Unprecedented yet so close: why heatwaves and flooding could be here to stay
This past week the news have sizzled with news about extreme fire events, large ranging bushfires in Sweden and Greece. Japan declared last week the heatwave a disasters while being faced with an unprecedented heatwave. 22 000 people were taken to hospital and this has impacted the elderly in particular. Portugal is set to face […]
How to create leadership and innovation at work place?
I have just finished reading Richard Feynman’s book Surely you are joking Mr Feynman!” It’s a unique book in explaining how one of the great minds in physics thought about life, and more importantly how he maintained an innate curiosity and often questioned the very basic assumptions of physics in order to better understand the […]
Why peer review should be fun but can make you cry
The life of an academic is very much focused on and surrounded by the process of peer review. With peer review, I mean making and receiving comments on manuscripts that we have written or have been asked to read and assess for scientific journals. Most of us review papers for scientific journals in the hope […]
Is 1.5 degree goal an illusion?
This past week has been quite eventful given that major issues have been either discovered or experienced when it comes to climatic changes. Japan has been experiencing significant floods with never before seen rain events while cities around the word have reported having broken all time heat records. A new study published in Nature used […]
How to measure leadership and adaptation in 3 dimensions
This past week I had the chance to spend time with some really amazing women who are the next generation of great minds, critical yet equipped with a good sense of humour. In one of our conversations we spoke about leadership and self-perception, and how when we embark on self-development (or start dating), we need […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
What makes and counts as “impact”?
All of us aspire to make a difference in something, whether it is in our profession, with our family, with friends, or at a broader scale. But how do we know that we are actually getting there, and our work is having an impact and changing the way things are done or the way people […]