Not too little. Not too much. Just right. Lagom. The Swedish way of life which includes a healthy work-life balance and a more simplistic way of living is often accredited to the Lagom philosophy. It is this balanced way of life that allows for many Swedes to enjoy long summer holidays, leaving their work behind until the autumn returns.

Off to Stockholm!

Fleeing the emptying office at the institute at Lund, I took the train to Stockholm to attend the One Planet Cities (OPC) team meeting and spend the week at the WWF-Sweden office. Visiting the office in Stockholm gave me the opportunity to update the OPC team on my current MOOC project as well as get an inside look at how an NGO operates. An important deadline for the OPC team is quickly approaching: the end of the One Planet Cities Challenge (OPCC). The OPCC is a challenge where participating cities report emissions, goals and targets on standardized reporting platforms. Reported data will then be assessed and compared to the emission reduction trajectories recommended for a city of that type, in order to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. The team then uses this data assessment to guide cities to take the most impactful actions possible in order to cut their emissions and align with 1.5°C.

Throughout the meeting, the team discussed the potential impact of this data platform created by the OPCC. Sure, data is beautiful. But is it always the most impactful? Do cities always use the data to guide action to reduce emissions, or do “one size fits all” climate solutions appeal more to cities? How can we make customized climate solutions in cities feel more tangible, in order for key players in cities to truly want to take maximum action minimize emissions? How do we make sustainability sexy?

Challenging “one size fits all” climate solutions

I’ve been thinking about how to present urban climate solutions in the MOOC in a way that will appeal to my audience. Municipalities want easy access to solutions that create immediate impact. Bike lanes, city parks, and green roofs are all generally one size fits all climate solutions that any city can quickly implement and see the impacts of immediately. Bike lanes will minimize the number of commuters by car, limiting air pollution; city parks create carbon-sequestering green space; green roofs regulate a building’s climate, reducing energy demand. Though impactful, these one size fits all, sexy solutions alone are too little to cut emissions enough to meet the 1.5°C goal. With the platform created by the OPC team, WWF can see how cities around the world compare, and analyze which customized solutions are most appropriate to make the largest impact in emission reductions within varying cities.

It is a combination of the sexy solutions and the daunting not-so-sexy solutions (such as creating an emissions data platform) that will be enough to halt global temperature rise. This is how climate solutions can be implemented the Swedish way – Lagom.

Lagom in conservation

The first weeks of my placement have been packed full of learning about exciting innovative climate solutions in cities and municipalities, but lagom might be the most valuable concept I’ve been introduced to so far. As a professional in any field, but especially as a professional in conservation, it is easy to feel weighed down by the urgency to create large-scale (global!) change, especially if you have to swim against the current. This I know will stick with me for years to come – Inspire change through what is possible through hard work, but don’t work too hard. Not too little. Not too much. Just right. Lagom.