I had a fascinating couple of days in Leeds last week at ReGeneration Earth, the flagship conference for the Yorkshire Sustainability Festival.
Run by the team behind the Green Finance conference in Sheffield earlier this year, ReGeneration Earth set out to tackle the full scope of the polycrisis. If that wasn’t enough, it also aimed to be optimistic and positive throughout.
Topics ranged from big-picture broadsides against political complacency and dishonesty, to detailed discussions on how to deliver the energy transition one street at a time.
Lord Deben (who I’m old enough to remember as John Gummer) set the scene with a punchy account of his own part in kickstarting UK political action on global warming as part of the Thatcher government. Passionately arguing on the side of science, he accurately accused Kemi Badenoch of “talking guff” on climate.
That’s the kind of challenge to misinformation that’s advocated by Mike Berners-Lee of Small World Consulting, who closed the conference with a summary of his book A Climate of Truth.
Berners-Lee also flagged risks around the AI industry, where a relatively small number of wealthy individuals and organisations are racing to push their products onto the market, regardless of external costs to society and the environment: “Just like with the fossil fuel industry, they’re doing what they need to do to not be regulated.”
Midway between those bookend keynotes, multi-hatted advisor/entrepreneur/systems-thinker/comedian/writer Mark Stevenson took a very entertaining dive into how we can better respond to the multiple challenges of the polycrisis.
Never trust a futurist, Stevenson warned, as you only make predictions based on what you know. Better to aim for a confident relationship with uncertainty.
Trust and technology
With talks and discussions running in parallel on four stages over the two days, it was impossible for anyone to cover the full variety of the conference. I focused on sessions around manufacturing and innovation, plus discussions around effective local and community-based action.
One of the most interesting panels tackled AI, big data and manufacturing. As noted by Dan Graf of carbon accounting start-up EarthChain, top-tier organisations in the public and private sectors are increasingly demanding their suppliers are demonstrably reducing their emissions. Effective data management is essential for that, and AI applications can be very useful in quickly analysing very large and complex data sets.
The value of AI in industry will come from very niche tools and applications which address critical bottlenecks, such as process optimisation and emissions monitoring in manufacturing. Open-source platforms and models will be vital, ideally with much lower energy demands than the current generation of catch-all LLM platforms.
Another panel discussed the challenges in bringing new sustainable materials to market, in terms of scaling-up production, and dealing with supply chains which are rooted in current production processes. John Williams of packaging specialist Aquapak Polymers highlighted the challenges of moving to a circular economy when all the rules are still written by the linear guys.
Part of the challenge for innovators is around informing stakeholders about exactly what they’re doing, why it’s important, and what needs to happen to deliver full value – public relations and communications, in short.
During another session on greentech innovation, John Rastrick of Flotilla consultancy noted that communications are key to strategic innovation around sustainability: “CEOs ask how can we confidently communicate that to investors and clients.” Part of the solution is knowing how to use data wisely as part of your story-telling.
Act local
Kate Hutchinson, the power behind ReGeneration Earth and founder of The Sustainability Community, emphasised the need to lean into regional strengths on the long road to sustainability. There was an amazing array of Yorkshire-based businesses and organisations at the event, as well as leaders from other parts of the country who were happy to share their experiences.
Several sessions discussed how to drive climate action on a local or community level, which is the core of my voluntary role in the Kirklees Climate Commission. Matt Miller of Essex County Council highlighted the importance of education such as Carbon Literacy training within organisations, but the bigger challenge is engaging with the community.
We need to emphasise the positives of sustainability for all, in terms of job opportunities, reduced bills and improved quality of life. Several speakers emphasised the importance of putting sustainability in the hands of residents and communities, talking directly with people in their neighbourhoods.
It’s also about local authorities taking practical steps where they can, given the funding crisis in many areas. Speakers discussed combining retrofit with necessary maintenance of council properties, removing planning hurdles for domestic EV chargers, and working with funders to offer favourable loans for insulation and energy improvements.
As noted by Mark Stevenson, art can also be a great way to bring people together. Stevenson is working with several high-profile musicians to make their concerts more sustainable, which then allows them to speak with their audiences with less fear of being accused of hypocrisy. (I’ve written before on music industry initiatives to reduce emissions.)
A recurring message from ReGeneration Earth was that organisations of all sizes need to build trust and strong relationships, and share their stories with confidence. That’s where Othersfield can help.