Dear ,

This year, we've made our New Year's resolution one month early. It's the same resolution we make every winter: to do even more for the planet in the coming year than we've ever done before. 

That's why, this month, we've been raising awareness about the important role of a successful energy transition in achieving climate neutrality by 2050. This is the goal of the EU’s recent ‘Fit for 55’ package – and the inspiration for our current ‘50 for 55’ Campaign for the Energy Transition. 

We've dedicated this final newsletter of the year to this fundraising campaign. Keep reading for more details! Please join our campaign by donating on betterplace.org.  

Your support for IKEM programmes has a real impact. For proof, look no further than the stories in this edition: Chibuikem Agbaegbu, an energy expert from Nigeria, discusses the lasting impact that IKEM Academy has had on his life, and  Anika Nicolaas Ponder explains how IKEM's non-traditional approach to scientific communication creates an inclusive, inspiring narrative around climate action.  

Next month, we'll return with updates about all of IKEM's ongoing activities – including a toolkit for 'just transitions' in coal regions and a new journal on climate law.

For now, we hope you enjoy this special campaign edition! Don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates on our campaign.

The IKEM Communications Team  

Protecting the planet is our primary mission at IKEM, and we want to have an even greater impact in 2022. That's the inspiration for our ‘50 for 55’ Campaign for the Energy Transition. 

Our campaign highlights the vital role of a successful energy transition in achieving climate neutrality.   Over the course of two weeks, we’re sharing 50 ways that IKEM contributes to this goal. For every €50 we raise, our strategic partners have pledged to contribute €55 to our campaign, up to €2,000.  That means every donation of €50 has more than double the impact!

We have less than one week to reach our €10,000 goal by 14 December. Please join our campaign today by donating on betterplace.org!

With your help, we can expand IKEM’s existing initiatives and launch new ones – like a research programme for doctoral students and a ‘climate watch group' that monitors governmental progress on climate targets. 
 
Thank you for your support!  

In 2017, Chibuikem Agbaegbu participated in IKEM Academy for the first time. The interdisciplinary exchange and discussions of innovative solutions at the Academy so inspired the renewable energy expert and Nigeria native that he returned in 2018.

In 2019, he came back to the Academy again – this time as a speaker. In his presentation to Academy participants, he drew on his experiences in Nigeria to explain the social benefits that solar technology can provide, and discussed the opportunities and challenges of solar energy in off-grid communities.

Chibuikem's story highlights the importance of international dialogue about climate- and energy-related issues. At the Academy, Chibuikem shared his knowledge with international colleagues and returned to Nigeria with new ideas and experiences that he could apply to a local context. This gave rise to his graphic novel about the energy transition and solar energy – Nigeria's first such novel on the topic. Inspired by the Infographic Energy Transition Coloring Book, Chibuikem’s book aims to increase public acceptance and draw people of all ages into dialogue around climate change.  

Today, Chibuikem is Country Manager at the Africa Clean Energy Technical Assistance Facility (ACE TAF), a programme that promotes market-based approaches to renewable energy development.  

In this video, he tells us more about the lasting impact that IKEM Academy has had on his work.   

In the 12 years since its founding, IKEM has evolved from a start-up aimed at filling a gap in legal research to an international and interdisciplinary research institute – and UN-recognised NGO – that drives climate change mitigation and the energy transition in a variety of ways.  

Despite all the changes, in certain respects the institute remains much the same. For example, Anika Nicolaas Ponder, IKEM’s first employee, joined IKEM as an unpaid, idealistic intern, and continues to put her idealism into practice today as the Sustainability & Innovation Team Lead. We caught up with her about the institute’s evolution, the projects that are closest to her heart, and what makes IKEM so special.   

IKEM: from start-up to star player   
In the climate field, IKEM was an early standout. ‘When we started more than 10 years ago, there weren’t too many think tanks and organisations working on climate and the energy transition,’ said Nicolaas Ponder. ‘To many people, climate change still seemed like a faraway, abstract topic.’

That has changed in recent years, she observed, pointing to the massive momentum behind grassroots movements like Fridays for Future. ‘The past decade has been a defining one in terms of bringing the topic of climate change into the mainstream. We’re seeing a sharp increase in awareness and interest in all things climate and energy transition – and IKEM has played a pivotal part in that development, with our interdisciplinary research and societal engagement work.’  

IKEM itself looked different 10 years ago. After all, an institute operates differently when it has a handful of employees than it does with more than 60. ‘Back then, we didn't...