Beyond the blur in realtime

MY BLOG HAS FINALLY MOVED TO PAMLIN.NET

2011-10-19T01:03:00.002+02:00

It took a lot longer than expected... It is always other projects that are more important than my own web page... but it is getting there and now it is time for the blog to move....
Click here for the latest blog/front page on the new page. Not all parts are in place, but all major parts should be ready before the end of 2011 (I hope).

click here for the home of the new blog

Public procurement and transformative solutions: Workshop in Stockholm

2011-10-04T16:31:00.002+02:00

The workshop about the potential role for public procurement to support transformative solutions was very inspiring and constructive with concrete ideas for ways forward.

Download PDF for agenda here and read below for the background.

Background
A number of trends are converging, e.g. rapid economic growth in many emerging economies, geopolitical shifts, demographic changes, ecosystem decline, unsustainable use of many natural resources – including oil - and increasing CO2 emissions. In order to move society in the direction of a sustainable low-carbon development path, there is a need for more than incremental improvements in existing production and consumption systems – not least in the case of investments, which are meant to last for many decades, if not centuries (such as buildings, energy-intensive manufacturing facilities and transport/communication infrastructure). Thus transformative solutions, that will allow services to be provided in fundamentally new ways, are urgently needed now. The following examples illustrate the nature of the changes that will be required:

To improve fuel efficiency when commuting represents an incremental improvement – to help change working habits, e.g. through teleworking, represents a transformative shift.
To make newspaper production more resource-efficient represents an incremental improvement – to massively expand e-paper subscriptions is a transformative solution.
To improve efficiency in fossil-based power production represents an incremental step – to develop buildings that are “net producers” of renewable energy is a transformative solution.
To enhance efficiency in the use of e-journals in hospitals represents an incremental improvement – to offer e-health solutions that promote more healthy lifestyles and provide remote connection to medical services is a transformative solution.
To improve recycling of materials represents an incremental step – to develop systems for closed loops of materials in the techno-sphere is a transformative solution.

The changes needed are significant. A number of different measures are required to ensure an accelerated uptake of transformative solutions.

International agreements and EU policy declarations have already identified Public Procurement as an important tool to help promote resource efficiency and low-carbon solutions. In so doing, the hope is that Public Procurement will both improve competitiveness and help meet the EU 2020 targets.

A number of initiatives are underway within the EU Commission and some of the Member States to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Public Procurement. There is, however, no established framework for the specific promotion of transformative solutions in the context of resource efficiency and low-carbon technology. Such a framework is urgently needed as several studies indicate that Public Procurement rules and practices of today often are seen as barriers to innovative solutions, instead of being at least neutral and hopefully also supportive.

The Committee of Inquiry on Public Procurement is mandated by the Swedish Government to undertake a thorough review of the Public Procurement rules and practices. The review shall be completed before the end of June, 2012. The review is undertaken in the context of a parallel review of EU legislation. Green Public Procurement is one of several key areas in the review.

The Committee is eager to explore new and innovative ways to use Public Procurement in the promotion of sustainable solutions, not least within the area of infrastructure development. To assist the Committee in these endeavours, Mr Dennis Pamlin has been asked to prepare a report on the role of Public Procurement in the promotion of transformative solutions for a low-carbon economy. The workshop on October 3rd is organised as an integral part of Mr Pamlin’s assignment.

The Lights in the Tunnel by Martin Ford

2011-09-08T12:54:00.000+02:00

I read Martin’s book a few months ago and did not reallyknow what to say about it. In one way it is the kind of airplane literaturethat I keep complaining about as it has one idea and is just discussing thatfrom different angles though the book… But this idea is really fundamental andhe write’s in such a relaxed, but passionate, way that it is like having areally inspiring conversation on a long-haul flight (or from a climate/innovationperspective preferable a high-speed train trip).

I should start by saying that there are a number of things Idisagree with, and I find it a little sad that he address current economist inthe way he does as I think it does not add to the book and will not convinceany of the old school economists. But maybe it was worth a try… But it is notimportant (as old school economists are not very important more than the factthat they delay action in important areas).

