Imagine you are at the forefront of your organisation’s journey to Net Zero. You understand the urgency: the UK must accelerate its transition 11 times faster than it has over the past two decades (PwC, 2024). But you also know that “going green” can be complex - and sometimes even met with resistance.

Your team has concerns: job security, the skills they will need, and whether the right tools and resources are in place. But this isn’t the first time you’ve faced such a challenge. You have led a successful digital transformation before - one that put people first and embedded the right tools at the right time. That experience taught you a vital lesson: transformation only works when people are at the centre.

Now, you are applying that same people-led approach to your Net Zero strategy.

You have identified a critical gap: while there are plenty of models and tools for carbon accounting and sustainability planning, these can often be fragmented, overly complex, and not designed with real users in mind.

The message is clear: organisations need tools that are usable, fit for purpose, and designed for people. People-Led Net Zero will support your organisation’s transition by:

• Prioritising people and their views in the UK's transition to Net Zero • Integrating insights and models into intuitive, accessible platforms • Empowering your workforce with the skills and confidence to lead the change.

Our Research

Our purpose is the creation of a people-led, practical, system-based approach, i.e. it needs to be an adoptable, fit-for-purpose system-based modelling approach which will assist in a timely and just transition to net zero. To achieve impact our research must be translated into stakeholder practice and four challenges have been identified:

Challenge 1: Providing a means to determine when to use system models i.e. when does systems modelling not add value and how do we know this. Output – suitable measures identified to determine when a system model(s) is appropriate to use

Challenge 2: Identifying common and unique, factors/rules to include in the creation of fit-for-purpose model(s) for individual contexts. Output – top-level rules identified to assist users in modelling approach/fidelity required for their individual context.

Challenge 3: Evaluating people-led metrics to ascertain likelihood of uptake and sustained use of system models. Output – powered by people metrics to facilitate success.

Challenge 4: Creating a means to ensure rules and approaches remains fit-for-purpose. Output – process to evolve rules/models to sustain impact/use.

People-Led Net Zero will address these challenges by building on a people-led lens, aiming to understand why people might not be adopting system modelling approaches, what people need to know, and when and how users can engage with the model and/or the outputs. Ultimately, addressing these challenges will provide a people-led approach to modelling net zero, where stakeholders such as decision makers identify the positive and unintended consequences of their net zero transition.

Academic and research staff

• Professor Linda Newnes (University of Bath)
• Professor Maria Battarra (University of Bath)
• Professor Vaggelis Giannikas (University of Bath)
• Professor Marcelle McManus (University of Bath)
• Professor Paul Shepherd (University of Bath)
• Dr Arsham Atashikhoei (University of Bath)
• Dr Barrie Dams (University of Bath)
• Dr Susan Lattanzio (University of Bath)
• Dr Meng Meng (University of Bath)
• Dr Amirreza Pashapour (University of Bath)
• Professor Mey Goh (Loughborough University)
• Professor Carolyn Axtell (University of Sheffield);
• Dr Nicola Lawrence-Thomas (University of Sheffield)
• Dr Hui Zhang (University of Sheffield)
• Professor Matthew Hannon (University of Strathclyde)
• Professor Jillian MacBryde (University of Strathclyde)