On August 14, 1912, a New Zealander newspaper, The Rodney and Otamatea Times, published an article titled “Coal Consumption Affecting Climate”. It wrote: “The furnaces of the world are now burning about 2,000,000,000 tons of coal a year. When this is burned, uniting with oxygen, it adds about 7,000,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere yearly. This tends to make the air a more effective blanket for the earth and to raise its temperature. The effect may be considerable in a few centuries.” 

Source: Papers Past

Basically, the author discussed how the huge amount of CO2 produced from coal-burning could result in a warm blanket effect on the earth's climate system. This effect is now what we have come to know as “global warming”, which is what led to climate change and the need for the energy transition. However, having known about this effect for more than a century, it feels like we should have already progressed to a much better place rather than still being stuck at the status quo.

Certainly, there are a number of factors that contribute to why we are where we are today. It could be that there is little will in the leaders in making significant changes. It could be that businesses see incorporating sustainability as something that is contradictory to making profit. It could also be that the matter does not seem to be urgent enough. 

Or, could it be that it is simply just not sexy enough?

The lack of effective communication

When organizations put out thousands of hundred-page reports each year, who is actually reading them? Probably, the co-authors are not even reading them. Even though these reports contain important knowledge and findings, the learnings are confined to a certain sector. Effective communication is therefore more important than ever for the energy transition and climate change, especially in this day and age. With information traveling fast and instantaneously in all directions, and the widespread use of social media, not only has the average attention span become much shorter than before, it now takes only a split second for people to decide on whether to click on a link to read it or to skip it. 

Therefore, to stay competitive, the energy transition should be promoted like how a business sells its products. In other words, marketing teams should be brought in to make the messages attractive, educational materials should be well-designed, and the messages should focus on letting people understand that there is something in it for them, so that they will want to be part of it, instead of see it as a burden.

Here, the focus should be on “the people” – ordinary people like you and I, whether they work in the field or not.

Remember, YOU are powerful.

The energy transition is not just about governmental policies. To be able to make the full transition away from traditional energy sources, the private sector and members of the public need to be on board. However, you, the citizen, can be the most powerful of all. You have the right to vote and choose the kind of administration you want to put into office. You, as a consumer, are casting votes each time you choose to buy certain products over another. You can choose to drink coffee at cafes that offer reusable straws rather than plastic straws. You can also buy ethical smartphones like Fairphones that can last more than two years over other semi-disposable cell phones. Businesses will then learn to change their product when their customers demand it. On the waste-free platform, Loop, various food and household products from well-known brands come in reusable and refillable packaging that allow customers to not only enjoy the same products without the need to accumulate trash, but also have the products delivered to and retrieved from their homes – how’s that for convenience while protecting the environment?

Source: Loop

Being part of the energy transition does not always mean sacrificing your happiness. What if it is an investment opportunity?

There is, of course, a lot of bad news surrounding energy and the environment, but no one likes to spend their free time reading something gloomy and serious. However, what if I were to tell you that taking part in the energy transition is about making an investment, and not just about investing in a better future, but literally investing in portfolios that have a higher return rate than that of fixed deposit at the banks, of let’s say 5% or more? 

Existing options such as sustainability crowdfunding platforms and instruments like green bonds and the green stock exchange are already available and the numbers are only growing each year. Platforms such as Bettervest from Germany, Lumo from France, or SunnyFounder from Taiwan make it easy for individuals to take part and invest in various energy projects from different places with just a few clicks from their desk at home. The return rate could range from 4.5% to 8% depending on the nature of the projects. The Luxembourg Green Stock Exchange (LGX), the first in the world to issue green bonds and provide a dedicated platform for green, social, and sustainable securities, is seeing a rising number of green and social bonds being created by various organizations around the world, not only by governments but also by businesses. The ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) indicators have also become more and more popular among investors and asset managers.

We need to make the energy transition sexy. 

If the energy transition is sexy enough, everyone will be interested in being part of the journey. Who wouldn’t want to own a fossil fuel-free and a cool-looking Tesla? Better yet, why choose coal-powered electricity when companies like Solar City can install solar panel systems on your roof without the need to pay for the upfront costs? We need to create more such interesting projects and allow more innovative ideas to materialize. 

