, at speed and scale, billions of dollars a year in additional climate finance that removes carbon or cuts emissions that help the world stay within the 1.5 degrees C limit of the Paris Agreement, and that benefits communities and ecosystems more broadly." Read the commentary here: https://lnkd.in/gAtVy8Kw Ecosystem Marketplace #SBTi #carboncredits #vcm

This second edition of the 𝗕𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀, published in September 2024, builds on the original guide released in March 2023. It is designed to help businesses incorporate natural climate solutions (NCS) voluntary carbon credits into their climate strategies. This edition offers updated, practical guidance for navigating the procurement process to secure high-quality NCS credits that align with climate change mitigation, biodiversity gains, and benefits to communities. Readers will find step-by-step information to support the entire purchasing journey for NCS carbon credits. This guide was developed by the Natural Climate Solutions Alliance, in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), with the support of the WBCSD – World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Economic Forum. https://lnkd.in/dUFbbkT4 #NaturalClimateSolutions #CarbonCredits #ClimateStrategy #SustainableBusiness #ClimateAction