Not only have sustainable technology promises failed to deliver over the last several decades, they have further entrenched social tensions. The obsessive focus on investments in technology efficiency does not only widen the gap between the poor and the rich, it further perpetuates the economic-growth paradigm and keeps ballooning the global economy that is already overheating."
Dr. Lewis Akenji is the Managing Director of Hot or Cool Institute, a Berlin-based public-interest think tank that champions science-based collaboration towards building a sustainable civilisation.
He has been featured on several global and local media outlets, including BBC, the Times, Reuters. He has consulted with organizations including United Nations agencies, the Asian and African Development Banks, the European Commission, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and has served as technical or science-policy adviser to several national government delegations, including Finland, Japan, Sweden, Indonesia, Hungary.
Lewis conceived and led the 1.5-Degree Lifestyles project, analysing potential contribution of lifestyle changes to the aspirational 1.5 °C target under the Paris Agreement on climate change, and implications on equity and wellbeing. He has an M.Sc. Sustainable Resource Management (Technical University Munich, Germany) and a Ph.D. Political Economy (University of Helsinki, Finland).