Of course, not everyone is Elon Musk, but anyone can be part of the energy transition. Change comes with opportunities. There are more green jobs created each year than those of coal. For example, in Germany, more than 330,000 jobs were created in renewable energy while there were only less than 25,000 jobs left in the coal industry in 2015 (The Infographic Energy Transition Coloring Book, 2018). 

To be actively part of the energy transition does not mean that you have to be an engineer or a researcher. These comprise only a small part of the sector. The energy transition is a field that needs professionals from all walks of life. Political scientists and legal experts are fundamental to developing regulations and policies for just transitions. Computer and information scientists are essential to the digitalization and making smart systems for the energy transition. Mathematicians and economists are crucial to trading and the building of statistical models for renewable energies. Architects and urban planners are keys to making buildings and cities more efficient and humane. Designers and media communication specialists are vital pieces in making sure that messages are delivered effectively. There will consequently be more demands for people who are able to work across diverse disciplines, such as engineers who are able to translate complex technical knowledge into easily-digestible information for designers.

Similarly, the responsibility of creating interesting projects that make energy transition sexy do not lie solely on the energy engineers. From adults to kids, from scientists to artists, everyone can create. And now would be a great time to flex those brain muscles and creative minds.

To get you started, here are a few examples to inspire you to hop on board. 

Source: myenergytransition.com
 

• The Infographic Energy Transition Coloring Book (IETCB)

  The multi-award-winning IETCB is an example of why there should be more of such products out there to inspire people. This book is what results when a team of think-tank researchers meets with a team of designers. The Coloring Book covers all major and important topics using simple stories and easy-to-understand numbers to help readers understand and remember what energy transition is — while doing their coloring. Intended to be fun and engaging rather than as an old-school educational tool, even climate change deniers were found to become interested in the issue while flipping through the book. 

  See, making energy transition sexy does work, right?
  
  
  
  Source: Waterstudio.nl
   

• Floating City Apps

  Created by a team of architects, the Floating City App can be deployed to places where water spaces are abundant and are also in need of energy, sanitation, housing, and communication upgrades. Similar to how apps work, the Floating City App is a structure that you can “install” when you need it and “uninstall” when you don’t. In this way, it will enable near-water areas to undergo faster recovery after being hit by natural disasters. The App comes in standard sea-freight containers that can be retrieved and re-used. 

  Source: Waterstudio.nl

  Amongst many other interesting ideas, the same studio also came up with Parthenon, a floating sea wall that generates electricity and acts as a breakwater that protects seashores and harbors. The design also incorporated the Dutch philosophy of “living with the water rather than fighting it.” 
  
  
  Source: a screenshot of the ENTSO-E Power Flow Tool game

• ENTSO-E Power Flow Tool

  Developed by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), the Power Flow Tool is a simulator game that allows players to step into the shoes of a TSO (short for “Transmission System Operators”). Although the European electricity market structure is different from that of Taiwan’s, it is still very interesting to play the game and understand how it feels like to be an operator managing the different energy sources responding to various weather and energy consumption patterns. 
  
  
  Source: Taipower D/S One

• Taipower D/S One

  I know I know, it’s Taipower. But, this is a permanent exhibition that everyone has to see and can easily visit in Taiwan. By partnering with media experts and designers, the D/S One exhibition hall is one of its kind. Not only can visitors play energy transition games (e.g. producing energy by biking), there is even a six-axis VR robot ride to take! Talk about making energy transition sexy!

*Reference and relevant links

• “Coal Consumption Affecting Climate”: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ROTWKG19120814.2.56.5
• Fairphone: https://www.fairphone.com/en/
• Loop: https://loopstore.com/ 
• Lumo: https://www.lumo-france.com/
• Bettervest: https://www.bettervest.com/de/
• SunnyFounder: http://sunnyfounder.com/
• Luxembourg Green Stock Exchange (LGX): https://www.bourse.lu/
• The Infographic Energy Transition Coloring Book: https://myenergytransition.com/
• Floating City Apps: https://www.waterstudio.nl/projects/floating-city-apps-for-wetslums/
• Parthenon: https://www.waterstudio.nl/projects/floating-breakwater/
• ENTSO https://www.entsoe.eu/data/powerflow-tool/
• Taipower D/S One: https://dsone.taipower.com.tw/

Risk Society and Policy Research Center at National Taiwan University (RSPRC, NTU) is one of Taiwan’s foremost centers conducting research on the risk and social impact of Climate Change, Energy Transition and Sustainability Transitions in Taiwan.