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The 2026 Climate Investment Challenge brought together student-led climate finance solutions from more than 30 institutions across five continents

Participants in this year's Climate Investment Challenge. Source: 91��ɫ Business School

4 minute read

Climate resilience in focus at London Climate Action Week

Lou Lee — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:15:24 +0000

Climate resilience in focus at London Climate Action Week

Lou Lee Mon, 14/04/2025 - 10:15

15 July 2026 News

Business School academic nominated for second term on UK's fiscal watchdog

14 July 2026 News

Celebrating the Dean’s Community Award winners

9 July 2026 News

91��ɫ Business School achieves 91% average positivity score in National Student Survey

29 June 2026

Delivered in collaboration with General Atlantic, the event reflected the Centre for Climate Finance and Investment's (CCFI) growing role as a convenor of interdisciplinary expertise on climate risk and finance. Discussions explored how climate-related risks such as extreme weather are increasingly affecting economic stability, infrastructure, and investment decisions, and how organisations are adapting their approach to managing these risks over the long term.

The event opened with a keynote from Abigail Ng, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), who highlighted climate resilience as a key part of protecting economic security. This was followed by a panel discussion chaired by Rowan Douglas CBE, Honorary Practice Fellow at CCFI, and featuring Kemal Erçevik (Bank of England), Natasha Fowlie (General Atlantic), Paul Munday (S&P Global), Julian Wentzel (HSBC).

A central theme throughout the conversation was the need to integrate climate and nature risks into the core functioning of financial systems, rather than treating them separately. Speakers highlighted the importance of better data, shared standards, and clearer ways of measuring risk in order to improve decision-making across banking, insurance, regulation and investment.

“This is what CCFI is all about: a platform that brings together scholarly excellence and leading market participants to deliver effective solutions at scale.”

Dr Enrico Biffis

Academic Director of CCFI and Professor of Actuarial Finance

Rowan Douglas commented: “We now have our resilience priorities confirmed and an excellent community of financial-sector partners to mobilise with CCFI and 91��ɫ’s School of Convergence Science. Our mission is to help retrain the invisible hand to value resilience and better protect exposed assets and communities in the years and decades ahead.”

In closing remarks, Dr Enrico Biffis, Director of CCFI and Professor of Actuarial Finance and Academic, said: “This is what CCFI is all about: a platform that brings together scholarly excellence and leading market participants to deliver effective solutions at scale.”

The event underscored CCFI’s role within 91��ɫ Business School as a bridge between academic research and industry practice, and highlighted ongoing collaboration with MAS and other partners to strengthen resilience in the face of growing climate challenges.

Panel speakers (from left to right): Natasha Fowlie (General Atlantic), Kemal Ercevik (Bank of England), Julian Wentzel (HSBC), Paul Munday (S&P Global), and Rowan Douglas (91��ɫ Business School).

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The Centre for Climate Finance and Investment (CCFI) brought together leaders from finance, insurance, law, technology, policy and academia for an event on Climate Resilience & Economic Security during London Climate Action Week (20-28 June).

Abigail Ng and Rowan Douglas at London Climate Action Week

2 minute read

“Representation influences capital allocation” says Lara Cathcart at 91��ɫ’s third annual Women in Finance event

Shamita Harsh — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:15:24 +0000

“Representation influences capital allocation” says Lara Cathcart at 91��ɫ’s third annual Women in Finance event

Shamita Harsh Mon, 14/04/2025 - 10:15

15 July 2026 News

Business School academic nominated for second term on UK's fiscal watchdog

14 July 2026 News

Celebrating the Dean’s Community Award winners

9 July 2026 News

91��ɫ Business School achieves 91% average positivity score in National Student Survey

3 March 2026

Once characterised as a “boys’ club”, the finance sector is undergoing a cultural shift that is reshaping how decisions are made. Greater representation at senior levels is increasingly recognised as influencing how capital is allocated.

91��ɫ Business School’s third annual Women in Finance event explored how women are influencing capital markets and redefining leadership across sustainable finance.

An investment narrative that is rooted in embracing change

The keynote address was delivered by Hortense Bioy, former Head of Sustainable Investing 91��ɫ at Morningstar Sustainalytics, who focused on building a more sustainable and inclusive financial future. She explored how geopolitical uncertainty has reshaped sustainable investing strategies, creating both complexity and opportunity.

