Just Transitions Incubator (JUTI)
We Care,
Therefore We Dare
About
The JUTI Story
A seed was planted during the COVID pandemic... an audit of my life confirmed what I'd been feeling for a while in my gut: I no longer believed in the theory of change that I had been servicing my whole professional life. For two decades I had worked at the intersection of climate change and development – as an economist, diplomat, advocate, and coalition builder at some of the leading organizations at the vanguard of change – driven by and wholly committed to the idea that good ideas, backed with good data, put in the hands of powerful actors would lead to good outcomes. And the belief that was the path to conquering the interrelated crises of climate change, rampant environmental devastation, and widening inequality, and extending the reach of dignity to all.
The Just Transitions Incubator (JUTI) was born from the conviction that the path to a brighter future can only be blazed and paved by intrepid pioneers venturing beyond the bounds of today's known and normal, anchored in communities they serve and compelled by a vibrant vision of a better future to be had. To subvert Descartes, our driving motto at JUTI is: “We care, therefore we dare”. We are motivated by the conviction that it isn’t just more or faster action that is needed, but a different quality of action altogether.
We are committed to this new approach. One that, beyond technocratic solutions in a ‘climate box’, embraces and enables full-spectrum action across the whole of society in a green and inclusive transition. That instead of alleviating or remediating symptoms of a failing, extractive and exploitative economic model is oriented towards creating a regenerative economy that is inclusive, nature-positive and climate-safe by design. One that embodies the commitment to inclusion and diversity, holds space for localized expressions and experimentations and seeks to build trust, understanding and collaboration across cultures and silos. One that honours cultural heritage as a source of practical wisdom, works with what currently exists, believes in the ingenuity, agency and capability of local actors and is committed to strengthening local ecosystems driving bottom-up systems change. One that engages with powerful incumbents and helps them see themselves in a constructive way in the transition to a decarbonized and climate-resilient future. One that redefines ‘pragmatic’ as transformative change rather than a greener status quo and seeks to build consensus around a more desirable vision for development, that as a by-product delivers a decarbonized and climate-resilient economy.
Leo Horn-Phathanothai
Founder of JUTI
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower transformative action for a just transition to a inclusive, climate-safe future. We do this by nurturing local change agents and incubating local initiatives that demonstrate viable and equitable pathways to a regenerative society.
Our Values
Our values are our compass, they guide every decision we make and define our culture as an organization. We are committed to each not just as means - core to the way we work - but also as ends in themselves. They reflect the qualities needed for a just transition to a regenerative future.
Care
We aim to protect and improve the health and well-being of individuals, enhance community resilience and promote good stewardship of nature, while respecting local cultures and contexts. We believe in holistic action rooted in care, for each other and for nature
Courage
The urgency and high stakes of our work calls for bold action: we must dare to step beyond the bounds of the known and comfortable, commit to clear choices and aim for moonshots, and be ready to seize fleeting windows of opportunity as they open up. We are undaunted by risk, difficulty or resistance and build trust through integrity, openness and accountability
Creativity
Problem-solving to alleviate or remediate symptoms rather than address root causes only prolongs the structures that reproduce the bad outcomes we strive against. By defaulting to what we know, we are bound to recreate what we have. We see our climate, ecological and inequality crises not as problems to fix, but as invitations to imagine and to find better paths forward to a more desirable future
Collaboration
Fostering radical collaboration across silos and cultures is key to driving the quality of change we seek. We start by listening and are genuine about co-creation with others. We work to uplift partners and forge new constellations of action, strengthening ecosystems for sustained, locally-led change
Learning
We are thoroughly pragmatic, curious and non-dogmatic in our approach. We believe in iterative experimentation and learning from doing, evolving our practice and solutions in light of lessons learned and codifying and sharing these widely
Approach
We are radically inclusive in that we commit to enabling full-spectrum action and engagement across society: we work with partners to unlock the agency of economic, political, cultural actors in the region and localize ambitious climate action. We seek first to work with what exists, watering seeds of courageous local action and leadership. Our approach has three parts:
1) Support and equip high-potential local actors to grow and amplify their impact. This includes providing strategic advisory support, leadership development & coaching, creative visioning, organizational strengthening, fundraising support.
2) Orchestrate mission-based collaboration – bringing together key actors in an ecosystemic approach behind shared 'moonshot' missions (e.g. clean energy transition, clean air, green finance, sustainable industrialization, blue economy). This includes producing agenda setting thought leadership pieces that help crystalize and seed a mission idea, and co-creating cooperation, investment and policy roadmaps for action behind each mission.
3) Cultural production / narrative shift –including engaging and empowering creatives whose work: (a) increases the public’s sense of urgency; (b) reframes the challenge and the solutions; (c) changes how people think and feel about them. Help foster a new generation of creatives dedicated to environmental justice and the clean energy transition.
Our People
The Core Team behind Bangkok Climate Action Week