The theme of the book is automation. Not simple automation,but transformative and it asks the question what happens when betterintelligence and better machines are merged. What jobs are needed and what jobsare not?

In a time where policy makers, media, business and NGOs all agreethat anything should be done to create almost any jobs Martin takes a step backand ask, where are we heading with the current development?

The conclusion is simple, and not surprising when you lookaround at the real world development: It is very likely that there will be alot less available jobs than we usually assume. Especially when intelligence (different formsas AI) is improving at an accelerated phase challenge many of the white colorjobs that no one is discussing as disappearing (doctors, lawyers, investors,etc). People that today spend a lot of time with things that are not verycreative (an area that will be hard to substitute).

Obviously not all of the work will disappear but if 50% canbe taken over that is 50% lost jobs (and in most cases also demand for otherskills). In the same way as one person can use a machine to make as many knifesthat 100ds of people could do before the industrial revolution it is time tothink about the “knowledge sector”…

If we moved from less labor intensive work to more thought intensivework, what is the next step… I would hope creative and ethic lives… So twoshifts are needed, first that we don’t focus on simple “thinking” as machineswill do the simple things for us, and second that we need to look beyond “jobs”and ask what kind of lives we want people to be able to have in society

I’m particularly interested to see how the increased need tocreate jobs “at home” in EU and the US will accelerate the transformative trendwith jobs lost in existing sectors. Both EU and the US now agree that theyshould have a manufacturing base as an important part of the economy, butneither seems to understand that the option they have to be competitive is toaccelerate the trends Martin describes.

There are more interesting discussion in this book I hopeanyone talking about “job creation” and “green tax reforms” will read this, aswell as anyone with a general interest in the future.

I proudly bough the e-book on Amazon as I think this kind ofapproach should be supported and that the big distribution channels must allowthe multiple distribution approach by Martin. Why, because he is making the book available forfree, or at the cost you are willing to pay, on his page.

So to sum up. It is a book looking in a direction where fewdare to look and doing so without being sensationalistic. So if you areinteresting in how the society could evolve before the laggards start realizingthat their models are out dated I think you should pick up, pay for if you canafford it, and most important read “The lights in the end of the tunnel”.

New webpage: Low-carbon leaders -Beyond carbon, is live and show the way for collaborative work

2011-08-23T12:26:00.002+02:00

The page for Low-carbon leaders: Beyond carbon that focus on 21st Century Clusters with transformative solutions is now live. I just wanted to say that I’m really happy with the graphic solution, the "curtain", that allows users to look at the main part of the predecessor (the cases with small entrepreneurs and their transformative solutions).

Low-carbon leaders: Beyond carbon is a totally new project, but instead of just leaving the old work and move on, the "curtain" helps to provide a background and context to the new work. This is particular interesting as there where multiple stakeholders involved developing the cases. For the future I could envision that different groups that collaborate to use similar solutions like the one used on the page when they build on earlier joint work.

It might never happen, but if this graphic solution helps collaborative efforts in any way I’m very happy.

With regards to the actual project things are moving forward at a good phase and I look forward to an intensive fall with transformative clusters.

The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris

2011-08-23T03:38:00.003+02:00

Anger undermines a very important message about enlightenment
I can really recommend this book, The Moral Landscape – How Science can Determine Human Values by Sam Harris, but you might want to skip the first three chapter or so (I was close to stop reading myself).

These first chapters are not well written as they both misunderstand a lot of philosophy (like “Humes law” that you can’t derive an ought from an it) and have a tone that is mainly oscillating between bitterness and anger.

It is really sad that Sam have not spent more time reading philosophy, not the postmodern, but the classics. I’m not sure why he ignores a field where thinkers have reflected over the challenges he’s done for thousands of years. Staring from zero is fine, but it gives the book a bit of a teenage character.

