Green pub­lic lead­er­ship should be in fo­cus if coun­tries are to reach cli­mate goals

Recently, I found myself in the heart of Paris, attending an OECD meeting. The city, known for its challenges but also for its commitment to sustainability, served as the perfect backdrop for our discussions on the green transition. The meeting was a melting pot of ideas and had a resonant theme - the importance of building capacity in government, society and industry for the green transition.

It became clear to me that in the current discussion on the green transition, there is a tendency to put civil society and private companies in the foreground. There is often talk about specific economic sectors (agriculture, transport, energy) and the (sometimes limited) green commitment of companies to greening their products and production processes. Often, the focus is also on societal behaviour and how important it is that we all change the way we eat and consume to become more climate responsible. Everything is important, of course. But while civil society and businesses are undeniably important, the focus on them tends to overshadow an equally important player - the public sector.

The public sector operates differently from the private sector. Its goals are not driven by profit, but by public value creation. This unique position allows the public sector to take on roles and responsibilities that private companies may not be able to.

Public organisations, from municipalities and utilities to national agencies, schools and hospitals, are actively engaged in the green transition agenda. However, this engagement is not an automatic process. It requires careful thought, planning and most importantly, clear leadership within these organisations.

The leaders of public organisations face a challenging task. They need to assess their organisation's readiness to achieve broad climate goals. They need to identify specific actions, develop concrete implementation measures, and gradually build capacity in their organisation to address these tasks in innovative ways. It's a complex process that requires leadership.

Public leaders must guide their organisation by thinking about what role it should play in the green transition. Resources are always scarce in the public sector, so how and to what extent is it possible to mobilise new or shift existing resources to these tasks? Perhaps some of the green tasks help with the resource saving. The green transition can sometimes require reorganising and redefining current routines and processes. This is no small task. It requires vision, courage, and the ability to inspire and motivate others.

Public leaders are already on their way, and they have learnt a number of lessons. It is crucial that these experiences are shared and discussed so that we can learn from them more systematically. This exchange of knowledge will enable us to collectively build a stronger, more agile and climate-ready public sector that is able to lead the way in the green transition. For this reason, the experiences and insights gained by public leaders are invaluable.

The green transition is not just about setting goals; it is about effective implementation. And the public sector is central to this process. Therefore, the relevance of green public leadership cannot be overstated. As we move forward in our journey towards a sustainable and NetZero future, we must be mindful of it. Implementing green visions in the public sector is crucial for Denmark and other countries to reach their ambitious climate goals.