IMD-OWPLIVE22-PostEvent-Report

→Sustainability

KEYNOTE

COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP NEEDED TO DECARBONIZE THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

Only with leaders focused on long-term and systems-based thinking will we achieve a ‘just transition’ to a green economy.

Keynote highlights

The deadly heatwaves that swept across Europe this summer, breaking record temperatures, underscored how climate change is no longer some abject threat in the future: it is a clear and present danger. The urgency for action is also becoming increasingly evident, with scientists warning that global emissions will need to peak by 2025 and reduce by 43% by 2030 if the world is to avoid a climate catastrophe. Is this dramatic change even possible? Keryn James, former CEO of top sustainability consulting firm ERM, thinks so. In her keynote

OWP address, James told participants, “Human beings are nothing if not ingenious. A lot of the technology we need exists. And a lot of the business commitment is out there.” However, in her dialogue with IMD’s Professor of Strategy and Political Economy David Bach, she expressed some doubt about whether achieving the reductions by 2030 was probable, given the considerable social, economic and policy hurdles to overcome. And she was clear that courageous leadership, focused on long-term and systems-based thinking, would be decisive.

KERYN JAMES Former CEO of ERM

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