Making it work

"Focus on consumption is untenable"

lluster talked to Nick Dessens and Ernst Worrell about the Global South Impact Fund, which they set up together. The fund is part of the Utrecht University Fund.

Nick Dessens, entrepreneur and alumnus of Utrecht University, saw with his own eyes, while studying abroad as a student, how unfairly the climate burdens in the world are shared. People who contribute the least to this climate change are the biggest victims of it. Local communities are faced with flooding and heat stress, lose their homes and see harvests fail. People lose their source of income, sink ever deeper into poverty and go hungry. Although Nick is the first to admit that his own carbon footprint is too high because of the flying that he does, he is determined to make a difference globally. The West has achieved a standard of living that, with today’s technologies, is already not sustainable, and which certainly won’t be as larger groups of people reach that standard.

Time at university?

We asked Nick what influence his time at university has had on him. He says that it was mainly the international experiences that he had during that time that opened his eyes: Going somewhere on holiday is totally different to living somewhere and working with local people. My time in developing countries made it clear to me just how complex many issues are. For example, I worked on the Methane Capture Project at a waste disposal site in India. Methane is one of the most important greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Capturing it and using it reduces the impact on climate. On paper it was a fantastic project with nothing but advantages, but when you go to a location like this yourself, you see all around you people who indirectly live off this huge mountain of waste. Capturing methane means that these people, who already have so little, have to leave where they are and build a new life for themselves. Clearly, there are good solutions here, but at the time it made clear to me the impact of projects in practice; the difference between theory and practice.

Why the fund?

Through his company NIDO Nick builds bio-based houses: homes that are built using a fast, clean building process in which they store CO2 rather than emitting it. I want to make a difference on a larger scale, not only in the Netherlands but globally. That’s why I set up this fund, together with Ernst Worrell (Professor of Energy and Raw Materials at Utrecht University — ed.). To work with students towards a better future. The fund focuses on the energy transition because the efficient use of raw materials and the move from conventional fuels to more environmentally friendly energy sources is crucial if you want to make a difference in terms of climate change and economic development. Take the concept of ‘technological leapfrogging’, for example. ‘Leapfrogging’? Yes, this means that you jump ahead with innovation and miss out unnecessary interim steps. Does a particular region need more energy? Opt for solar or wind power straight away. That way you miss out the conventional, polluting construction of coal and/or gas power stations. That is just one example, there are many other applications where you miss out the polluting phase. We have these technologies available to us, it’s just that they’re taking far too long to reach the Global South. It’s such a shame. According to Nick, students are the key to a better future. They are the ones who can take their knowledge and the practical solutions to the areas of the world that so badly need our help.

When is it a success?

For me it’s a success if we can implement projects that actually make a difference to the people in the Global South, that have an impact. And for the climate too. I hope more people will join us and contribute to the fund so we can support lots of projects. Ernst Worrell: here at Utrecht University, we want to work with students from all over the world, with different knowledge, input and backgrounds. It’s brilliant that we can do such important work through this. Nick: I recently spoke to a fellow entrepreneur in Overijssel. He has an agricultural business and is currently improving the drainage of his fields with expensive equipment. Five years ago he thought it was something that would never happen, this year he regards it as a major item of expenditure in the budget. It is clear that global warming is more than just high temperatures. The whole of the climate is changing: it’s more extreme, more turbulent, more unpredictable. Over the next few years it’s going to affect everyone, and we won’t get anywhere if we just focus on the West.

Individualism

Greta Thunberg says: We are all in the same storm, but we are not all in the same boat. There are three billion people on the earth who consume less energy per year than an average American refrigerator. What does he think about this quote? I can’t argue with that. I believe that in fact everyone has an equal right to pollute. Imagine if you could redistribute prosperity in this way? Imagine if you could build a global system of CO2credits? Give everyone the same number of credits. If you eat a lot of meat or you fly a lot, you can buy more credits from someone who’s within their budget. Someone from India, for example. This, in essence, is a fair and equitable solution. My only fear is that it is not practically feasible for this generation.

Want to help?

The Utrecht University Fund is proud of this unique fund set up by Nick Dessens and Ernst Worrell. It helps students make a difference by contributing in a practical way to the energy transition in the countries of the Global South. Inspired by the story of the Global South Impact Fund and want to contribute yourself?

Donate directly to the Global South Impact fund via a tag.

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