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Globalisation

The ‘Making of” Climate Modelling

April 29, 2025

How do we know what we know about climate change? Computing the Climate takes us behind the scenes of modern climate science, exploring the history, models, labs, and minds that shaped and continue to shape our understanding. This journey not only sheds light on the past but also explains why and how our actions today influence the range of possible futures of our planet's climate.

Definitions Globalisation Governance

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (7) – What you Measure, you Manage, and Progress. Or not?!

April 12, 2023

In the last post I wrote about one of the most historic inter-governmental landmark decisions: At the ‘Biodiversity’ COP (COP15) 200 countries had agreed on 4 Goals and 23 Targets. It goes without saying though that the interesting piece is the enforcement and implementation mechanisms of the mentioned agreement. Hence, the focus of this article is: How exactly – if at all – will the goals and progress measures reached in December 2022 be enforced and tracked?

Biz Strategy Globalisation Opinions Uncategorized

Climate Change x Geopolitics: All hands on Resources?!

March 1, 2022

Did you ever wonder, how the New Climate Changed reality could look and feel like at its worst? Then, we may right now be getting a flavour of exactly that. Ukraine's resource richness may be an important variable in a globalised world that will increasingly be struggling to access necessary resources in the decades to come. Because, after all, and as we learned when we played monopoly: Whomever controls the resources controls the game.

Consumer-ism Finance Globalisation

The True Cost: Tax Money x Sustainable Development: The Fishing Industry

February 8, 2022

Over 100 million people rely on inshore subsistence and small-scale artisanal fishing for their daily food and livelihood. But it’s not them that we’ll talk about in this post – because they are the unfortunate ones at the end of the short stick in the global game of industrial subsides. In this post we talk about the industrial fishing industry, the subsidies that go into it, the really sticky WTO negotiations to make away with them. It's not all doom and gloom. There is hope - just that it comes from elsewhere than governments.

Definitions Finance Globalisation Supply Chain

The True Cost – Hidden Costs x Sustainable Development: Transport

January 18, 2022

This post is part of a series where I look at and into the true cost of certain goods and services. This time I’d like to look into the True Cost of all types Transport and Mobility: road, rail, aviation and water. The question therefore is: What are the total costs – the True Cost, i.e. including what is commonly called ‘externalities’ – of the different types of transport we use globally, both for passengers and for freight? Or if you prefer: how do different types of transport compare to each other when it comes to ‘collateral damage’? Spoiler alert: It is really quite complex and rather diverse. And: public infrastructure investments and maintenance costs play a significant role in it.

Definitions Finance Globalisation Supply Chain

The True Cost – Hidden Costs x Sustainable Development: Energy Generation

January 11, 2022

This post is part of a series where I look at and into the true cost of certain goods and services. When in the previous post I looked at subsidies and the True Cost (associated with the True Price) for oil and gas, this time I’d like to look into what we know about the True Cost of Energy. Not just about fossil fuels, but indeed across the breadth of the energy spectrum. The question therefore is: What are the total costs – the True Cost, i.e. including what is commonly called ‘externalities’ – of the different types of energy we use globally? Spoiler alert: It's very interesting - and also a bit suprising and counter-intuitive.

Definitions Finance Globalisation Supply Chain

The True Cost – Tax Money x Sustainable Development: Oil & Gas

January 4, 2022

This is the first of a series that will look at and into true cost of certain goods and services. Cash subsidies thereby is one component, but certainly not the only one relevant one – indirect subsidies (e.g. in the form of environmental degradation or similar) need to be considered also. In this particular post, I’d like to focus on Oil & Gas subsidies, fossil fuels' True Cost, and what we know about these. What we already also learn: comparing apples to apples won't be easy. True Cost calculations are only ever 'best available efforts', and much data remains missing or speculative at best. This is an issue we will encounter again also once we'll look into renewables, or indeed other kinds of industries outside of energy.

Biz Strategy Globalisation Governance

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (4) – Corporate Status Quo: Sand in the eyes of the beholder?