Why he does not read philosophy is explained in a footnote that sounds like something you hear not even from a teenager but 12 year old (can do it myself...) ;)

“I did no arrive at my position on the relationship between human values and the rest of human knowledge by reading the work of moral philosophers; I came to it by considering the logical implications of our making continued progress in the science of mind. Second, I am convinced that every appearance of terms like “metaethics,” “deontology,” “noncognitivism,” “antirealism,” “emotivism, ” etc., directly increase the amount of boredom in the universe.”

The fact that the book has a teenage character is also something very positive. It is an energy and frustration that is refreshing in a time when most people don’t seem to think about how thin the culture of enlightenment and science is. Still it is about science so some more reflection would not hurt. Maybe he thinks that the tone is what is needed in the US/global media climate?

Still it would have been nice if he did not simplify things quite as much, e.g. to compare “water is two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen” with “cruelty is wrong” and say “To really believe either proposition is also to believe that you have accepted it for legitimate reasons”. It is easy to understand his frustration, but this kind of oversimplification does not help.

A chemical formula with well defined concepts (that even these could be challenged is we could go down a level and make the definition of hydrogen and oxygen more complicated and also when it is actually water and when it is something else) compared with a link between concepts like "well-being" and "cruelty" is not very helpful.

Further he writes that “concern for well-being is the only intelligible basis for morality and values”. This is another example of the kind of statement that does not mean anything. I think it partly depend on a belief that things can be simplified and isolated. Further down on the same page (if pages make sense in the age of e-readers when you can chose the size of the text) he writes “would it be better to spend our next billion dollars eradicating racism or malaria?... Such questions may seem impossible to get a of this moment, but they may not stay this way forever”. That you can’t isolate one from the other, and that the way to calculate things in this way will also influence “well-being” is nothing Sam seems to think about. If he did, he might have a slightly different approach.

These weak points are frustrating as I think it will result in people ignoring his important message about people trying to bridge things that can not be bridged.

I think his discussion about Francis Collins, the former head of the human genome project, was refreshing to read. I need to read Collins book as I can’t believe that he is as irrational as Sam portrays him.

Maybe most interesting is probably when he discusses how friends that agree that science should guide society not religion, but that are afraid that criticism of religion will make people chose religion and not science. So it is better to tell lies to the public in order to ensure a future for science. The fact that people call him a fundamentalist and that he is dangerous is scary to me. I don’t think Sam is a very pleasant person and there are positions in society where I think he would do a bad job, but from what I have read I can trust him to listen to an argument and not dismiss anything I say without having using facts that are true to the best of his knowledge.

Spending much of my time in international where religion doesn’t play a very important role I see an even more disturbing feature that I hope he can discuss in his next book. The fact that there is a growing lack of respect for science among many professionals.

Right now for example I’m involved in a process with a group of consultants that are as bad as the most fundamentalists when it comes to respect for science. They seem to do that because they have adopted a short-term and narrow time perspective where things are very simplified and intellectual honesty is not important. In this case they have a client, they think they know what the client wants and they present a result based on these assumptions.

The scary is that these people don’t care about the consequences of their action, nor have any respect/knowledge about science. It is a weird economic approach without knowledge about economics.

These kinds of people show a few slides where some acceptable theories/approaches on and then jump to value based and sloppy conclusions. These conclusions are then meant to guide actions among multibillion companies that affect what products and services that are available as well as the values in society as they sit on very large PR budgets.

How these people can be encouraged to think about the ethical implications of their actions and understand the long-term consequences of undermining science is a challenges I hope Sam will address. When it comes to killing the planet and ignoring the poor these people are the once I think are the biggest problem. To be honest, compared with these "sloppy" people I think a lot of religious people have a lot to contribute to. This is especially true when it comes to actual action. Lab scientists like Sam are great, but when we look around the world there are people, such as another Sam (Sam Childers) that actually go out and try to make the world a better place instead of sitting on panels and writing articles…

Still, with all the weak parts in the book it is well worth a read. I can also recommend his web-page where you can be inspired by his (angry) quest for enlightenment. http://www.samharris.org/

PS
The book had two other areas that I think are worth mentioning, one because I think it is fundamentally wrong, the other because I think it is one of the most important questions.

