Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks

Session title: Sustainable energy transition in humanitarian cold chains

26 Apr 23 09:00-10:30 UTC+2 (Salle 10)

SessionAbstract

Energy is crucial for humanitarian cold chains. Despite the well-known issues with fossil-based energy, however, humanitarian cold chains rely mostly on such services. Cold chains contribute significantly to humanitarian operations' GHG emissions. There is a need for sustainable energy transition, but the transformation remains challenging.

This sessions taps into this dilemma. During the session, an interactive discussion with the participants will be held about the following themes:

Challenges and opportunities with fossil-based and/or renewable energy sources powering humanitarian cold chains.
Incentives, triggers, and barriers for sustainable energy transitions in humanitarian cold chains.
Best practices and experiences with renewable energy.

This session is a focus group study part of a research project on sustainable humanitarian cold chains conducted at the HUMLOG Institute.

Agenda

This is an interactive workshop session where participants are asked to share their views on opportunities, barriers, incentives, innovations, and practical solutions and strategies towards sustainable energy use in cold chains, as these as very energy dependent and intensive, yet often rely on unsustainable energy services. The raised parameters of the sustainable energy trajectory in humanitarian cold chains are then discussed with respect to short-term and long-term impacts (positive and negative) of them with respect to various humanitarian spheres.

Facilitated by Sonja Saari, Doctoral Researcher at the HUMLOG Institute

Speakers

Sonja Saari

Doctoral Researcher at HUMLOG Institute, Hanken School of Economics (Helsinki, Finland)

My research focuses on the interlinkage of supply chain sustainability and supply chain resilience in the context of humanitarian cold chains. Specifically, I study the sustainable energy transition in humanitarian cold chains, with an aim to analyse how adaptive humanitarian cold chains are to transition towards sustainable energy. In my research I am adopting Panarchy theory perspective to explore the change in that sustainability narrative.

sonja.saari@hanken.fi

LinkedIn Profile