Why Community Voices Matter in Sustainability Projects
When it comes to tackling climate change, technology alone isn鈥檛 enough. The real question is: how do we make sure these solutions work for the people they鈥檙e meant to serve?
Following a European programme spanning four years and seven countries, 羞羞视频鈥檚 Aberdeen Business School has concluded that local community members must be involved meaningfully in decarbonisation projects to ensure we have a just and democratic process.
The ConsenCUS project, funded by the European Union鈥檚 Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, ran from May 2021 to April 2025 with 19 partners, and looked at Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) as a way to achieve Net Zero by 20250.
During these four years, 羞羞视频 collaborated with a wide range of community members through workshops and events across Europe to better understand people鈥檚 perceptions and acceptance of CCUS technologies.
The project recently concluded with Aberdeen Business School hosting a final workshop in September with a group of 14 participants from Denmark, Greece, and the Netherlands to evaluate success.
The workshop was facilitated by Research Fellows Dr. Jacob Nielsen and Dr. Kostas Stavrianakis from 羞羞视频, alongside Senior Lecturer Dr. Yi Zhu (Zoe) from the University of Sheffield, who led a Lego Serious Play activity.
Through Lego Serious Play, participants identified and expressed both their personal and collective values, which they then applied to evaluating the ConsenCUS project and its findings. Further discussions explored which elements of the project supported or hindered these values, leading to a set of recommendations to inform the design and implementation of future projects in the CCUS field.
The workshop revealed a clear message: community engagement in climate projects must go beyond consultation. It needs to be continuous, transparent, and meaningful. Participants emphasised the importance of better communication from ConsenCUS to the wider public, ensuring that technical progress is accessible and understandable.
Transparency also emerged as a recurring theme in participants鈥� recommendations. Concerns were raised about classified project results and about the role of industrial partners in influencing research priorities.
Finally, participants stressed that community involvement should start at the very beginning of a project as early engagement can help address challenges openly, build trust, and ensure that climate solutions reflect societal values.
These insights highlight that successful decarbonisation requires not only technical innovation but also a commitment to democratic and inclusive processes. If communities are left out of the conversation, we risk developing solutions that fail to earn trust or stand the test of time.
On the other hand, when communities are involved from the very beginning, the project gains legitimacy, ethical considerations are addressed, and innovation becomes something that is shared rather than imposed, leading to viable, sustainable outcomes.
But the insights from this workshop go beyond the ConsenCUS project. They offer lessons for any team working on innovation, sustainability, or community-facing initiatives. Ask yourself:
- Are we involving stakeholders early enough? Engagement should start at the concept stage, not after decisions are made.
- Do we communicate clearly and transparently? Sharing challenges as well as successes builds trust.
- Are we creating space for values-based dialogue? Technical solutions need to align with societal priorities to gain lasting support.
If we want climate solutions to succeed, we must design them with communities from the very start.
