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How can network theory be used to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals as quickly as possible? Researcher Jana Marie Weber and our colleague Constantin Lindenmeyer asked themselves this question during a workshop. The result is now a paper. In an interview, he explains what the approach was and what companies and science can now do with it.
In order to optimize our use of resources and find sustainable solutions to problems such as climate change, we need close cooperation between business and science. As part of a workshop, GOLDBECK SOLAR employee Constantin Lindenmeyer worked with PhD student Jana Marie Weber from Cambridge University on the question of how efficiently and quickly we can achieve the 17 UN sustainability goals with the help of network theory. An exciting project, also for GOLDBECK SOLAR, as the sustainability targets are an integral part of our Green Policy. An interesting paper has now emerged from the considerations in collaboration with Prof. Alexei Lapkin and Prof. Pietro Liò.
The fundamental question was whether network theory can be used to communicate complex systems well. We tried this out during the workshop. To do this, we needed a complex problem to work with. Complex problems are problems where it is not possible to find solutions by, let’s say, looking closely. There are many factors that influence each other, both positively and negatively. The issue of sustainability, which is reflected in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, is such a complex problem. There are so many different factors that influence each other.
We set up small networks, so to speak, which made it clear how the individual goals are connected. This allowed us to deduce: Which goals have a positive influence on others? Which goals should be tackled first because they develop other goals? Which goals may run counter to each other and therefore need special attention? To put it more concretely: Can we promote economic development and prosperity for all at the same time as maximizing animal and plant welfare? Are there not automatic limits or hurdles that we have to take into account?
Or let’s take a look at the energy transition: Of course we need to drive forward the expansion of renewable energies. But we also need to look at resource consumption. The expenditure must be in proportion, i.e. we have to look at the production processes. The more precisely we do this, the more complex it becomes. Emotional aspects also play a role. We can use network theory to take some of the complexity out of the equation. It forms an evaluation scheme that perhaps reveals new perspectives and aspects.
Companies are very often faced with complex issues. You don’t have to take a 100% academic approach to network theory to be able to work with it. In itself, it is another method of approaching complex decisions. We believe we have shown how complex systems can be communicated. Especially when it comes to decisions on the sustainable orientation of companies, it is not just a matter of focusing on individual aspects. Companies need to consider and incorporate different facets. We as a society have a holistic goal of sustainable development.
In my role as Head of Business Development & Strategy, I deal with complex issues on a daily basis. Of course, I am more involved in the application, without knowing the theoretical constructs that Jana is investigating in detail for her doctoral thesis. But creating different nodes in a network and weighting them accordingly is something that I also use frequently.
Contantin Lindenmeyer studied Environmental Engineering (B.Sc.) and Sustainable Energy System (M.Sc.) at RWTH Aachen University and subsequently completed a Master of Business Administration at the Collège des Ingénieurs.
Jana Marie Weber studied Environmental Engineering (B.Sc.) and Environmental Engineering with a specialization in Chemical Engineering (M.Sc.) at RWTH Aachen University. She is currently a PhD student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge. She is working on the topic of sustainability in reaction networks under the supervision of Professors Alexei Lapkin and Pietro Liò.