“The media often debates whether ESG is dead,” Bioy observed. “What we are witnessing right now is an evolution of practices, a recalibration by businesses and investors alike. What’s fading is a version of ESG that relied heavily on labels and was often disconnected from financial outcomes, to make room for pragmatism and realism.”

Her message underscored the importance of data-driven research and thoughtful analysis in navigating rapidly changing markets. She also offered advice to young women entering the sector, encouraging attendees to embrace opportunity: “Step beyond your comfort zone. Visibility and persistence matter. No is rarely the end.”

“Through events like Women in Finance, 91��ɫ Business School reaffirms its commitment to advancing women across the financial sector, creating space for leadership, visibility and meaningful dialogue.”

Lara Cathcart

Professor of Finance, Academic Director for MSc Finance and MSc Risk Management and Financial Engineering

Improving gender inclusion in sustainable finance

The panel discussion, moderated by Fiona Frick, Finance Advisory Board Member and Founding Partner at Circe Invest, examined how female voices are shaping sustainable finance, impact investing and fintech.

Lise Renelleau, Head of 91��ɫ and Innovation for the IQ Lab at HSBC Asset Management, reinforced the importance of measurable impact. She expressed optimism that as access to high-quality data improves, ESG – once perceived as a top-down imposition – is increasingly being integrated into portfolio construction and reporting. While AI and advanced technologies can enhance data analysis, she stressed that human judgement remains essential in translating information into meaningful insight.

Kamini Banga, Chair of the Banga Family Trust, reflected on her experience working in India, where workplace equity was less established when she began her career. From identifying public healthcare investment needs in rural communities to overseeing family enterprise, she highlighted the importance of a just transition in emerging markets.

Zoe Jankel, Vice President and Senior Credit Officer at Moody’s Ratings, spoke about cultural change within organisations. She noted a shift away from expectations that women must conform to traditionally masculine leadership styles. Increasingly, authenticity is recognised and valued at senior levels.

The evening concluded with remarks from Lara Cathcart, Academic Director for MSc Finance and MSc Risk Management and Financial Engineering. Acknowledging the significant evolution in the finance industry, she reflected that there are still male-dominated pockets, especially at the senior leadership level:

“Representation is not simply about equity; it directly influences how capital is allocated, how risk is assessed, and how innovation is fostered. Through events like Women in Finance, 91��ɫ Business School reaffirms its commitment to advancing women across the financial sector, creating space for leadership, visibility and meaningful dialogue.”

Note: This article's headline was updated from: “Representation influences capital allocation” says Professor of Finance at 91��ɫ’s third annual Women in Finance event on 05.03.2026.

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91��ɫ Business School’s event showcased female leaders driving sustainable investing, ESG innovation and long-term value creation.

Main image: 91��ɫ Business School | Fergus Burnett

3 minute read

Alumni Blog: Ravi Varghese, Head of Sustainable Investing at a global asset management firm

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Alumni Blog: Ravi Varghese, Head of Sustainable Investing at a global asset management firm

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

9 July 2026 Alumni

Alumni Q&A: Florence Perramond, Climate Change, Management & Finance 2022

After building experience across venture capital investments, impact asset management and fundraising, Florence Perramond developed a strong focus on connecting capital with high-impact opportunities.

1 June 2026 Alumni

Lessons, insights and early career advice from 91��ɫ Business School Master’s alumni

We recently caught up with some of our Master’s alumni, who reflected on their early careers after graduating from 91��ɫ Business School. In this blog, they draw on their own experience to offer advice to those who are about to enter the job market.

29 May 2026 Alumni

Real career advice from 91��ɫ MBA alumni

We recently caught up with alumni from 91��ɫ Business School’s Full-Time MBA, Weekend MBA and Global Online MBA programmes, who shared insights and advice into succeeding in your career post-MBA studies. Read what they have to say in this blog.

20 February 2023

Alumni

If investors want businesses to clean up their act, they need a seat at the table. That’s according to Ravi Varghese, Head of Sustainable Investing at global asset management firm Epoch Investment Partners.