November 16, 2021

Textile Exchange recently launched their (first ever) Biodiversity Insights Report. In itself not a bad idea per se – after all, assessing the staus quo of things is at least a baseline – the report is indeed ‘insightful’ in a number of ways. Most importantly: it raises a lot of questions. Such as: If predominantly large companies are such laggards in all things biodiversity - can you imagine the situation in companies with much less resources? And why are entirely inadequate tools used to measure biodiversity? Are the commitments not just a rehash of climate committments, that only very recently start to show teeth and results?

Globalisation Governance Opinions

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (3) – COP 15: Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework

November 9, 2021

In the last post I explained what COP15 is: A conference with the main purpose to adopt the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. But: What exactly is the framework agreement? What does it cover and encompass? Does it offer similar KPIs such as the SDG indicators? Are there enforcement mechanisms? Assuming for a moment, that it will be adopted: what would, or could, that tangibly mean going forward? Here a try at answering these questions.

Definitions Globalisation Governance

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (2) – COP 15: When CBD is not about cannabis

November 2, 2021

While the relevance and criticality of COP26 is hammered home in the global media, the news reporting on COP15, as an effort possibly and reality more important than its Scottish climate conference peer, was rather subdued and unspectacular. Let’s therefore get the most context-relevant questions straight out of the way: What is COP15? And why are there two COPs? And what has biodiversity to do with it?

Globalisation Opinions

6th IPCC Report: Scientists – thank you for all your hard work!

August 17, 2021

A week or so ago, the latest, sixth, IPCC report dropped. My suggestion hence is simply read it. Even if only the executive summary. But just read it. All I would like is to grab the opportunity to give a HUGE thank you to all the scientists involved. Thank you dear IPCC scientists! Thank you for all the work, the patience, and the glimmer of hope that despite it all remains a firm part of the reports. Even this latest one.

Globalisation Governance Opinions

Outcomes vs Prescriptions: The Example of Regenerative Agriculture

June 22, 2021

Regenerative' is really a re-packaging of traditional agro-ecological approaches, with an added notion of leaving the land better than it was found. And yet - because lack of knowledge runs deep in companies, such lack is compensated by prescribing procedures rather than to focus on outcomes. It is a bit of a deja-vu indeed ...

Biz Strategy Consumer-ism Globalisation

Agri Food Industry & Carbon Trajectory: Returns over resilience?

April 20, 2021

Carbon – together with biodiversity – is one of THE most critical dimensions among the Planetary Boundaries. Because the already existing overshoot is putting our civilisation at risk. So far nothing new under the sun. The food and agri sector is - possibly together with the energy sector - one of the most important industries in this regard. Not only does it impact our living environment significantly - by how our food is grown - but also they play a key role to feed our global population. The big elephant in the room is of course: How well or badly do agri food companies perform right now in terms of their carbon footprint? And: Do they have at the least commitments to work on a Paris Agreement trajectory? I look into these questions. Spoiler Alert: There is not much to cheer about. Not at all.

Globalisation Opinions

Anger in the age of Climate Change: Fundamental change required

April 6, 2021

Anger … a strong, passionate emotion. Sometimes conducive as it gives loads of strength to fight for what we see as a ‘better world and society’. But also sometimes a shot into our own foot. In the sustainability world extemists views are common - on either side of the spectrum. Both sides advocating for fundamental change. But as it the choice of words suggests: fundamental change is only possible if we change fundamentally. All of us. Including the advocates and campaigners themselves.

Biz Strategy Finance Globalisation

Energy Industry & Carbon Trajectory: A tale of two Trajectories

February 23, 2021

Carbon – together with biodiversity – is one of THE most critical dimensions among the Planetary Boundaries. Because the already existing overshoot is putting our civilisation at risk. So far nothing new under the sun. The energy sector is the by far most impactful sector: directly and indirectly our carbon footprint depends on how they fuel our civilisation. The big elephant in the room is of course: How well are badly do energy companies perform right now in terms of their carbon footprint? And: Do they have at the least commitments to work on a Paris Agreement trajectory? I look into these questions. Spoiler Alert: The results are pretty much in line with expectations. Yet: among the innovators, not everyone does perform as well as they probably should ...

Biz Strategy Finance Globalisation

Apparel Industry & Carbon Trajectory: Throw in the Towel?

