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“Sustainability changes daily.”
ambitious vision encompasses three pivotal sectors: “energy transition,” “cir
cular economy,” and “nature-based solutions and bioeconomies”. Collectively,
these sectors comprise “a total of 37 value chains”. Mehak’s core responsibility
within this undertaking is “to quantify the potential carbon offset that we will
be doing till 2047”. This focus on numbers is not an end in itself, but a pragmatic
necessity.
Further, this perspective of Mehak’s view raises a philosophical question: How
does one translate an urgent qualitative need into a compelling argument for
systemic change? Mehak explains, “To... make the government also understand
the kind of change or impact we can bring, we need numbers to support our
arguments”. While the qualitative nuances of sustainability are well understood
by experts, “qualitative data alone will do no good” in convincing governmental
bodies to build necessary infrastructure. Her job, therefore, involves performing
a “life cycle assessment of the whole value chain”, such as for “bamboo-based
products”, which have diverse uses from “furniture” and “housing” to “packag
ing” and “activated charcoal”. This meticulous quantification demonstrates how
much “carbon emissions we will avoid”.
This data-driven approach extends to understanding the broader dynamics of
behavioral change. Mehak worked on an earlier project, Ecovisor, to build an
“Eco calculator for every person” to track daily carbon emissions. However, she
observed that “no one is interested in... inputting that sort of data”. This expe
rience provided a crucial insight into human reluctance towards effort, even
for beneficial outcomes. Despite attempts to “gamify it” and make it a “lifestyle
choice”, the challenge remained: “People are already surrounded by their own
life... They’re all living in their own bubble”. This highlights the complex interplay
between data, human psychology, and the necessity for systemic support. The
emphasis shifts from individual data input to creating an infrastructure where
sustainable choices are simplified and inherently integrated into daily life.
Driving Behavioral Change:
Infrastructure, Incentives, and Lifestyle
Translating national blueprints into tangible behavioral shifts requires a pro
found understanding of human motivation. Mehak offers a sharp dissection
of what compels individuals towards sustainable choices, identifying three pri
mary drivers: firstly, external pressure, such as “compliance requirement” or
government mandates where there is “no other option”; secondly, the influence