Ahead of the 2023 Sustainability Symposium: The Great Conversion, speaker Cheyenne Hunt describes why Gen Z distrusts legacy energy companies and what messages resonate, arguing for a just energy transition that protects underprivileged communities and retrains existing energy workers.
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Cheyenne Hunt: As the first generation that knows we will see life altering effects in our lifetimes, you know. And so I think that that's kind of how Gen Z looks at these issues and approaches on. I think our generation is also really keenly aware of the ways that we've been lied to. You know, the, the, the knowledge that a lot of these will and energy companies have known longer than we've been alive in their business practices, which fundamentally alter the course of, you know, humanity on this planet because they were so bad to the environment and specifically chose to go on a messaging campaign to undermine that science and that knowledge instead of taking proactive action to
00:00:48:10 - 00:01:17:26
Cheyenne Hunt: start a transition to a more sustainable form of energy. And so from that, you know, I think that we are very skeptical of what they have to say, rightfully so. And the messages instead that I think are landing are how do we make a just transition away from these companies that have so clearly proven that they did not deserve our trust in a way, from their business models to some in alternative?
00:01:17:26 - 00:01:49:02
Cheyenne Hunt: And we want to make sure that in that just transition, underprivileged communities aren't facing access burdens and that the workforces that power the current energy retain are transitioned into new or sustainable positions. And so how do we do this in a way that's very mindful of all of the social and political concerns, and that no one necessarily inherently left behind as well.