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Transitions to
sustainable futures

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How do we build a sustainable world?

The world is at a tipping point. The actions we take over the coming years will have a profound impact on the future of our planet. But finding the best way forward can be hard – especially given the scale and complexity of the challenge facing us.

That’s why we need to approach the problem in a new way.

Focusing on transitions

This website is based on a research report jointly created by the R&D Group of Hitachi, Ltd. and Takram, a design innovation studio based in Tokyo, London and New York. The report explains nine transitions we can make toward a more sustainable world.

A transition is a gradual, progressive shift from one state to another. In this context, we’re talking about moving from one social, political, or economic system into another.

The power of transition thinking

It’s hard to imagine a world you don’t yet live in. Before World War II, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, or the modernisation that came with Japan’s Meiji Restoration, few could have imagined what life would be like afterwards.

Thinking in transitions can give us a much fuller picture of how we build a sustainable future. And it gives us practical, concrete steps we can take to help get us there.

‘When you are forecasting a future, you’re thinking within the paradigms that you’re already embedded in. Your social, political, and economic paradigms and current worldviews. All of which are part of the problem, because all of those paradigms are inherently unsustainable in the long term.’

— Terry Irwin, Director of the Transition Design Institute

Crises showed us that, when we act together, rapid, multi-dimensional transformation of the way we live is possible.

2020 as a tipping point

2020 was a year of crisis. The coronavirus pandemic caused untold disruption to mental and physical wellbeing, as well as to the global economy. Meanwhile, wildfires, extreme weather, conflicts, famines and political upheaval devastated many corners of the globe. These problems are linked, and illustrate both the scale and the urgency of the challenge we face.

But 2020 also showed us that, when we act together, we can achieve incredible things.

The same is true when it comes to building sustainable futures. Multi-dimensional transformation of the way we live is possible. But if we are to succeed, we need to act decisively at every level – as societies, companies, communities, and individuals.

How we created this report

This report covers:

126

people and organisations

28

key frameworks

12

Detailed interviews and profiles of 12 leaders in sustainability:

Arup, Dan Hill, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Forum for the Future, Human After All, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, IPBES, Kiko Network, Renewable Energy Institute, Terry Irwin, The International Energy Agency, Yoji Yoshimura


Fossil → Renewable

IEA cover icon
fossil cover icon

Shifting from fossil fuels to renewables is the number one priority for climate action. It means rethinking the way we live, and the systems that shape it.

The organisation

International Energy Agency

The IEA aims to be “at the heart of the global dialogue on energy”, helping balance environmental protection and economic development worldwide.

The coronavirus pandemic has created an opportunity to rethink our energy systems, and rebuild in a more sustainable way.

‘Avoiding new emissions is not enough: if nothing is done about emissions coming from existing infrastructure, climate goals are surely out of reach.’

— World Energy Outlook 2020 report

Key concepts

Net-zero emissions

Putting no more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than you take out. This can involve both reducing emissions and carbon removal technologies.

Retrofitting, repurposing, retirement

Updating energy systems to make them more sustainable in a gradual, system-by-system way.

Key frameworks

UNDERSTANDING OUR ENERGY CHOICES

Adapted from Energy and industrial process CO2 emissions and reduction levers in WEO 2020 scenarios, 2015-2030, from IEA Energy Outlook 2020 ↗ (2020)
Understanding our energy choices

Understanding our energy choices

The IEA identifies three key levels to this transition: Changing our power sources and efficiency Like switching from coal to wind power. Changing end-use Like the way we power our homes. Changing people’s behaviour Our individual energy consumption choices – like driving an electric car.

Transition in detail

The IEA emphasises the need for change at every level – governments, corporations, and citizens.

‘Getting to net zero will require unwavering efforts from all. To reach net-zero emissions, governments, energy companies, investors and citizens all need to be on board – and will all have unprecedented contributions to make.’

— World Energy Outlook 2020 report
Current worldPreferable world
Worldviewenergy as resource, gradually running out while polluting the environmentenergy as flow, renewably supplied, non-destructive
Purposesupporting transfer of energy from environment to human-societysupporting flow of energy throughout environmental systems
Achieving net-zerothrough technological innovationthrough technological, social, and behavioural change
Infrastructuregovernment responsibility, ageing, unsustainableresponsibility of everyone, retrofitted, sustainable
Stakeholdersunconnected, in conflictconnected, aligned, colaborating

Transition pathways

The IEA projects three scenarios for the future: our current trajectory, a more sustainable one, and net-zero. Moving towards net-zero will require major efforts from government, businesses, and civil society.

FOSSILSWIPE →RENEWABLE
International Energy Agency - pathway diagram

What you can do

Push for change at work and beyond

Companies and governments have the biggest role to play in leading our shift to renewables. Employees, shareholders, and constituents can help make the case.

Rethink your everyday choices

You can reduce your carbon footprint by using public transport, reducing air travel and eating less meat.

What this research tells us

We need to move beyond our current way of thinking

Many of the organisations featured in this report are radically different, and see different pathways towards the future. But there are also several common themes.

Perhaps most importantly, these organisations agree that we must move beyond the status quo in a few important ways:

Addiction to the short-term

Our actions are biased towards immediate or short term effects, whether that’s annual profits or personal convenience. This means we can overlook long term outcomes.

Consuming without consequences

People and companies ignore the external effects of their actions, focusing too narrowly on the ‘bottom line’.

Endless growth narrative

If we pursue growth in all circumstances, it is almost impossible to reduce our impact on the planet.

Faster is better

Some activities need to be fast – but many don’t. Fast behaviour is generally more destructive, especially when we don’t fully understand its consequences.

To build a sustainable world, we have to work together

It’s tempting to look for quick fixes or technological innovations that could make our current way of living more sustainable. But this report shows that there are multiple transitions we need to make, at every level of society.

This research also underscores the vital role consensus-building has. By listening to those who have been ignored in previous conversations about sustainability, and by shifting decision making to local people and communities, we can create a future that everyone owns, and bring fresh ideas and perspectives into the conversation.

Ultimately, a sustainable future will only work if it works for everyone.

What you can do

Frameworks for seeing the world differently

Together, these frameworks help us better understand our world, and the transitions we need to make toward a more sustainable future.

They are not an end in themselves. Rather, they are a starting point for a diverse set of actions, which can be undertaken by individuals, communities, businesses and governments to improve our relationship with the natural world – and with each other.

These ways of thinking can be applied to other complex, multi-faceted problems. They help us make progress on issues that would otherwise feel too big or too difficult to contend with.

By taking the time to understand these frameworks, we can make them second nature, so they drive our choices and actions day to day.

‘If you really want to work on behalf of sustainable transitions, if you want to ignite positive, systems-level change, you have to change many things about yourself. You have to change your posture, you have to change your attitudes toward collaboration. You have to, I think, revise your ideas.’

— Terry Irwin, Director of the Transition Design Institute