Partnering with local communities
Obviously, there is a range of social themes that any company must address to even have a license to operate. We are expanding our operations into new geographies and markets where human rights risks are more prominent. This comes with a great responsibility to further strengthen our due diligence to ensure that rights are respected wherever we and our supply chains operate.
Additionally, there are social themes that we are keen to address so we can develop trusted and long-term relationships with the local communities where we operate and support a just transition to a green economy. As we expand, we will become involved with many more local communities in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific for decades. With this expansion comes an unparalleled opportunity to make the people most disproportionately affected by environmental risks benefit from the green energy transition.
Yet, this is a hyperlocal effort. While we already have significant experience working proactively with local communities, we must strengthen our approach, as we face distinct needs, expectations, and opportunities across each community This takes time and effort, but we are keen to explore the best ways to create local job opportunities and to leverage our renewable energy projects to support thriving and healthy local communities. To define how we can best support and engage in a just transition, we will take part in the UN Global Compact’s new Think Lab on Just Transition. Together with a cross-sectoral group of 20 leading companies, we will attempt to shape the definition of leadership for a Just Transition and the role a purely renewable energy company should play to foster a transition that is just, local, and enabling.
At Ørsted, we aspire to be a catalyst for change and inspire climate action beyond our own company. To limit global warming to 1.5 °C before 2050, the world needs to scale up the green energy build-out, which will require more skilled workers. To succeed, the energy sector must be more involved in up- and reskilling its current workforce, strengthening educational institutions globally, and finding ways to increase the diversity of new talent. We want to take a more active role in developing talents for the green transformation. These talents might choose to come work with us, they might develop innovative green solutions on their own, or they might contribute to building the next generation of green leaders. Ultimately, we want our efforts to enable others to realise a shared vision of creating a world that runs entirely on green energy.