After seven years as an investment analyst, Ravi Varghese followed his interest in climate change by taking a role with Ceres, a sustainability organisation based in Boston. But he missed the cut and thrust of investment and went on to complete an MSc in Climate Change, Management & Finance at 91��ɫ Business School in 2018.

“91��ɫ’s reputation at the intersection of science and technology and management really stood out, and its network has been incredibly helpful.”

Promoted at Epoch in New York after joining as an analyst in 2019, he is now in charge of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and, with his team, helps assess the implications of ESG issues for the firm’s portfolio of around 500 listed companies.

Dealing in controversy

Grappling with ethics is part of the job. Nothing, in his view, is off limits when it comes to applying the tools of ESG investing – from fossil fuels through to defence and Big Tech. “We don’t exclude any sectors; controversial industries are more likely to benefit from a thoughtful ESG approach.”

Investors had grown pessimistic about the prospects of hydrocarbons, he says, but when energy prices soared, many ESG investors found themselves without exposure to these pivotal companies.

“Some sectors have fallen out of favour, but we’ve always said these companies are central to the global economy and energy security and will continue to be so for the next 30 years,” he explains. “Many are making the transition to lower carbon energy, and we want to take part in that.”

It’s perfectly reasonable that the tech giants should be subject to scrutiny

Divesting from fossil fuels doesn’t reduce emissions, it simply shifts the ownership, “and if that ownership becomes opaque, it could make things worse.”

Big Tech, with its vast influence over societies and economies, is fraught with pitfalls for ESG investors, but can’t be ignored. “It’s perfectly reasonable that the tech giants should be subject to scrutiny,” he says. “As investors, we continue to think how we can be effective partners while challenging practices that could ultimately draw a backlash from society or regulators.”

If a client’s reputation is at stake, a company fails to reform or displays weak governance, then it may be time to depart. “One of the interesting things about ESG is that it merges the pragmatic reality of the corporate world with more complex issues around ethics and reputation.”

The growth of ESG

Even in the last three years, ESG has developed apace, says Ravi. “Not every asset manager had an ESG team then, which is very different today. ESG had to overcome a lot of scepticism… It means many things to many people, so definitions are important.”

In his role, Ravi often engages directly with companies to dive deeper into the detail around ESG performance, and he works closely with investment analysts in his company. Investor stewardship is another important pillar in ESG – increasingly, for instance, shareholders are asking businesses for plans to report and cut emissions and meet environmental and social targets. His team is also responsible for explaining the firm’s ESG philosophy to its clients.

Controversial industries are more likely to benefit from a thoughtful ESG approach

While formal qualifications aren’t a prerequisite for entering the ESG field, he’s grateful for the solid grounding delivered by his time at 91��ɫ Business School.

“It gave me a foundation in climate science and the political, economic and technological tools for mitigating emissions. I think it really accelerated my ability to pursue this career. ESG is now being applied to so many different industries and asset classes, and it promises to be a really interesting journey.”

Ravi Varghese in brief

Completed the MSc in Climate Change, Management & Finance at 91��ɫ Business School
Head of Sustainable Investing at global asset management firm
Worked as a senior associate at a non-profit organisation advocating for sustainability
Completed his undergraduate degree at Yale University

MSc Climate Change, Management & Finance

Sustainability

Programme

3 minute read

Alumni blog: Sales and Climate Change: towards a new ‘Green Commercial Way’

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Alumni blog: Sales and Climate Change: towards a new ‘Green Commercial Way’

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

9 July 2026 Alumni

Alumni Q&A: Florence Perramond, Climate Change, Management & Finance 2022

1 June 2026 Alumni

Lessons, insights and early career advice from 91��ɫ Business School Master’s alumni

29 May 2026 Alumni

Real career advice from 91��ɫ MBA alumni

7 October 2021

Alumni

Multiple studies show that 97% or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree that: ‘Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities’.

There is no doubt that there are many initiatives at institutional and corporate level to increase awareness and actionable engagement in order to reverse this trend. The Paris Agreement, Katowice deal, many corporate reforms and announcements - these are positive actions towards this direction. However, for impact to happen, we need to reform the whole supply chain, from the way we produce, sell and serve, to the way we consume.

