Sustainability Busting misconceptions surrounding sustainability with ESCP’s new video series: Well, Actually

ESCP Business School is excited to present Well, Actually, a new video series for social media aimed at debunking misconceptions surrounding sustainability issues.

In this series of short videos, experts from the ESCP community shed light on prevalent myths, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations that hinder progress in sustainable practices. Throughout the series, we cover topics such as climate change, carbon neutrality, carbon offsetting, and more. Each episode is centred around a “trope”, which our experts dismantle by challenging common beliefs and providing evidence-based insights to help viewers develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

“Well, Actually comes from some of our own encounters,” explains ESCP Sustainability Manager Laëtitia Langlois, the originator of the series. “We realised we were hearing too many approximations or inaccurate statements when it came to sustainability issues and wanted to do something about it. The purpose of the series is also to help build a constructed reply when encountering such statements.”

“With the Well, Actually series, we try to offer short, informative videos without jargon, where the professors break down complex concepts into simple, easy-to-understand language, ensuring that viewers of all backgrounds can grasp the content,” explains Emily Olyarchuk, head of brand content for ESCP.

The great thing about this project is how naturally it came together as a group effort. Professors, communications and sustainability teams functioned in sync because we all realised there was a true challenge at hand...

- Laëtitia Langlois

The Well, Actually  video series is available across ESCP’s social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok and Youtube. We encourage everyone, from students to professionals, to tune in and gain valuable insights, whether for yourselves or to help you respond to your sceptic family member at the dinner table.

All videos in the series are available below. Have a look!

Episode One: “Climate change has always existed.”

For the first episode of Well, Actually, Professor of Sustainability Valentina Carbone explains why the climate change we are experiencing today is vastly different from the climate change that has occurred throughout the planet’s history.

Episode two: “A 4°C increase is not that bad.”

Professor of Sustainability Aurélien Acquier explains the difference between the weather and the climate, and why a degree change in the climate means a lot more than whether or not you need to wear a sweater. Spoiler: We’re not as far off from the ice age as one might think.

Episode three: “I offset my emissions, so I have no impact.”

Professor of Sustainability Frank Figge explains the basics of carbon offsetting and why ‘planting trees’, the action touted by many companies to offset their operations, is far from the optimal solution to our problems, and why some might even call it greenwashing.

Episode Four: “It’s climate-friendly since it’s carbon neutral.”

Affiliate Professor of Sustainability Pierre Peyretou discusses the term ‘carbon neutrality’ and what it really means . . . at the scale of the climate. Hint: We have only one atmosphere. And it is the same for all of us.

Episode five: “It’s second-hand so it has no impact”

Affiliate Professor of Sustainability Anne-France Mariacher helps us dive deeper into the impact of our consumption habits. Buying second-hand, while better for the environment than purchasing new items, may cause us to fall victim to the rebound effect.

Want to go further?

Educating ourselves and others about the true impact of climate change is an essential step towards building a more sustainable future. Visit Commons for the Future, an online platform that provides free, open access to the ESCP course Energy, Business, Climate & Geopolitics.

Visit Commons for the future

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