Read all that we have discussed during our Climate Innovation Experience. Learn about Climate Leadership and Engagement for a Resilient Society

1. Climate Leadership in practice
Climate Innovation Experience - Utrecht 23 November 2017
At Climate-KIC’s third annual Climate Innovation Experience on 23 November a
record number of 260 participants gathered in the Leeuwenbergh building, which
in medieval times was a hospital for the poor. In those days, people worried most
about diseases like the plague. Nowadays there are other bigger concerns, Climate
Change arguably being the biggest and most urgent of our time. To tackle this
problem effectively, we need leadership. But who do we turn to?
The gravity of the problem
Both Kirsten Dunlop – Climate-KIC’s CEO – and Bernice Notenboom – Climate Journalist point
out the gravity of the climate change problem. Kirsten states ‘we are not even half way in
meeting the goals we set out to achieve to keep the temperature from rising even more. This is
why Climate-KIC is shifting gear and teaming up with partners like C40 (a collective of over 90
cities committed to addressing climate change). Climate-KIC is changing from being a community
towards becoming a movement.’ Tom Bakkum, director of Climate-KIC Benelux, added that we
can view the situation as a disaster looming or take it as a huge opportunity for innovation, for
radically rethinking systems.

2. 1
Bernice Notenboom is a North Pole explorer. Or actually…
was a North Pole explorer. In 2014, she ran the last North
Pole Expedition ever. Her and her team attempted to travel
from the North Pole to Canada, failing because of shifting
and breaking ice and extreme weather. ‘Expeditions like this
are no longer possible because of the instability of the ice, so
basically I’m unemployed’. She witnessed how in the short
span of her lifetime as a North Pole explorer – a little over
10 years – the situation on the North Pole has changed
dramatically. It has lost 40% of its ice and with that, the
world lost its reflectiveness, causing temperatures to rise even further. The permafrost on
Greenland is not so ‘perma’ any more, unleashing the greenhouse gas methane, which is greatly
more potent than C02. And without ice on the North Pole, the northern hemisphere is losing its
air-conditioning, effecting the jet-stream which in turn effects the weather leading to draught
and hurricanes. Notenboom: ‘It’s not about polar bears anymore. Don’t worry about them; they
are mixing with grizzlies and forming a new species. The North Pole is no longer a victim of
climate change, it is becoming a driver of global warming.’
Why we lack leadership and action
Stories like Notebooks’ and compelling scientific data are not new to us. Apart from some 3% of
scientists, the academic world agrees we are in deep trouble. Then why are we not all doing
everything we possibly can to turn the tides? Notenboom believes scientists are too modest and
are not shouting out hard enough that this is the biggest threat to mankind. Not terrorism or war.
‘Everyone knows where they were when the planes hit the WTC on 9-11. But does any of you
know where you were when the ice island broke of off Petermann Glacier? (only one person from
the audience remembered). Or when earth hit the 400 ppm on CO2?’ (it was on 23 April 2013.)
‘Also’, she says, ‘it’s our insecurity. It’s simply too big to grasp. So, we collectively decided that
there isn’t much we can do about it.’
Renee Lertzman, expert in Climate Psychology, knows why the general public
tends to turn a blind eye to the problems. As a keynote speaker, Climate-KIC
had hoped to find out how we can make people care more about the climate.
‘But’, Lertzman states, ‘it’s not that people don’t care. The real problem is
different.’ It all comes down to cognitive dissonance. This is a clinical term for
the psychological tension that results from the holding of two (or more)
conflicting beliefs simultaneously. ‘People may really care about climate
change . . . but they also really like to have their piece of meat at dinner. When
we point out that we simply can’t continue down this familiar path, they can
feel like they are being personally criticized.’ The error many of people in the
‘climate-field’ make is the idea that we just need to stress the urgency and be positive about the
innovations that can help turn things around. Lertzman calls this the ‘cheerleading’ mode. What
we need to do instead is acknowledge the anxiety and ambivalence.