Apart from the institutional and corporate activation at central/global level, actionable engagement is needed at micro-level too. Whether it concerns individual responsibility, social groups and populations, operational functions etc. In relation to this, I will focus on Sales/Commercial:

Sales operations engage daily millions of employees, customers and consumers. This means that they significantly affect the environmental footprint, through their physical activation, operation and communication.
Sales act as an intermediary among businesses, customers and consumers. Which means that they communicate, influence and mobilise hundreds of millions of actions and decisions on a daily basis.

So, if businesses wish to mobilise a green commercial attitude fast and at a large scale, over and above their own social responsibility commitments and processes, they have a powerful weapon in their hands to do so: the Sales team and the greater Commercial organisation.

Here are a few examples of how I believe we can transform towards greener commercial ways:

Consumers and Shopper Insights

Learn about your consumers’ potential new green needs, and share with them the actions you have to taken towards a strong positive green impact. Soon, the world is going to be driven by circular economy and probably next to it we will see a new model in the demand side/consumption developing along the lines of consume ‘less, better, simpler and in a responsible way’. If so, then we will have to incorporate it within our consumer and shopper insights.

Coverage

This is key, because it is simple and instant. The daily coverage of the market, with millions of employees out in the field, affects the amount of greenhouse gases released by human activities (e.g. transportation, etc.).

This has to be changed and it can be done. By optimising the efficiency of the coverage plan towards new ecological measures, which can be added within the set of sales KPIs. The ‘coverage plan’ may have to change and/or the way we travel as well. AI, digital transformation and technology can act as powerful levers towards this end, as well as the revolution in the car industry which is changing the potential options for car and vehicle fleets.

IT tools

There are very strong developments in AI, digital, sales automation, big data, business analytics and other relevant topics being driven by technological revolution. This gives companies the opportunity to better understand their market. But also, to communicate with their customers and consumers in different and more direct ways than ever before.

The adoption of these technological developments by the Sales community at a large scale, can positively influence their ecological impact in relation to coverage, travelling, materials usage, promotion and communication.

Change Management

Due to the rapid technological developments, as well as the development of circular economy and its needs, a new model of ‘Sales Leader’ is required. In the future a successful Sales Leader will be someone who is able to see, not only the benefits of new technology and circular economy, but also to visualise and understand how these revolutions can redefine the way they conduct business and approach to route-to-market, market development, brand portfolio, organisational structures, consumer relations, innovation etc.

These leaders will be the ‘Angels of Change’ who will be able to lead from the front and influence the rest of commercial organisations towards these reforms. This means that particular focus has to be paid to change management training programs, processes and initiatives.

The adoption of these technological developments by the Sales community at a large scale, can positively influence their ecological impact in relation to coverage, travelling, materials usage, promotion and communication.

KPIs and Scorecard

Based on the above, along with the classic performance measures (quantitative and qualitative) the time has come to incorporate a set of green key performance indicators, with results reported on within the formal routine (month/quarter/annual) sales performance scorecards. Keep it simple. Make a green set of sales KPIs that makes sense, can be monitored and measured (SMART).

Sales Incentives, Trading Terms and Commercial Decisions

In order to mobilise the whole of your salesforce further and adopt enthusiastically the new ‘Green Commercial Way’, it is important to incorporate the above green KPIs within the salesforce bonus system. And also, in relation to the Value/Volume KPI scale of our salesforce bonus system and put more emphasis (financial remuneration) on green brands.

Of course, the same applies to special green incentives provided to customers, consumers and trade partners through trading terms and promotions. Finally, it would be very interesting to see this new green commercial attitude extended to important business decisions that Sales/Commercial leaders take. For example, they could begin to integrate relevant green commercial standards within their own decision-making process when selecting distributors in the market. This would mobilise the whole system even further and to a greater reach.

We should encourage Sales/Commercial organisations to become advocates, communicating to the rest of the market the power of our brands, unique selling proposals, promotions, best practices, advocacy programs and many others. They provide us with a powerful tool to communicate our environmental concerns and care to our customers, consumers and trade partners.

Key Takeaway

The latest U.N. report warns that: ‘The world has just over a decade to get climate change under control.’

