Future fit

Hello, and welcome to the latest issue of TRANSFORM magazine.

When you are planning the electricity demand for a country, what do you have to think about? Economic growth, transport infrastructure, renewable energy? Probably all of those things – but also the advertisement breaks for one of the nation’s favourite soap operas.

I remember from my days as a BBC correspondent, interviewing someone from the National Grid (the organisation that manages the UK’s energy delivery infrastructure). The grid needed to be resilient to a surge in demand caused by, for example, millions of people boiling the kettle for a hot drink in the middle of the popular UK soap, Coronation Street (water companies need to manage the same surge of demand). I was reminded of this conversation when I read Dr Rihab Khalid’s thoughts on viewing science through a social science lens.

The case for social science thinking in technological projects may be an easier case to make within organisations – the case for degrowth is much harder. And yet, as Huw Morris has been finding out, many experts believe that the Global North has to prioritise degrowth strategies for a more equitable and resilient future.

As you know, we at IEMA believe that all jobs will, and should, be greener – our Green Careers Hub, launched in June, has hundreds of pages of jobs and advice, wherever you are on your professional journey. But, as Chris Seekings reports, there is still a big gap between the skills we need for the future, and the training structures we are developing today.

I hope you enjoy the fascinating articles in this edition; as always, we welcome your thoughts, comments and suggestions. Have a great couple of months and I hope to see many of you at our forthcoming events.