The first is under the very interesting heading of "which self should we satisfy?", but instead of an understanding of how complex humans are and the different preference conflict that emerge all the time, Sam presents a simplistic form of the already flawed idea of Utilitarianism. Not only does Sam want to add the experiences, he wants to categorize the reflected experiences as flawed. He gives the example of a trip to Rome and say that if a person during this trip at every point did not feel good a "remembering self" claims to have had a wonderful time the "remembering self"is simply wrong. The attempt to divide a person in this way is first of all a very strange thing to do, but two things should be included in any approach like this:

1. No one has "simplistic feelings". When I'm in Rome I might have an aching back that make me suffer at the same time as I enjoy a very interesting conversation with a friend, while I realize that I'm in a restaurant that serve meet that paying for the bill will help them continue to promote this business, at the same time I got a great idea for a future project, I also realize that the conversation is part of a pattern where I look for distraction rather than deeper understanding, etc, etc...

2. We constantly change, the transcendence of the ego, as Sartre called it, is what defines us as humans. We might not agree with everything Sartre wrote about the ego, but the fact that we constantly can change is something that anyone that say they believe in enlightenment should consider (and if not explain how they approach humans). So when we look back we might see things different compared with how I experienced them at the time. Much of what people do when they try to improve things include things that might not be pleasant when it is done, but reflecting on it brings pleasant memories. Education and physical training are probably the two most obvious examples.

The Dark Side of Creativity by David H. Cropley, Arthur J. Cropley, James C. Kaufman and Mark A. Runco

2011-08-06T01:29:00.001+02:00

This is almost a must read for anyone engaged in the sustainable innovation discussion. The material is a bit uneven and a few of the contributions should have been left out (low academic level and nothing really relevant to contribute), but overall it covers many interesting aspects of creativity.

The discussions about the consequences of creativity should have included more about large scale problems outside the military (Climate Change, endocrine disruptors, economic policy’s resulting in poverty are just a few that would have been interesting to discuss). But the one major area that I would like to have seen included is current marketing/PR and the consequences on creativity in society. The fact that many are wasting their creativity selling things that are bad (for ourselves, other people, other living beings and the planet) is

Still the book is filled with short chapters that cover interesting fields, such as:

1. What happens when successful creativity that delivers something good becomes a cage that makes it difficult to continue to be creative?
2. How can the educational system talk so much about creativity and do so much to kill it?
3. How close is creativity to madness?

There are also very interesting gems about the development of the nuclear industry (and the end of it) where the unwillingness to take sound decisions is explained from a perspective where companies become overconfident at the same time as they are under market pressure resulting in a situation where “new technologies were being developed without objective assessments”. James Jasper, who wrote the chapter that included the nuclear power discussion made me interested in his idea about “players or prizes?”

Liane Gabora and Nancy Holmes short chapter “Dangeling from a Tassel on Fabric of Socially Constructed Reality” is as poetic as it sounds. It makes me happy to see such a chapter included as this kind of texts are not often found outside the more “arty” fields.

I would have seen a longer version of Arthur Cropley’s chapter “Creativity in the Classroom” where he developed more concrete ideas, and did this in relation to a situation where students will be connected and have access to ideas/input that no generation before have.

In the chapter “The Dark Side of Creativity and How to Combat it” Robert Sternberg discuss what I think is the most important aspect, wisdom. It does not really say anything new, but the things we already know are sometimes the most important.

I’m not sure why, but I think the chapter “Neurosis: The dark side of emotional creativity” by James Averill and Elma Nunley is my favourite. The way they use Dostoevsky, William James and Otto Rank to discuss creativity reminded me of Marsel Burman’s “All that is solid melts into air” and in all its lack of focus also brought back “Ideology” from Otto Rank that I have not been thinking about in a very long time.