Action at micro-level is key. And this has to be done fast and include the operational functions of businesses too. The time has come to embrace and adopt a new ‘Green Commercial Way’, which integrates the ecological dimension within the Objectives/Goals/Strategies/Measures set of the commercial organisation.

The companies that adopt this approach, will be the ones who will gain the respect of consumers and win at the point of purchase.

Sustainability

Programme

MSc in Management (MiM)

5 minute read

Alumni case study: Making sustainability accessible

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Alumni case study: Making sustainability accessible

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

9 July 2026 Alumni

Alumni Q&A: Florence Perramond, Climate Change, Management & Finance 2022

1 June 2026 Alumni

Lessons, insights and early career advice from 91��ɫ Business School Master’s alumni

29 May 2026 Alumni

Real career advice from 91��ɫ MBA alumni

29 June 2021

Alumni

Ecofye is a climate action advisory that specialises in helping companies minimise their environmental impact and drive long-term competitive advantage. It was set up by Daniela Arroyo-Olson and Tiago Fachada, two entrepreneurs dedicated to saving the planet. They met while studying MSc Climate Change, Management & Finance at the Business School. Find out what they are doing to support SMEs with their sustainable goals, the launch of their new platform Ecofye+ and how you can join the green revolution today!

Our story

Our journey began back in 2019 when we saw there was a widespread awareness among businesses to take action against climate change, but not enough was being done to reduce environmental impacts and truly integrate sustainability into everyday business decisions.

There is still a great market pressure and demand for companies to become more sustainable and reduce their environmental impact. But it can be overwhelming to examine and analyse this effectively. And what does sustainability really mean? How can you measure it? To answer these questions requires the right expertise, and time to implement the required sustainable changes.

Given their limited resources, this problem is especially acute among SMEs. This discourages them from taking meaningful sustainability measures. But given SMEs make up 90% of the business landscape in the UK, there is great potential to deliver a shift in circularity, decarbonisation and social impact. We are passionate about supporting people to join the green revolution, so we decided to combine our expertise to help companies tackle their climate challenges and make a difference.

By improving our environmental impact can have real effect on our planet. That is why we are inviting everyone to join the race to net-zero as global leaders, governments and societies take important steps towards fighting climate change.

Ecofye maps out a company’s climate-related risks and opportunities to offer tailored and time efficient solutions, with the use of machine learning. We help companies find solutions that address the underlying causes of climate change. Our sustainability framework not only analyses SMEs sustainability performance but also to provide accurate solutions to accelerate climate action.

Future-proofing for sustainable business

We believe there's never been a more important time than now for companies to take action. And that wherever a company is on its journey, it is possible to achieve sustainability goals. Our mission at Ecofye is to support companies with this and help drive a long-term competitive advantage.

We recently launched the Ecofye + platform, with the aim of making sustainability accessible and affordable for all SMEs. It allows you to measure your sustainability performance for free via the platform and receive your sustainability score based on circular economy, emissions and social impact. You can also set sustainable target for your company, set a target road map, track your emission reduction and offset with real, trackable and certified carbon credits.

What's next for Ecofye

Although we are a young company we were delighted to be nominated as a top sustainability company in London 2021. Best Startup UK highlights small and medium enterprises from the UK to help them be recognised internationally. We can now look forward to offering environmentally impactful solutions to companies from all over the world.

Ecofye are currently being supported by 91��ɫ’s Enterprise Lab, inspiring the next generation of student innovators and entrepreneurs.

MSc Climate Change, Management & Finance

Entrepreneurship

Sustainability

Programme

2 minute read

How climate change is making our health worse: Yahoo News quotes Professor Marisa Miraldo

Evie Burrows-Taylor — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 09:56:32 +0000

How climate change is making our health worse: Yahoo News quotes Professor Marisa Miraldo Evie Burrows-Taylor Mon, 20/01/2025 - 09:56

16 January 2025

Health

Finance and institutional resilience

Balancing climate ambition and energy security: The case for renewable acceleration in Indonesia

Milica Fomicov — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:14:02 +0000

Balancing climate ambition and energy security: The case for renewable acceleration in Indonesia

Milica Fomicov Wed, 15/01/2025 - 12:14

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For a nation rich in natural sources for renewable power generation and with aggressive targets to decarbonise, Indonesia currently exploits just a fraction of its potential renewable power – could it accelerate the transition?

