Globe Forum Dublin
Today I talked at the Globe Forum conference in Dublin on the topic “can innovation save us?”. I talked about how all projected emission increases globally the coming 40 years is predicted to happen in developing countries. This is also where population growth, urbanization and an explosion of the middle class is happening.
In 2050, fully two-thirds of global income will go to the middle income countries of the world. Another two billion middle class consumers will enter the global market and demand housing, energy, food and transportation. These people needs to be welcomed by us already fortunate and be treated not as victims of global warming, but as partners in sustainability. In order to make sustainability work we need innovations that solves the problems and needs of the global middle class (while of course also doing everything possible to fight poverty) without increasing exponentially environmental degradation. We are talking about required efficiency increases in the global economy of epic proportions. At the same time the rich countries of the world needs to rid themselves from unjustifiably high levels of current emissions and from a capital stock in dissonance with the global ecosystem. Great challenges, great opportunities.
In the morning I met with Peter Lacy from Accenture, where I’ll start my new job in a few weeks time. I’m impressed by the work Peter and others are doing at the firm and I’m really excited about joining the team. Check out this move about their work – “new era of sustainability“.
Well one key-issue if it is really viable that such an amount of people can live a middle-class life in the way it is defined in the rich countries of the globe. If not it might become ugly