It is a joy to read books where the authors actually have spend time to think about the issue they write about. I hope that I can stay away from the “airplane literature” that is written by journalists as entertainment and with more focus on short nuggets that people can quote over the dinner table than any actual knowledge. I wonder if the “airport literature” are spread due to the fact that other journalists (with similar lack of deep knowledge) like them as these books are the kind of books they potentially could write (good in style but without much depth in knowledge). Are they the books equivalent of Fox-News/The daily show, entertaining at best and oversimplifying mainly? Hopefully the future will have more of these books where people with knowledge explore issues in depth.

The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations that Transform the World by David Deutsch

2011-07-28T15:54:00.002+02:00

This is a really interesting book to read, more as a phenomenon than the content. I can’t find a better way to describe the book than the feeling of listen to a drunken rant by a really brilliant person, and I mean that in a good way. It is like listening to a really upset person during a dinner who spins out of control. A lot does not really make sense, even more is just driven by anger and makes him lose focus. Particularly frustrating is that the anger makes him invent straw men of important issues like the precautionary principle (a very difficult and important issue) and then engage in emotional battles with them. But don’t let this scare you off.

You will have to suffer through the first two chapters and listen to an upset voice that is so frustrated with the religious fanatics in he US that he lost the ability to see nuances. At the same time it is easy to feel sympathy for David as he tries to fight the religious fanatics that arguably been the source of the most suffering though human history. At the same time I was hoping though the book that he should take a step back and say: “see how I now turned into the thing that I criticized, letting anger and frustration drive you will not create the open society we need. The fact that I don’t agree with someone is not a reason to simplify things.”.

After the two initial chapters discussing different kinds of ways of philosophy and ways to approach science (without much nuance as I said, but still important) he all of a sudden starts discussing Star trek. He almost lost me there as it felt bizarre to read someone, who was criticizing a lot of people in very important areas, all of a sudden take transporters in Star trek very serious. The funny thing is that it leads to the best description of quantum computing I have ever read. Only this part make the book worth reading.

It highlights that people who are not really capable of coherent thinking in many important areas can help move the knowledge in society forward. How can we allow these people to work, while at the same time keep an open and wise society where questions about education, environmental degradation, energy systems, democracy, etc can be discussed in an educated way?

After the chapter about quantum computing, where he demonstrate that he knows something really well and can describe it in a way that indicates many lectures and discussions in the filed, he falls back to the ranting again. This time however it is easier to read as it becomes that this is not a book that should be read as a contribution to any larger issues in society. This is a book that should be read to understand how really good scientists feel when their innovation and right to do what they want.

David is a smart guy, but not as smart as he thinks he is. He is like a more angry and less brilliant version of Richard Feynman, a person who also thought he was more clever than he was, but fun and while he could be arrogant he never came across as this angry to me. Beside the very good quantum computer description I think the book is best read as a call for a more humble approach for scientists. Scientists should take on the challenges in society, but I think it would help if those thought about the need for a dialogue and clearly state what their focus is.

Taking a step back I’m happy that David was published as so many of the books today are written by journalists/entertainers that don’t know the subject they write about (beyond google searches) and treat their audience as if they can’t read a sentence with more than ten words.

As he is so personal it would be interesting to know next time what he is doing to help reduce global poverty, develop solutions that 9-10 billion people can use, reduce natural resource consumption, increase dialogue between different cultures, address the threat of pandemics, demographic changes, etc. Is he a vegetarian, what car does he drive, what energy does he use? What are the choices he thinks are important?

Full letter from Greg Maxwell + some thoughts about access to knowledge and media

2011-07-22T12:35:00.003+02:00

The 21st century connectivity and the opportunities we have, e.g. to create a global digital Alexandria with free access to all the important knowledge in the world, require us to discuss some very difficult questions. Unfortunately most of these discussions, that will define freedom/equity/knowledge in the 21st century, are happening without many policy makers or mainstream media seem to understand what’s going on…

Now the actions by Aaron Swartz (you can read more about the case at Demand Progress) and Greg Maxwell have triggered an interesting discussion that hopefully can spread outside the small group that discuss this issue on a regular basis.