Indonesia harnesses just 0.3 per cent of an estimated 3.7 TW of potential renewable electricity. Yet the Southeast Asian nation has ambitions to slash its use of coal by 2040 – well ahead of a previous 2056 target. By then, the government aims to generate 75 GW of renewable energy, reaching climate neutrality by 2050 – a decade earlier than previously pledged.

These are highly ambitious targets for a nation reliant on coal for 67 per cent of power generation, compared to 12 per cent from renewables. Indonesia is the world’s fifth largest operator of coal fuelled electricity and seventh largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

But if the region’s largest economy can overcome barriers to adopting clean energy, could it become a trailblazer for other emerging economies in balancing energy security, economic growth and climate action?

Today, Indonesia’s energy sector requires not only hefty investment, but also radical reform.

These climate targets require an estimated 1.2 trillion USD by 2050 for clean energy generation, storage and transmission as per the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

But despite its vast potential, investment in renewables in Southeast Asia has been scant to date. Funds have poured into Vietnam, with Indonesia lagging, despite its huge potential. For every USD invested in Southeast Asian renewables, another goes into fossil fuels – well above levels of Latin America at 0.2 USD and China at 0.3 USD.

Huge investment is also required to modernise distribution grids and energy storage across the islands to meet growing demand. Many islands and remote communities would benefit from the creation of local microgrids

What are the barriers to renewable investment?

Spread across a huge archipelago of some 17,000 islands, Indonesia faces logistical and political hurdles as well as financial. Renewable energy is often far from where it’s most required by industry.

State owned energy utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) holds a monopoly over energy generation, transmission and distribution. While the grid – currently designed around central coal fired stations - needs to modernise, private investment is hampered by PLN’s control of licences even in locations where it doesn’t currently operate, but might do so in the future.

There is also a shortage of renewable procurement possibilities. Industrial consumers could potentially generate their own green power from localised renewables rather than relying upon the centralised grid. But such projects might be dispersed far across the archipelago, and investors are often deterred by small scale, distant projects.

While renewable energy technology has improved and prices have fallen, the cost of financing remains high, partly down to uncertainty over energy policy. This reluctance will continue as long as Indonesia’s existing subsidies on coal and gas continue to influence energy prices.

Huge investment is also required to modernise distribution grids and energy storage across the islands to meet growing demand. Many islands and remote communities would benefit from the creation of local microgrids, but again this is constrained by PLN’s control of operations.

Progress has also been slow from Indonesia’s Just Energy Transition Plan (JETP), unveiled in 2022, which targets 20 billion USD to help Indonesia cut emissions. Although the US has withdrawn as a partner, the remaining nine international partners maintain this won’t hinder commitment, although only a fraction of funds pledged have been disbursed to date.

Policy priorities – how to unlock Indonesia’s renewable energy

Indonesia’s existing subsidies for fossil fuels should be addressed to create a level playing field for renewable energy. Contracts with fossil fuel power plants are too inflexible and could be renegotiated to accelerate the move away from coal.

More efficient and transparent costing for renewables, assisted by improved clean energy auctions would benefit the market. New feasibility studies and the acquisition of land would help improve the pipeline of new renewables projects.

Better mechanisms for international finance and a healthy domestic finance market would help drive investment.

State utility PLN could press ahead with ‘power wheeling’ – allowing private companies to sell renewable electricity directly to corporate customers using state-owned transmission and distribution infrastructure. This could unlock private investment for renewables and accelerate their development, as well as generating income for PLN – access to renewable energy can help attract investment from major global firms.

Positive steps towards innovation

An innovative ‘de-dieselisation’ (or diesel replacement) programme is underway to help Indonesia’s islands shift to renewables - some 2,000 islands currently rely upon diesel or have no energy supply. Since 2022, PLN has begun replacing more than 5,000 diesel power plants with renewable energy with the aim of bringing reliable cheap and clean power to communities. A first wave saw solar power installed in 94 locations, enabled by private investment, and future sites will also use biomass and mini-hydro generation. Ultimately the project aims to deliver 265 MW of renewable energy and provide 1.1 million new and improved connections, as well as creating some 350,000 jobs.

