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I help a huge company calculate emissions and track emissions reducing projects. We’re creating data and insights. It’s not always easy to tell how much we’re actually driving change but it feels like we are, just slowly.
Good question. I’d say it’s 50/50. Sometimes ESG lends its self to clients just “checking boxes”. However, as a result of those boxes being checked, there is a huge increase in data availability, progress on sustainability goals, and more. There is also a huge amount of momentum going on as a result of policy such as with the IRA. I’d say consulting can feel like you are always climbing an uphill battle. But I LOVE the subject matter so I feel fulfilled. If you need to be further invested and connected, you might enjoy more hands on roles such as with renewable energy procurement where you can see tangible results.
Overall it depends role to role and what you yourself deem as impactful.
I've been working in sustainability since 2005. Most of my work has been focussed on using decision science to help large energy, fuel and water using companies use less without compromising financial performance, and therefore reduce emissions and water stress. I keep an Excel sheet that tracks how much impact teams I've been part of have had. It completely dwarfs the impact I could have had if my family and I tried to go carbon neutral. So yes you can indeed have an outsized impact. Problem is it feels like a losing battle atm given the impacts of climate change already being felt.
That’s commitment! For someone just getting into the space, would love to pick your brain.
I do feel like we are making a difference at our clients. Sometimes I feel defeated because none of this feels like enough progress compared to the scale of the problem we face with climate change, but then I remind myself that all of my effort is going to pushing it as far as I can… and that is better than not.
100% making a difference. And don’t be discouraged by the companies who you feel are just doing “optics”. Think of “optics” as a stage. Not all company cultures are going to deal well with a bold leader who goes all-in on sustainability. If they are hiring out consultants or building small internal teams with relatively little power, it still sets a new percentage, sustainability is literally in the building now. It normalizes sustainability culturally.
Then it slowly gains traction, often driven by changes in the regulatory environment. Recent examples include the UK CFD, the EU CSRD, and the proposed SEC rule on ESG reporting. Or more importantly changes come from companies having to deal with the actual ramifications of climate change on their business. And by then you’re already in the building. You start to get more budget, more headcount, more authority, more real expectations from management.
The biggest challenge is to maintain two priorities in your head at all times; getting the critical tasks in front of you done so you can demonstrate your personal efficacy, and doing your best to understand how your efforts tie into the bigger picture.
Definitely. I work in a sustainability team and see progress every day. There is momentum, but it's not fast enough. I'd encourage everyone on this thread, and all fishes, to ask their direct supervisor tomorrow: how is our team addressing climate change and nature loss? The answer isn't flying less, though that's important, it's how we're bringing our skills and expertise to address problems and scale the solutions that are already out there.