3. 2
We need to listen and show empathy. Lertzman applied this approach successfully, even on
sceptic Republicans. It takes a fair bit of emotional intelligence. Her recommendations: listen and
show empathy, acknowledge tensions, partner up with psychologists, experiment and don’t be
afraid to fail.
Science, governments or business?
Climate-KIC believes in innovation and business when it comes to change and leadership. Brilliant
ideas and new technological solutions are necessary. But innovation can only lead to actual
climate-action when it can find its way into the economic system. Fortunately, Kirsten Dunlop
points out, it’s a myth that being sustainable is not economically viable. It is very much so!
Therefore Climate-KIC supports, grooms and educates start-ups in cleantech. Notenboom
agrees: ‘I believe in innovation and in businesses. They have the capacity to change the
financial/economical system. We need to get away from Wall Street and create a new street’.
Notenboom was very discouraged when she visited the climate summit in Bonn. Governments
are not taking leadership. ‘Agreements are good and necessary, but when it comes to action it’s
too little, too late.’ She was hopeful when she was asked to speak at an ANVR travel agency
meeting called ‘innovate or disappear’. Unfortunately, these businesses – who, combined, are
transporting 1,8 million people a year - are more concerned about new competitors like AirBNB
and Uber then they are about climate change and how they can limit their footprint. Notenboom
took the opportunity to point out that half of their top-destinations will be gone soon due to
either hurricanes, bushfires or flooding.
In order to help businesses take the lead, Notenboom took 66 CEO’s on a boat trip to
Spitsbergen. ‘It helped them see with their own eyes what climate change looks like. They had
the opportunity to discuss it among each other, and the people who were otherwise competitors
now became partners in looking for ways to change’. Notenboom will organize another trip in
2018.
Dutch Climate Coalition
In the Netherlands, businesses are stepping up
to the plate. More than 700 businesses, both
big and small, are joined in the Dutch Climate
Coalition. They make 4 pledges: to become
CO2-neutral by 2050, to be transparent about
their C02 footprint, to make a short-term
agenda of actions, and, to actively encourage
others to follow their lead. Participating
companies that have reported on their footprint
have shown an average CO2 emission reduction of 12%, which is substantially higher than the
national average.

4. 3
At this Climate Innovation Experience the Dutch Climate Coalition presents the first Climate-
award. First prize-winner is consultancy agent DZyzzion as it achieved a full 100% CO2 reduction
over the last year. Director of MVO Nederland Maria van der Heijden states: 'DZyzzion shows that
not only multinationals but also small businesses can reduce their footprint, even to zero in this
case’.
Leaders present
So, in conclusion, we need innovative minds, entrepreneurs, and we need to learn how to talk to
the public at large. Fortunately the Climate-KIC community consists of people and organizations
that fit this description perfectly. A couple of them took the stage at this Climate Innovation
Experience. In four 3 minutes pitches, we learnt about new ways to conserve the Wadden Islands
from flooding (University of Utrecht), about an energy-producing window (University of Utrecht),
and, insights on how companies can make their products more circular (Circular-IQ). With the
fourth pitch, we not only learnt about the benefits of eating insects, during the break we had the
opportunity to taste the ‘future of protein’ (the cricket burger of BurgsFoods).
Finally, there were two speakers who are
experimenting in talking to the public about climate
change and sustainability. Annabella Meijer is working
on a comic book on climate change and Tom Voorma is
figuring out how to build a theme park on food and
sustainability in The Hague. During the break and the
match making walking dinner afterwards, participants,
keynote speakers and Climate-KIC Alumni found each
other, making new alliances and combining forces.
At the end, one can only conclude that the leaders are amongst us.
Climate-KIC Benelux, 23 November 2017
For more information about Climate-KIC, contact Marjon Eijpe – Communications Manager
(marjon.eijpe@climate-kic.org)