December 15, 2020

Carbon – together with biodiversity – is one of THE most critical dimensions among the Planetary Boundaries. Because the already existing overshoot is putting our civilisation at risk. So far nothing new under the sun. The big elephant in the room is of course: How do companies perform right now in terms of their carbon footprint? And: Do they have at the least commitments to work on a Paris Agreement trajectory? I answer these questions. Spoiler Alert: Some 'villains' are doing rather well. So well in fact that they are leading the pack.

Biz Strategy Globalisation Governance

Fashion Companies & their Boards of Directors: Rotten Eggs in a Diverse World

December 1, 2020

Diversity and Inclusion is a highly relevant topic not ‘just’ because it is all about equality and justice. But as long as entire parts of our global population remain disenfranchised, and desperate to just survive from day to day, tackling challenges - and in particular Climate Change - that affect all of us, indiscriminately, remains impossible. Boards of Directors set out the "Tone at the Top', also in matter of diversity and inclusion. In fashion companies, what exactly is the tone, the music, that they are creating?

Biz Strategy Circularity Globalisation Supply Chain

Circularity and Business Models: 2 US reports, many learnings

October 20, 2020

The world, by and large, operates based on land-filling. The only way to improve the situation any time soon is: not to landfill. At all. Or at least as little as possible, and that asap. To that extent, 2 reports on textiles the circular economy have been published, both of which look at the issue from different, and complementary perspectives. What is it that we can learn from these 2 reports, side by side? One, the old adage could not be any truer: One Man’s Rubbish is another Man’s Treasure. And: True cost accounting would make a huge difference.

Planetary Boundaries - Stockholm Resilience Centre

Circularity Future Tech Globalisation

Outside the comfort zone: Planetary boundaries and Europe

October 13, 2020

Overconsumption or ‘simply’ consumption? Fair resource use, or resource depletion? Fair share, equal share or acquired share of resources? Those are questions that pop up when the Planetary Boundaries are being discussed. “Is Europe living within the limits of our planet?: An assessment of Europe's environmental footprints in relation to planetary boundaries”, published in April 2020 does exactly that: it evaluates and calculates the European performance for planetary boundaries by taking a consumption-based (footprint-based) perspective. This is turn is interesting as it relates environmental pressures to final demands for goods and services. And the results are ... shall we say: a stark call to action.

Biz Strategy Globalisation Governance Materials

Juukan Gorge and Leadership Ethics – Compound interest of: technocratic lawyers + profit focus + racism

September 22, 2020

On May 24th 2020 Rio Tinto blew up the Juukan Gorge rock shelters in Australia, which ancestors of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) people occupied over the course of 46’000 years.There are a multitude of lessons to be learned from the entire process that lead to the disastrous blast of a site of such archaeological importance. But also from how the scrutiny in its aftermaths and the have been. Here a selection of just a few to think about.

Future Fit Industries of 'Stuff': Governance, Responsibility, and the Age of Doughnut Economics

Globalisation

The ‘Making of” Climate Modelling

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (7) – What you Measure, you Manage, and Progress. Or not?!

Climate Change x Geopolitics: All hands on Resources?!

The True Cost: Tax Money x Sustainable Development: The Fishing Industry

The True Cost – Hidden Costs x Sustainable Development: Transport

The True Cost – Hidden Costs x Sustainable Development: Energy Generation

The True Cost – Tax Money x Sustainable Development: Oil & Gas

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (4) – Corporate Status Quo: Sand in the eyes of the beholder?

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (3) – COP 15: Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (2) – COP 15: When CBD is not about cannabis

6th IPCC Report: Scientists – thank you for all your hard work!

Outcomes vs Prescriptions: The Example of Regenerative Agriculture

Agri Food Industry & Carbon Trajectory: Returns over resilience?

Anger in the age of Climate Change: Fundamental change required

Energy Industry & Carbon Trajectory: A tale of two Trajectories

Apparel Industry & Carbon Trajectory: Throw in the Towel?

Fashion Companies & their Boards of Directors: Rotten Eggs in a Diverse World

Circularity and Business Models: 2 US reports, many learnings

Outside the comfort zone: Planetary boundaries and Europe

Juukan Gorge and Leadership Ethics – Compound interest of: technocratic lawyers + profit focus + racism

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