Journal

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.

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.

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.

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.

With final trips to Basel (for Novartis) and Paris (EcoVadis, including a dinner at Chez Fred, old haunt of author Georges Simenon, whose corner EcoVadis co-founder Fred Trinel sat in), an end-of-year session with David Grayson and his Cranfield U MBA and PhD students, a new Executive Director at Volans (Louise Kjellerup Roper, who also came to Basel, where we stayed in the intriguing Gaia Hotel, motto: ‘Come as a Guest – Leave as a Friend’), a team lunch at Nopi, a trip to see the family in Little Rissington on Tim’s 97th birthday), extraordinary news from Hania, and accelerated work on multiple fronts, including the next phase of our Carbon Productivity program, 2017 finally came to an end with a couple of weeks’ holiday ahead of 2018.

Confess I have slept for England in the days since. And listened to the rain falling and the foxes barking. And played with ideas for a new book, with the Triple Bottom Line resurgent in the world and our work. And read endless predictions for the New Year. And watched more of the stunning series The Crown on Netflix. And read through a mini-Alp of books, including Anthony McCarten’s brilliant Darkest Hour on Churchill’s May 1940 and one of several scientists-fi books in bought in Foyle’s after a glorious lunch at Imperial China with Gaia, Hania, Jake and Paul, Peter Watts’ Brightsight.

And mentally prepared myself for a 2018 that feels likely to be unusually significant, though I can’t yet exactly put my finger on the reasons why.