Think Nordic

From individual actions to systems change, food is getting more attention on the climate change agenda than ever before. How can the Nordics affect the change needed to make healthy and climate-friendly diets a part of the globalized food system? This episode of the Think Nordic! Podcast series takes a closer look at Nordic diets and the global food systems they are part of. The podcast is taped live in front of an audience at the Nordic Pavilion at COP24 in Katowice, Poland, with insights from the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate, Isabella Lövin; David Nabarro who is the Strategic Director of 4SD and former Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sustainable Development and Climate Change; and Norwegian youth delegate, Mari Hasle Einang. Dumpster-diving in Oslo tells the story of a broken system “I go dumpster-diving in Oslo and you wouldn’t believe how much perfectly edible food is being thrown away every day. We need to address food waste and people need to realize just how massive the problems of our food system are,” says Mari Hasle Einang. According to her, young people are becoming more conscious about their consumer choices when it comes to food. “It is very encouraging to hear that young people are taking active choices towards addressing food waste and eating less meat. Actually, the consumption of meat has gone down in Sweden in recent years, but that comes after a vast increase over decades,” says Isabella Lövin. Food is closely linked to climate change both in terms of the CO2 footprint of our food and in terms of food production vulnerability due to changing weather patterns. Add to this the negative health-effects of our current diets and we have an interlinked and complex problem on our hands. Collaboration is key to create sustainable food systems At the COP24, food was firmly placed on the climate change agenda at the Nordic Pavilion as a global challenge that can only be solved through collaboration. “One billion people in the world are not eating enough and, equally, one billion people are eating too much. The system is out of balance and it has tremendous social and environmental consequences,” explains David Nabarro and adds that policy makers need to focus on consumers, production, and environment to create more sustainable food systems. Nordic foods solutions can serve as inspiration both when it comes to its successes and failures. “We need to ensure the developing countries do not repeat the mistakes that we have made. For instance, organic production should be scaled up just as we are seeing in the Nordics these days,” says Isabella Lövin. But the learning should not be a one-way street “In developing countries, you often have more sustainable diets and less food waste. This is of course also linked to lower consumption levels, but I still think there’s a lot we can learn from each other,” concludes Mari Hasle Einang. Listen to the full podcast to learn more about nudging, packaging, the role of small-scale farmers, and much more. You can find the Think Nordic! Podcast wherever you find your podcast or just listen at the top of this page.

Gender equality has been a key to prosperity in the Nordic region. By harnessing the full talent pool of women and men in society, the Nordic countries have found that stability and sustainability go hand-in-hand with equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities. But even in the Nordics, there’s still a way to go. This episode of the Think Nordic! Podcast series explores how the Nordic countries became one of the most progressive regions in the world when it comes to gender equality together with Sharan Burrow, Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Espen Barth Eide, Member of Parliament in Norway. The podcast was recorded in front of a live audience at the Nordic Pavilion at COP24 in Katowice, Poland. Gender equality is an investment that pays off Confidently wearing his baby in a harness and sporting a meticulously trimmed beard, the Swedish ‘Latte Papa’ has become a symbol of gender equality in the Nordic countries. Paternity leave is one of the keys to gender equality that benefits both families and society at large. “Full employment is the basis of modern societies. If we invest in childcare, health care and other parts of what used to be part the informal economy, we see tremendous benefits to society because we use talent much better,” says Sharan Burrow. The Nordic countries have worked to create gender equality in all aspects of society for over four decades. Now it is clear that this investment fosters employment, family wellbeing, and growth. “In the beginning there was push-back. We have had many small and large battles in the Nordics; abortion rights, maternity security in jobs, etc. But now we are seeing equal rights and responsibilities as the base of our societies and employers see it as a red flag if men don’t care for their children,” explains Espen Barth Eide. ##Women don’t need to be empowered, they are already powerful “We are over a world where men can grant women anything” says Sharan Burrow who object to the concept of women empowerment when basic security and equal rights are in place. She continues, “we should start talking about the lack of equal rights as a theft of families’ opportunities. This is a very different framing of the issue that can drive change”. But can this Nordic model of gender equality be achieved elsewhere in the world where cultural and societal structures are different? “The situation in the Nordics was the same 40 years ago as in many other places of the world. I don’t buy the argument that culture makes it impossible to achieve gender equality. Culture can change, and it has in the Nordics,” says Espen Barth Eide and goes on to say that equal opportunity needs to be an ongoing focus-point. “More change needs to happen in the Nordics too” Listen to the full podcast to learn more about the Nordic gender effect. You can find the Think Nordic! Podcast wherever you find your podcast or just listen at the top of this page.