Further positive steps have been identified in our 91��ɫ Business School and IEA ASEAN renewables report, including a JETP supported pledge to accelerate the closure of coal power plants and the announced early closure of a plant in West Java scheduled for this year. New policy initiatives in motion such as the New and Renewable Energy Bill could pave the way for more private investment.

Collaboration among international investors, the Indonesian government and the private sector is critical – but this can’t happen without policies to open Indonesia’s energy sector to competition and level the playing field for renewables, ultimately creating a more diversified energy market.

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With vast untapped resources and bold climate goals, Indonesia stands at a crossroads in its clean energy transition

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How AI can guide educators in embedding sustainability into curriculum

Esther Canonico-Martin — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:14:02 +0000

How AI can guide educators in embedding sustainability into curriculum

Esther Canonic… Wed, 15/01/2025 - 12:14

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As educators and as a university, we have an overarching responsibility to equip students to become responsible members of society, who can contribute to a healthier, more inclusive world. Achieving this requires us to embed sustainability meaningfully into our learning and teaching.

However, academics often face significant barriers to achieving this, including time pressures, limited guidance on how to go about it, uncertainty about how sustainability relates to their discipline, or a narrow understanding of what sustainability entails.

And it’s important to note, in relation to this last point, that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) make it clear that sustainability is a broad and interconnected concept. It extends beyond climate and biodiversity to include quality education, gender equality, reduction of inequalities, and more.

Beyond box-ticking: creating ‘aha’ moments

So, how can we truly integrate sustainability into learning and teaching at 91��ɫ Business School? One starting point is through direct messaging – at student inductions or in programme introductions, for example – positioning sustainability as a core university value.

While useful, however, this approach can fall flat in a world saturated with sustainability messaging, where students may experience ‘sustainability fatigue’. For this reason, instead of focusing on overt principles, we may actually be able to achieve greater impact by guiding students towards making their own realisations – those ‘aha’ moments where a deeper understanding of sustainability clicks into place through the learning experience itself.

For example, in my own teaching, I ask management students to complete personality tests and explore different conflict management styles. These activities expose students to a range of valid approaches to work, helping them appreciate perspectives different from their own.

This kind of experiential learning fosters a deeper understanding of the value of individual differences in the workplace, highlighting how inclusion can enhance performance. It is an essential step towards reducing inequalities and promoting inclusion, which is directly related to sustainability.

To help educators to work in this way, however, we need to link sustainability with our learning outcomes. UNESCO offers a framework that maps the UN SDGs to learning outcomes, suggesting how to integrate them across programmes. But, even with this support, embedding a holistic approach to sustainability takes time and effort, particularly at the outset.

A framework for deeper integration

This is where generative AI tools can be useful, enabling academics to map and audit programme content for alignment with the UN SDGs. That said, generative AI has its limits. It can only interpret what's explicitly stated in the content, often missing subtler connections.

In the teaching situation I discussed earlier, for example, activities such as completing personality assessments and exploring different conflict management styles can help students develop awareness of individual differences, which is a crucial step towards inclusion and reducing inequalities. However, AI platforms would likely not flag them as sustainability-related, in spite of the fact that they absolutely are, aligning directly with UN SDGs focused on equality and inclusion.

To address this, as the UNESCO framework suggests, we should consider learning outcomes at three levels: cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural. In other words, students must first understand sustainability concepts, then connect with them personally, and ultimately apply them in practice.

In my own practice, I still use generative AI platforms as a support tool. I begin by identifying key areas of my module with shared learning goals. Then, I ask the AI to suggest relevant UN SDGs and map them to learning outcomes across the cognitive, emotional and behavioural domains. This produces a more accurate, nuanced audit of sustainability in my teaching, helping to reinforce a broader, more integrated view of what sustainability really means.

This approach is, hopefully, a first step toward a future where sustainability is an intrinsic part of all teaching at 91��ɫ Business School, supported by technology and grounded in deeper understanding. It may require incentives, such as recognition for good practice, but momentum is already growing towards making sustainability a natural part of how we teach and learn.

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