Rebuilding in a changing world
This week, several news items have focused on rebuilding and relocation. There are many areas that have experienced devastating disasters where people still rebuild, often because they do not necessarily have a choice. Others are willing to take more risks and assess for example living in a flood prone area as a gamble that they […]
Trends in the making? Finance and Climate
In the past week, several trends again are emerging, which to me are clear signals that we are seeing change. One of these is the continuing list of banks that are going to stop lending to activities and organisations that damage the environment. The latest bank to join others is the Royal Bank of Scotland, […]
Time for a new paradigm in capacity building?
This week a news item caught my attention, an interview piece with Saleem Huq, the director of International Centre for Climate Change and Development. The commentary focused on the issue of capacity building, climate finance and how this is being dealt with in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This is often a […]
How to buy a property in a changing climate
I have been toying with the idea of finally having something of my own rather than paying someone else’s mortgage with my rent. This seems to make sense from investment point of view and I am inherently interested in the kind of information people need to make smart decisions in this space. When I have […]
Communicating climate adaptation: what could go wrong?
This past week I have attended the Climate Adaptation 2018: Learn, Collaborate, Act Conference in Melbourne that gathers scientists, policymakers and non-governmental organisations to hear the latest discussions and science on climate change adaptation. I was asked to chair a panel session on Communicating around Climate Adaptation with four super stars: Karl Braganza, Doug Parsons, Hallie […]
Is climate adaptation a science?
This is my pet topic, it has been ever since I started my PhD in 2009 and dived head on into the world of climate change adaptation. I identify as an adaptation scientist much to the dismay of some as there is an on-going debate as to whether climate change adaptation is simply a topic […]
How to maintain and access organisational memory
It struck me the other day when I was speaking with a colleague that institutional knowledge and memory is really retained in people. With institutional knowledge and memory I mean the knowledge about who does what, how things really work, who you need to talk to to get access to particular information. It is the […]
How risk framing, climate and leadership are linked
This past week there was a piece of news that has caught many people’s imagination: the slowing down of Atlantic Ocean circulation. The Atlantic Ocean circulation is a stream that brings warmer water towards north and is the reason why Western Europe can enjoy warm weather during summer. But a new study has found that […]
Can we keep a score on climate?
Last week I attended Climate Update 2018 event in Brisbane where we heard from various eminent speakers on the state of climate and what different organisations, such as the Queensland government, are doing in this space. In his presentation at Climate Update 2018, Mark Howden from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change focused on the […]
Why inclusivity should be the new game in town: Women, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and leadership
We often hear about the glass ceiling that stops women in advancing their careers and how that ceiling, in the era of gender equality, is easier to break through. More and more women are becoming directors, earning degrees, and making significant contributions in science, politics, and everywhere else. Given last week was the International Women’s […]