Nordic countries have a reputation as global frontrunners on sustainability, but with high levels of consumption also comes challenges. How can Nordic climate solutions work in other parts of the world? In this episode of the Think Nordic! Podcast series, former EU commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard, professor Johan Rockström from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and President of Wise Europa Think Tank Maciej Bukowski discuss what the model for sustainability in the Nordics entails and how it can be adapted to other contexts. Trust is the fabric of sustainability in the Nordics “People in the Nordic region are not necessarily more environmentally concerned than elsewhere in the world. It’s the trust and strong institutions in the countries that have resulted in many years of implementing environmental taxes and regulations”, says Johan Rockström in the podcast taped live in front of an audience at the Nordic Pavilion at COP24 in Katowice, Poland. According to Connie Hedegaard this is exactly the way things ought to be. “Regulations and legislation should support doing the right thing. It’s not just feel good – climate action creates jobs and growth”, she says. Rockström sees the Nordic region as a role model for how to decouple economic growth from CO2 emissions. “In a nutshell it’s about taxing the behaviour you do not wish and subsidize the behaviour you want to encourage. This sounds easy, but it takes time and is based on trust in government” adds Connie Hedegaard and goes on to explain how the clean tech sector in the Nordic region has been growing for years. The positive tipping-point of Nordic Solutions “The COP24 in Katowice is situated in the middle of a region where coal mining has been one of the main drivers of economic growth. In order to address climate change, the coal needs to stay in the ground. Climate change is very much a social issue here. We need to transform a society that has been depended on coal for 150 years,” says Maciej Bukowski. He thinks that the Nordic model and solutions can be of inspiration to Poland but also warns that the transition needs to happen together with the people. No matter where climate solutions are applied, they need to be adapted to the local context. “Just as we are trying to avoid the negative tipping points of climate change, we also need to recognize the potential positive tipping points where solutions are adapted and scaled across the world. This is what Nordic solutions have the potential to do,” says Johan Rockström. Listen to the full podcast to learn more about how the consumption affects the footprint of the Nordic countries, about the ping-pong game between governments and business, and about how Nordic companies are preparing for a low-carbon future. You can find the Think Nordic! Podcast wherever you usually find your podcasts or just listen at the top of this page.

Do dads hold the key to sustainability and how can we eat our way to a green and healthy future? These are just some of the nourishing, engaging and challenging questions that will be asked and attempted to be answered on the new podcast series, ‘Think Nordic’. Produced by the Nordic Council of Ministers the series will examine how the experience of these countries, in dealing with issues such as a gender, nutrition and environmental sustainability, can inspire other parts of the world. What can be learnt from the Nordics and what can they gain from the experience in other parts of the world in contending with the real challenges of life in the 21 st century. The series will be recorded in front of live audiences at the COP24 – the global climate change conference which is taking place in December in Poland. It will be presented by former BBC correspondent Richard Miron and will include the voices and views of leading thinkers, decision makers, campaigners – all of whom are grappling with the big questions of our age. So if you want to find out about the Nordics, and who are they to talk about the state of our world – then listen, subscribe or download the new podcast series, ‘Think Nordic’.