The other day, Oil Barrett asked me who I would still like to meet. Alongside the odd oddity, like Crazy Horse, I mentioned Sylvia Earle. Then, today, Singularity University tweeted a link to this interview. Charming and, well, hopeful. But the scale of what faces us is, well, off the scale.
Journal
What Grave Goods Should We Bury With Big Oil Execs?
Inspired by a visit to the British Museum’s ‘The Scythians’ exhibition, before it closed, here’s a brief reflection of what symbolic offerings we should bury with the executives of fossil fuels companies and industries currently hard at work destabilising our climate.
Ageing In Newcastle And Other Delights
2018, once again, has taken off like a rocket, albeit with less overseas travel so far than the peak periods last year. A big achievement this past week was the successful delivery of our Healthy Ageing event in Newcastle, part of our 3-cities program with Innovate UK and the Knowledge Transfer Network.
Great people and some great discussions, including a panel session I chaired with speakers from the National Innovation Centre for Ageing, Newcastle City Council and Innovate UK. Sadly, Louise (Kjellerup Roper) was struck down by flu, so couldn’t make it. I have been on the edges of something for many weeks, but walked across to the Fleet Street Clinic a week or so ago to get a jab that is apparently better than the one they have been using recently in the NHS. Fingers crossed.
Otherwise, we’re working on the Volans strategy and on the future of our Breakthrough and Carbon Productivity streams of work. And am reading a good deal, with current books on the go including: What Is Populism, by Jan-Werner Müller; White King by Leanda de Lisle, the story of Charles I, the “traitor, murderer and martyr” who is a prominent feature in the family tree; and the sci-fi novel Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch, which I’m enjoying tremendously.
Bomb Cyclones Raising Heat For Business
Delighted to see HBR posting my latest column today, but suspect its publication may have been accelerated by the “bomb cyclone” that has hit North America in recent days. Sadly, I suspect we will be hearing a good deal more about explosive cyclogenesis. Another way in which the climate agenda is beginning to bite on ordinary people and lives.
Goodbye, JP (Lehmann)
Very sorry to hear in recent days of the death of Jean-Pierre Lehmann, who I knew for at least 20 years. He was a wonderfully engaged and creative member of SustainAbility’s Faculty back in the day – and, reciprocally, I was a (somewhat dilatory) member of his Evian Group. In some ways, he wasn’t a “real” academic, not having an MBA, but perhaps that was another reason why I liked him so much – and why we will all miss him so. Made me wish I had studied Political Economy.