The end of climate conferences as we know them - From problem to opportunities and from talk to action 2008

So far most of the “action” from large companies have been little more than talk, talk and talk. Some time linking it to PR material meant for more talk (Like Vattenfall’s work with McKinsey and their 3C initiative), just green washing campaigns aiming to convince people that even though they are investing in unsustainable solutions and only have a symbolic activities in sustainable areas (Basically all automotive companies, and especially their business associations, and oil/energy companies), or sponsoring things that do not change their business models (most philanthropic work in the carbon intensive industries).

However more and more people now understand that it is real action that is needed. Some who have been organizing conferences for years without any other result that talk are getting nervous and want to see some real result.

I have been looking into the possibility to rate conferences depending on how much real action they are resulting in (note that talk is not bad, it is just that it is almost the only thing we have today).

A few conferences January-March that could be possible arenas for new thinking include (and where I’m trying to do my best for result that delivers):

- Davos/WEF
http://www.weforum.org/en/events/AnnualMeeting2008/index.htm

- Sustainable Energy Week (Participation in GeSI panel and they pay for it)
http://www.eusew.eu/page.cfm?page=events&selEvent=115

-UNEP Expert meeting on trade and climate, Geneva
http://www.unep.ch/etb/events/index.php

- BITKOM, Sustainable ICT, Berlin (Invitation to talk about sustainable ICT)
http://www.bitkom.org/Default.aspx

- Greening the Economy, European Business Forum, Brussels
http://www.ebsummit.eu/

As I will be in Europe then the list is EU based, but as I move first to Asia and then US I will track other conferences. Gartner in Las Vegas could be a key event later this spring for example…

Bert Bolin’s ideas and vision is more alive than ever

As oil prices hit 100$ and we just left the year when climate change changed the world forever we will build on what Bert Bolin did over the last decades, long before most of us was born, let alone know about climate change.

It was amazing to lecture with him and discuss climate policy and science during the climate negotiations just before and after Kyoto. His knowledge on how climate change interacts with a society that is pushing nature over the edge was fascinating and his historical perspective on change is something I will keep in all the work I do.

Sweden now have two international profiles left in the field of climate change, Bo Kjellén and Anders Wijkman. It is time for someone from our business community to step forward.

PS
We’ll make it Bert, and if not, at least we tried.

Bert Bolin’s ideas and vision is more alive than ever

As oil prices hit 100$ and we just left the year when climate change changed the world forever we will build on what Bert Bolin did over the last decades, long before most of us was born, let alone know about climate change.

It was amazing to lecture with him and discuss climate policy and science during the climate negotiations just before and after Kyoto. His knowledge on how climate change interacts with a society that is pushing nature over the edge was fascinating and his historical perspective on change is something I will keep in all the work I do.

Sweden now have two international profiles left in the field of climate change, Bo Kjellén and Anders Wijkman. It is time for someone from our business community to step forward.

PS
We’ll make it Bert, and if not, at least we tried.

The day oil hit 100$ (and new opportunities should become even more obvious)

It is hard to understand that it was only a few years ago when oil prices above 40$ was not seen as “realistic” (and even the last IEA report, from 2007, thought that 100$ would happen 203o and only in a high-growth scenario. When I started WWFs trade and investment work in China and India five years ago we had that as one “low possibility, but high impact scenario”. Then we could not use this in relation to donors and in communication in OECD. In China and India they were willing to discuss the possibility of the consequences of such a price increase. Today I still feel that these countries often are ahead of us (even if we say it, little seems to happen).

The opportunities are amazing though and I really look forward to a few initiatives that I hope to launch in the first half of 08, as well as the launch of a few reports (about ICT and climate change, global trade regime for sustainability and export from Baoding in China)…

But one thing that I really like to recommend is the report “Arab companies in the 21^st Century” from last year… More relevant today than ever.

The day oil hit 100$ (and new opportunities should become even more obvious)

It is hard to understand that it was only a few years ago when oil prices above 40$ was not seen as “realistic” (and even the last IEA report, from 2007, thought that 100$ would happen 203o and only in a high-growth scenario. When I started WWFs trade and investment work in China and India five years ago we had that as one “low possibility, but high impact scenario”. Then we could not use this in relation to donors and in communication in OECD. In China and India they were willing to discuss the possibility of the consequences of such a price increase. Today I still feel that these countries often are ahead of us (even if we say it, little seems to happen).

The opportunities are amazing though and I really look forward to a few initiatives that I hope to launch in the first half of 08, as well as the launch of a few reports (about ICT and climate change, global trade regime for sustainability and export from Baoding in China)…

But one thing that I really like to recommend is the report “Arab companies in the 21^st Century” from last year… More relevant today than ever.