I have discussed these issues before so I’ll just post the letter from “Greg” below and before that a few headings from different media. These are either interesting articles and/or interesting headlines.

Beside the more fundamental questions, I think some researchers should do is look into the language used by media and policy makers in cases such as Aaron Swartz/Greg Maxwell and their actions in relation to JSTOR. Do they simply call it a CRIME and say that old rules apply. Do they put words, like STOLE, between quotation marks to indicate that things are a bit complicated? Or do they just state things, like THOUSANDS OF SCIENTIFIC PAPERS UPLOADED TO THE PIRATE PAY, that are more neutral (but actually factual incorrect as it is a torrent file that is uploaded, something that is key when discussing P2P/file sharing). Do they provide links to people can find the documents (is this encouraging crime or basic service to the reader)? Do we refer to the people as criminals, activists or ethical students?

Interestingly a number of media do not seem to have a problem to download material and support the general idea that information should be free. The idea that an economic entity or a person can “own” information/knowledge will hopefully give way to a society where people/companies are compensated when they contribute to knowledge, but the basic principle is that knowledge is for everyone.

Some examples of headings:

> “More knowledge 'stolen' for the good of science” msnbc.com - Nidhi Subbaraman
> “Huge Trove of Academic Docs Posted Online in Response to Activist Arrest” Wired News (blog) - Ryan Singel
> “Swartz supporter dumps 18592 JSTOR docs on the Pirate Bay” Ars Technica - Timothy B. Lee
> “Thousands of scientific papers uploaded to The Pirate Bay” GigaOm - Janko Roettgers
>

Below is the full letter from Greg Maxwell

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This archive contains 18,592 scientific publications totaling
33GiB, all from Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
and which should be available to everyone at no cost, but most
have previously only been made available at high prices through
paywall gatekeepers like JSTOR.

Limited access to the documents here is typically sold for $19
USD per article, though some of the older ones are available as
cheaply as $8. Purchasing access to this collection one article
at a time would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Also included is the basic factual metadata allowing you to
locate works by title, author, or publication date, and a
checksum file to allow you to check for corruption.

ef8c02959e947d7f4e4699f399ade838431692d972661f145b782c2fa3ebcc6a sha256sum.txt

I've had these files for a long time, but I've been afraid that if I
published them I would be subject to unjust legal harassment by those who
profit from controlling access to these works.

I now feel that I've been making the wrong decision.

On July 19th 2011, Aaron Swartz was criminally charged by the US Attorney
General's office for, effectively, downloading too many academic papers
from JSTOR.

Academic publishing is an odd systemΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥the authors are not paid for their
writing, nor are the peer reviewers (they're just more unpaid academics),
and in some fields even the journal editors are unpaid. Sometimes the
authors must even pay the publishers.

And yet scientific publications are some of the most outrageously
expensive pieces of literature you can buy. In the past, the high access
fees supported the costly mechanical reproduction of niche paper journals,
but online distribution has mostly made this function obsolete.

As far as I can tell, the money paid for access today serves little
significant purpose except to perpetuate dead business models. The
"publish or perish" pressure in academia gives the authors an impossibly
weak negotiating position, and the existing system has enormous inertia.

Those with the most power to change the system--the long-tenured luminary
scholars whose works give legitimacy and prestige to the journals, rather
than the other way around--are the least impacted by its failures. They
are supported by institutions who invisibly provide access to all of the
resources they need. And as the journals depend on them, they may ask
for alterations to the standard contract without risking their career on
the loss of a publication offer. Many don't even realize the extent to
which academic work is inaccessible to the general public, nor do they
realize what sort of work is being done outside universities that would
benefit by it.

Large publishers are now able to purchase the political clout needed
to abuse the narrow commercial scope of copyright protection, extending
it to completely inapplicable areas: slavish reproductions of historic
documents and art, for example, and exploiting the labors of unpaid
scientists. They're even able to make the taxpayers pay for their
attacks on free society by pursuing criminal prosecution (copyright has
classically been a civil matter) and by burdening public institutions
with outrageous subscription fees.

