How should L&D respond to the climate crisis?

I was recently fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work on the development of a sustainability leadership programme with the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership. To say it was an eye opener was an understatement. And it led me to think about what more we can do as learning professionals to help address the climate crisis and support leadership teams to prioritise sustainability. So how should we, as learning and development professionals, respond to the challenge of sustainability? 

1. Help others to understand the science 

Scientific advances need to be translated into applicable learning. Learning professionals have long experience of communicating and explaining difficult concepts clearly and in a language people can understand and act upon. These communication skills are vital for raising awareness of the risks and opportunities around climate change and for aiding decision making. This is an essential role that L&D can help perform in all organisations. To achieve this L&D teams need to engage with the facts around climate change and start to get to grips with the likely changes that are going to be affecting the organisations we work with. 

2. Put learning at the heart of enabling change and finding solutions 

We learn in order to adapt to new circumstances, solve problems and grow as individuals and social groups. And never before have we had a greater need to learn and hone our problem solving skills. Our very survival may depend on it. Conversely resistance to change could prove to be an existential mistake. Choices being made now about future products or supply chains could make or break an organisation in a few short years. To give leadership teams the best chance of making the right decisions we need organisational learning cultures that are outward looking, curious and agile. L&D professionals have a crucial role in developing strong organisational learning cultures and this has never been more important. 

3. Be prepared for changing rules and regulations 

When you live on a temperate, wealthy island in northern Europe the risks of climate change can feel remote. But even if we are protected from some of the worst direct effects of climate change in Britain, consumer behaviour, the regulatory environment and how we do business is going to change radically over the next decade in a way which will affect us all. New laws are already being introduced to limit carbon emissions across different jurisdictions and we can expect the pace and scope of new regulations to increase rapidly over the next few years. L&D teams will need to stay abreast of these changes to help upskill leadership teams and where necessary to develop new compliance training programmes.

4. Embed climate action in L&D interventions

Learning and development interventions will be needed to help meet the challenges of climate change and seize the opportunities that will arise. But more than that all development programmes will need to be designed against a backdrop of climate change and its social and economic consequences. New perspectives on changing customer behaviour, service standards and products will cut across functions, departments and roles. Changes to products and services will require a workforce with different capabilities, and as ethical standards shift so too will the expectations of customers and employees, requiring new ways of working and thinking. 

5. Role model climate preparedness and action

Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that climate change is happening, there can still exist a feeling that climate action is a political movement and moving it up the agenda would be a distraction from more hard nosed business activities. But the world is changing fast. The pandemic has taught us that what can feel like a distant hypothetical risk can become all too real too quickly leading to a direct impact on the bottom line. In this context I believe HR and L&D teams have a unique opportunity to lead the debate and role model behaviours which can raise awareness of the business risks and opportunities arising from climate change and normalise climate action. Over the next decade business leaders will need to make big and difficult decisions. The people professions have a critical role in helping to the create the psychological safety needed to make the difficult but essential decisions

It’s time for the people professions to step up 

Climate change will have huge implications for all our lives within a few short years, but it can feel too big an issue to grapple with especially when we have so much going on. However unfortunately, system shocks like the pandemic and climate change have deep and lasting effects on all aspects of our lives whether we wish it or not. And if there’s one thing we can learn from the pandemic it’s that we need to plan ahead and be prepared. It’s also important to remember that system shocks create both challenges and opportunities. Many industries and professionals are already adapting to climate change with an increasing number of new products and services being launched to help tackle climate change or adapt to its effects. I believe it’s time for the people professions and L&D in particular to step up – it’s our role to enable leaders, innovators and operators to develop the skills and behaviours needed to survive and thrive in a world where climate change is a reality.