Conversation Series: On ways forward for climate action with Silvia Binet
Silvia Binet is a Senior Consultant in our Amsterdam office and an expert on climate. Last year, she decided to pursue a Masters in Science and Management of Climate Change, with a specialization in Economics and Finance. In this interview, she reflects on why she felt the need to go back to school, what she’s learnt, and why she feels more energized and hopeful now.
What made you want to go back to school?
Climate change has become such a mainstream topic that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the constant flood of news. Just a few weeks ago, we had the hottest day recorded on Earth. While the increased awareness is a good thing, it also means that we need to become much better at differentiating what is science, what is political discourse, lobbying efforts, or media narratives. As a practitioner in this space, I felt I needed to find a form of objective truth: Which data should we trust? With what degree of confidence can we make certain statements? What are the links between the climate and our economy?
What is the main insight you take away from the experience?
Something that surprised me is how we attempt to capture reality in economic models, and how powerful – yet reductionist – these models can be. Take the way climate change will unfairly affect the most vulnerable people and communities on this planet. In academic jargon, we refer to this as “distributive justice”, and models attempt to take it into account by applying “welfare weights” in optimization.
In simple terms, the reality is that some people will adapt to increasing temperatures by asking their AI assistant to switch on the air conditioning in a well-isolated, flood-resistant building, while others are forced to leave their home countries as more frequent and intense droughts make land less productive.
If on the business side we might have the need to oversimplify, in the academic world, we tend to make it very abstract. It was clear to me that the divide between the two is too large.
As a climate practitioner, I felt I needed to find a form of objective truth: Which data should we trust? With what degree of confidence can we make certain statements?
But that’s also why what you did is so important – going back to school and trying to bridge that gap. How will you try to incorporate what you’ve learned as a consultant now?
There is a lot of jargon and way too many frameworks. Just thinking about climate scenarios, the IPCC refers to the RCPs and the SSPs, but there are also the scenarios from the NGFS, or those from the IEA… There is a real need for science-based operational knowledge in the conversations that we are having with businesses, but it’s hard to navigate all of this. I think consultants have an important role as knowledge brokers in creating bridges between the latest available scientific knowledge and what the industry needs.
In doing that, we must prioritize clear and transparent approaches that incorporate capacity building on all fronts. A good climate consultant leaves an organization stronger and better equipped to independently tackle the climate challenges ahead.
Overall, would you say you’re more or less optimistic now?
I definitely come back to consulting with more energy because I see a space where we can act. Next to the inequalities that climate change exacerbates, the second biggest problem I see is climate paralysis: in the form of anxiety among the youngest generations, and an inability to make decisions within organizations.
Next to the inequalities that climate change exacerbates, the second biggest problem I see is climate paralysis.
I think we need more positive framing around the discussion – yes, there are significant trade-offs at hand, but we can think about it constructively. For instance, in the debate about prioritizing climate and development goals, rather than assessing what comes first, we can determine what type of finance best suits what kind of projects. Clean energy infrastructure in middle-income countries has well-established business models that can be financed with private capital. Public and other forms of concessional finance can be directed to Least Developed Countries to develop climate-resilient economies.
So, the question for me is: can we use the data and models to inspire action?
