2024 in Review

Foreword

As a rapidly growing organisation, we are often so immersed in our long list of tasks that we have to pause and look back to see how far we’ve come. For Transitions Research, 2024 has been the year we strengthened our roots even as we soared higher to make a meaningful impact on the world through our social science research.

As we continue to work towards a fair future for a changing world, let’s take a moment to reflect on the work we’ve done this year. Read on to follow our eventful journey in 2024:

Publications:

Just Futures: Our reports presenting future-forward primary research, analysis and insights

Putting people and their aspirations at the centre of a sustainable and digitally fair world:

The status quo is marked by inequalities. Therefore, when we think about reimagining our climate or digital future, we must adopt a holistic approach that aims to not only reduce emissions and build ethical technology, but also uplift the overall quality of people’s lives.

“Net Zero Panaji: 2050 Vision Report,” outlines the goals and priorities that Panjimites have for their city’s net-zero future.

“User Journeys with Generative AI: Navigating the Future of Work and Society,” aims to centre user experiences of GenAI and examine possible impacts of this emerging technology on the future of work and society

Building resilience and adapting to a changing world:

While mitigating climate change is a long-term challenge that requires time, research, and investment, we must simultaneously strengthen our adaptation efforts. Our work focuses on protecting communities most vulnerable to climate change, minimising the impact of their losses, and supporting them in adapting to climate change. Through our collaboration with Adaptation Research Alliance, we gathered insights from local organisations working on the ground with communities to understand the nuances of the challenges and identify solutions.

Measuring What Matters analysed how the success of adaptation measures implemented on the ground can be measured effectively.

Finance for Locally Led Adaptation explored funder-fundee relationships to streamline finance flows between funders and local organisations.

Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems documented insights from organisations on stronger collaboration with local communities to bridge the gap between adaptation science and practical action.

Heat Adaptation leveraged knowledge gathered from organisations working on heat in the Global South to identify challenges and outline solutions for tackling extreme heat on the ground.

Branchpoints: Our blogs that explore pivotal choices shaping sustainability transitions

The energy story: Building just and equitable pathways to a clean energy world.

India is still a fossil fuel-dependent country. While it has set ambitious targets for transitioning to renewable energy, the nature of this shift is complex and critical due to various economic and social interdependencies. Thus, the choices we make during this transition to a clean energy economy are opportunities to rewrite the energy story.

Our Branchpoint blogs in 2024, including? Shantha Venugopal’s “India Needs An Energy Justice Focus In Its Solar Transition” and Godwin Adam’s “Alleviating Energy Poverty Through Transitioning to Low-Carbon Technologies,” highlight the importance of bridging social gaps and nurturing community resilience while pushing for infrastructure development.

Moreover, while advocating for behavioral changes, we must also consider the experiences and opinions of users to effectively promote lifestyle changes. Based on our on-ground research in Panaji, conducted in collaboration with the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA), which focused on understanding obstacles to rooftop solar panel adoption, Amita Basu’s blogs “That’s Solar Biz: Addressing the Rooftop Solar Lag Among Urban Indian Businesses” and “Incentivising Energy Efficiency in Urban Indian Households” analyze behavioral barriers and policy challenges, and suggest ways forward.

AI x Climate Action: Mitigating tradeoffs and amplifying co-benefits

Human activity is rapidly altering the planet's climate and ecosystems. A defining characteristic of this age is how nature and technology have intertwined to shape human activity. In this era, technologies such as AI can potentially play a pivotal role in strengthening our responses to climate change. However, at the same time, AI’s environmental footprint is substantial and growing. Angelina Chamuah’s blog, “Can AI Light Up India’s Energy Shift? A Pragmatic Look at India’s AI and Energy Transitions,” and op-ed, “Aligning India’s AI Ambitions with Climate Goals,”, co-authored with Lianne Dsouza, published in the Hindustan Times, examine the interaction between AI and climate action and suggest measures to align their respective goals.

You can read all our publications here.

Podcasts

Inspiring the next generation to take climate action and building the groundforce driving sustainability transitions in India

We are on a mission: to guide young people and build capacity among experienced professionals, preparing them to enter the climate space.

This year, we launched our first-ever podcast—MAP (Monsoon Academy Podcast). At MAP, we speak with sustainability experts to document their career journeys and learn from them about skills and opportunities related to green jobs. In MAP’s inaugural year we’ve discovered that, as a horizontal career landscape, climate offers many opportunities for skill transfer. Learning on the job, finding the right mentors, networking, and staying alert to opportunities can help individuals secure fulfilling, well-paying green jobs.?

Listen to our podcast here.

Events

Talking About Transitions: Recurring virtual events on transitions at the interplay of technology, society, and sustainability.

Conversations and collaborations are at the heart of social impact. Talking About Transitions is a recurring event that features critical discussions on systemic transitions at the intersection of technology, society, and sustainability. At each event, we invite experts working on key transitions to share knowledge and explore solutions to complex social issues.

Our dialogue series provides a platform for collective thinking on three major areas of change and challenge: urbanisation, climate change, and digitalisation. This year, we hosted eight dialogues across diverse themes, including climate resilience, urban nature, extreme heat, AI and climate change, energy transitions, mobility, and green jobs.

You can watch all our dialogues on our YouTube channel [here].

Transitions Leadership in Action: Panel Appearances in Local and Global Conversations

This year our leadership team shared their insights at various panels in India and at global events such as COP29, Climate Week New York, the Cairo Forum, CBA18, and more.?

2024: Growing, evolving and expanding

We look back at the year with gratitude for the past and we look ahead with big dreams for the future. At this juncture is where we want to thank you – our readers, listeners, and viewers, who have supported, engaged with, and informed our work. Thank you for being a part of our journey. See you next year!

Call to Action

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