KTH strengthens its climate profile – Åsa Persson to Climate Action Centre
With experience as Research Director at SEI, Chair of the Swedish Climate Policy Council, and advisor to the UN, Åsa Persson is now joining the KTH Climate Action Centre. In her new role as Strategic Advisor and Researcher, she will focus on how technological transitions can be accelerated and climate policy made more effective.
A warm welcome to KTH, Åsa Persson! Your new role at the KTH Climate Action Centre involves both strategic advice and research – can you tell us more about it?
“The idea is that I will contribute to developing the centre’s activities and its collaborations. This includes exploring whether KTH’s climate-related research can be brought together more effectively to provide clearer answers, identifying gaps we might be able to fill, and considering which actors and policy processes could benefit from the research. KTH has significant expertise in all the key areas – technology, policy, and behaviour – and great potential to further strengthen its climate profile.”
“Alongside this, I will also develop new research projects, focusing on different aspects of effective climate policy and how to accelerate transitions. I have a few ideas that I look forward to testing with my new colleagues.”
Are there any areas that you are particularly interested in?
“At the moment, my focus is entirely on climate change and how society can achieve the net-zero targets it has set. I want research to deliver the best and most relevant answers possible. This all needs to happen in a world where we are increasingly experiencing the effects of climate change and where adaptation is simultaneously necessary, while at the same time managing many other pressing issues. In such a decision-making context, robust solutions are critical. That is why the Climate Action Centre’s profile is such a good fit – with climate at its core, but also with a strong integration of other sustainability goals.”
Considering that you must have received quite a few job offers, are there other reasons why you chose KTH and the KTH Climate Action Centre?
“KTH has ambitions in climate and sustainability, and already educates many of the future leaders and innovators. I was keen to join a research and education environment that is closer to technological solutions and innovation, but that also integrates policy and behavioural perspectives. The Climate Action Centre is an initiative where I see tremendous potential – and it is also home to curious and nice colleagues, which is an important factor. And to engaged students!”
Turning to the big questions, what do you see as the most important challenges to tackle in relation to the climate?
“Many sectors need accelerated action – both to develop new innovations for the longer term, such as in agriculture, and to speed up technological shifts in the shorter term, such as in transport. If I were to highlight a few general areas, they would be sustainable solutions for negative emissions and more integrated approaches that deliver both climate adaptation and emission reductions simultaneously. Enablers of the transition are equally critical – such as electrification, more energy- and resource-efficient value chains, faster but robust decision-making processes, and mechanisms to fairly compensate groups and build public support.”
What kinds of collaboration between different actors are necessary to address all of this?
“Well, that is a big question. A great deal of collaboration already takes place between policy, business, civil society, and academia – so the real issue is understanding what has worked best and do more of that. It is not enough to simply call for more collaboration – we need clear ideas on how and for what purpose. A good example though is Fossil Free Sweden, where the business sector has taken the lead in proposing the necessary policies. I also believe the research community, and institutions like KTH, play a vital role in facilitating open, knowledge-based discussions about the future and about long-term visions.”
How important is it that climate issues are addressed internationally?
“Some might say that international climate cooperation has failed, given how far we still are from meeting the Paris Agreement goals. But having spent a lot of time in that arena, I believe it remains absolutely essential to keep the dialogue going – to set norms and expectations for the future and to identify new drivers of cooperation, such as innovation partnerships.”
Finally, can your new role contribute to the Climate Policy Council’s efforts to help Sweden reach its climate goals?
“Absolutely – it will directly support the Council’s work. Within the Council, we draw on knowledge from a wide range of sources and together represent broad scientific expertise across many disciplines and Swedish universities. I see a strong interest within the Swedish research community to contribute to the Council’s work and to ensure that climate policy is grounded in evidence and science.”
“More generally, I look forward to get to know KTH better, to see how my networks and experience can be put to good use, as well as how the collaboration between KTH and SEI can be deepened.”
About Åsa Persson
Åsa Persson chairs the Swedish Climate Policy Council and serves as an advisor to the UN on sustainable development, where she sits on two expert committees. Most recently, she was Research Director and Deputy Director at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), one of KTH’s strategic partners, and has also been Adjunct Professor at Linköping University. She has also conducted research and taken part in international collaborations on topics ranging from planetary boundaries and climate adaptation to chemicals, with a strong focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Trained as a social scientist and associate professor in environmental policy, she has in recent years increasingly worked at the interface between research and policy.
By Alexandra von Kern