Atharv Agrawal

 

The energy transition demands intentional, sustained collective action, and the youth are not just the future of climate action—they are the present. TCB is a one-of-a-kind program that provides students and young professionals like me the opportunity to dive deep into the granular topics within the transition through rigorous research, meaningful collaboration, as well as expert mentorship. 

Having worked on the energy transition for a few years now, the conversation can often be incredibly technocratic and focussed entirely on implementing renewable technologies at scale. As important as that is, a just and equitable transition necessitates that we focus our efforts on bettering the lives of the communities that are inadvertently dependent on fossil fuels as well. 

Our research on designing worker reskilling programs and policies in fossil-fuel-dependent communities across Canada and the US with inspirations from Germany’s coal transition reaffirmed my belief in this people-centric approach. I hope that it can spark similar conversations among various stakeholders in this space, be it students, young professionals, academics, policymakers, or industry leaders.