Copyright is a legal fiction representing a narrow compromise: we give
up some of our natural right to exchange information in exchange for
creating an economic incentive to author, so that we may all enjoy more
works. When publishers abuse the system to prop up their existence,
when they misrepresent the extent of copyright coverage, when they use
threats of frivolous litigation to suppress the dissemination of publicly
owned works, they are stealing from everyone else.

Several years ago I came into possession, through rather boring and
lawful means, of a large collection of JSTOR documents.

These particular documents are the historic back archives of the
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal SocietyΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥a prestigious scientific
journal with a history extending back to the 1600s.

The portion of the collection included in this archive, ones published
prior to 1923 and therefore obviously in the public domain, total some
18,592 papers and 33 gigabytes of data.

The documents are part of the shared heritage of all mankind,
and are rightfully in the public domain, but they are not available
freely. Instead the articles are available at $19 each--for one month's
viewing, by one person, on one computer. It's a steal. From you.

When I received these documents I had grand plans of uploading them to
Wikipedia's sister site for reference works, WikisourceΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥ where they
could be tightly interlinked with Wikipedia, providing interesting
historical context to the encyclopedia articles. For example, Uranus
was discovered in 1781 by William Herschel; why not take a look at
the paper where he originally disclosed his discovery? (Or one of the
several follow on publications about its satellites, or the dozens of
other papers he authored?)

But I soon found the reality of the situation to be less than appealing:
publishing the documents freely was likely to bring frivolous litigation
from the publishers.

As in many other cases, I could expect them to claim that their slavish
reproductionΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥scanning the documentsΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥ created a new copyright
interest. Or that distributing the documents complete with the trivial
watermarks they added constituted unlawful copying of that mark. They
might even pursue strawman criminal charges claiming that whoever obtained
the files must have violated some kind of anti-hacking laws.

In my discreet inquiry, I was unable to find anyone willing to cover
the potentially unbounded legal costs I risked, even though the only
unlawful action here is the fraudulent misuse of copyright by JSTOR and
the Royal Society to withhold access from the public to that which is
legally and morally everyone's property.

In the meantime, and to great fanfare as part of their 350th anniversary,
the RSOL opened up "free" access to their historic archivesΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥but "free"
only meant "with many odious terms", and access was limited to about
100 articles.

All too often journals, galleries, and museums are becoming not
disseminators of knowledgeΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥as their lofty mission statements
suggestΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥but censors of knowledge, because censoring is the one thing
they do better than the Internet does. Stewardship and curation are
valuable functions, but their value is negative when there is only one
steward and one curator, whose judgment reigns supreme as the final word
on what everyone else sees and knows. If their recommendations have value
they can be heeded without the coercive abuse of copyright to silence
competition.

The liberal dissemination of knowledge is essential to scientific
inquiry. More than in any other area, the application of restrictive
copyright is inappropriate for academic works: there is no sticky question
of how to pay authors or reviewers, as the publishers are already not
paying them. And unlike 'mere' works of entertainment, liberal access
to scientific work impacts the well-being of all mankind. Our continued
survival may even depend on it.

If I can remove even one dollar of ill-gained income from a poisonous
industry which acts to suppress scientific and historic understanding,
then whatever personal cost I suffer will be justifiedΓΓé¼ΓÇ¥it will be one
less dollar spent in the war against knowledge. One less dollar spent
lobbying for laws that make downloading too many scientific papers
a crime.

I had considered releasing this collection anonymously, but others pointed
out that the obviously overzealous prosecutors of Aaron Swartz would
probably accuse him of it and add it to their growing list of ridiculous
charges. This didn't sit well with my conscience, and I generally believe
that anything worth doing is worth attaching your name to.

I'm interested in hearing about any enjoyable discoveries or even useful
applications which come of this archive.

