Our Way 1
P WEROF PARTNERSHIPS THE To achieve common geopol
itical objectives like Goal 17 of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, cooperation and coalitions are a must. Adjunct Professor Johan Kuylenstierna considers competence, resources and a clear road map essential to achieve success. “O nly through well-functioning partnerships can we work towards realizing Goal 17 of Agenda 2030 – the whole undertaking is built upon collaboration. To solve issues relating to climate change we must move beyond the level of states and countries and involve all sorts of industries across different sectors – from finance to shipping – as well as individual companies and corporations.” WHAT ASPECTS ARE KEY TO MAKING A PARTNERSHIP SUCCESSFUL? “Three things are key – competence, resources, and a clear road map. What is the goal and how should we go about achieving it together? Agility is also important – the speed at which technology advances means that the way we work and do things today might not be relevant in two or three years’ time. The recent advancement has opened up new possibilities for all industries – the forestry sector, for instance, used to be restricted to the production of wood and paper, while it now has the ability to replace basically all products based on oil, among other things.” HOW HAS THE GEOPOLITICAL COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? “Goal 17 and the Paris Agreement have resulted in new types of partnerships in which a wide range of sectors come together to find solutions. This all-encompassing form of global initiative has brought with it a definite business element. I see this new direction as a positive movement. Countries and governments can set as many targets and goals as they like, but engagement has to be built with a solid foundation, involving a cross-section of sectors and businesses. It’s a new playing field that is dramatically different from previous efforts, and in their new guises they’re likely to yield better and more sustainable results.” WHAT KIND OF PARTNERSHIPS ARE YOU HOPING TO SEE MORE OF? “I personally think it’s important that there’s an incentive for businesses to get involved in these initiatives, giving them the opportunity to innovate and create new business opportunities that tie in with the goals. It can be difficult to find resources to develop and test innovations. An excellent and positive example in Sweden is HYBRIT, a collaboration between the energy company Vattenfall, mining company LKAB and steel company SSAB. The new idea they have come up with is the production of fossil-free steel, which has huge business potential in a world striving to achieve the goals set in Paris. A collaboration has also been established with the Swedish Energy Agency – together they have invested SEK 1.4 billion to build a large-scale test bed. This chimes really well with the spirit of Goal 17.” OUR WAY PARTNERSHIPS 7