- ----
Greg Maxwell - July 20th 2011
gmaxwell@gmail.com Bitcoin: 14csFEJHk3SYbkBmajyJ3ktpsd2TmwDEBb

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Top-ten mobile apps that can make the world a better place Q2 2011

2011-07-17T17:48:00.005+02:00

Top-ten mobile apps that can make the world a better place Q2 2011

Visit www.transformative-applications.net and get a glimpse of a better future

Embargo: 2011-06-18

Today Transformative-Applications.net present the top-ten list for the second quarter 2011. Each quarter ten transformative applications that address some of the most pressing challenges in our society, and five initiatives that support the development and uptake of such applications are presented.

In the second assessment the following applications are included (in alphabetical order):

Biblion
EveryTrail
Health Enhancement Assist Service
iKiva
Leafsnap
Plugshare
Realtimecongress
RedPhone
Runkeeper (Health Graph update)
Seasonal Harvest Lite

Areas such as health (where we through leading mobile applications can see a move from central institutions addressing symptoms once people are already sick to a decentralized system with focus on a healthy life) are developing fast. EveryTrail, Health Enhancement Assist Service and Runkeepers update with an “health graph” are all interesting examples.

Direct and open connections are also getting a lot of attention among entrepreneurial developers with iKiva, RedPhone and Sesonal Harvest Light covering different aspects, from free communication to the ability to connect to those that produce things we use.

- The response has been fantastic and we want to make sure that the page highlight a diverse set of applications and supportive initiatives that address, or have the potential to address, today's and tomorrow's most important challenges, said Dennis Pamlin, who is coordinating the initiative. It is very interesting to see that it is mainly independent entrepreneurs that are moving the transformative agenda forward.

The five supporting initiatives Q2 2011 are:

Access
Apps for Development
Investigative Dashboard (ID)
Prix Pictet
Zilok

- Very few of the major stakeholders today are doing anything transformative. They seem to see mobile application and the increased connectivity more as a threat than an opportunity. If they do anything at all they just transfer existing data and ways of operating into apps. We will now send out a questionnaire to leading stakeholders and ask how they support transformative applications.

For more information and the list of transformative applications please visit: www.transformative-applications.net

Eco-innovation in Europe: Not very innovative, or are the "experts" looking in the wrong direction?

2011-07-16T17:26:00.009+02:00

Right now I’m looking for data in the project "transformative low-carbon leadership" for GeSI. A friend sent a report about Eco-innovation, “The Eco-Innovation Challenge; Pathways to a resource efficient Europe”, and was surprised about the lack of innovation in it. It is not the first time and the report is not particular bad (actually a bit better than a lot of other report that talk about innovation), but this time I decided to look a bit closer.

I think there are three main reasons for these kinds of studies being so bad when it come to what I call innovation (substantial change or difference versus more incremental changes):

First, they look at changes (and often incremental changes) in existing systems, not new ways of providing services. This result in a situation where they are seldom looking at anything really innovative.
Second, they have a problem perspective where the final emissions/pollution/waste is the focus. Many seem to be experts in waste/pollution and are probably threatened by actual solutions, as these will make their knowledge redundant.
Third, they are funded by/targeting current polluters, not tomorrow’s solution providers. Or else it is just tragic that they keep ignoring tomorrow’s solution providers.

A simple Google search shows that there are reasons to be optimistic. New areas are not far after other areas when searched for together with “eco-innovation”, maybe this is because people outside Europe are more open to tomorrow’s solutions, or maybe there are better experts in Eco-innovation than the people who put the study above together (see above for the result/focus of that report).

Solar are already on the level of the older/traditional areas, and ICT will probably move into mainstream soon. Nanotech and Robots are two areas I think will grow very fast over the next five years and biotech is already a priority. It is amazing that a study that claim to talk about innovation manage to ignore solar, ICT, biotech, nanotech and robots...

One of the challenges is to ensure that academia move the focus from incremental eco-innovation to transformative eco-innovation. On the web people like to link transformative with eco-innovation, but that is not what is happening when we look at scholarly articles (see below).

This is one of the images in the EU study that (as most studies in the field) almost totally ignored innovative solutions used a problem approach. Beside the fact that solution sectors are not included the graph show little more than the fact that the use of the term "eco-innovation" is becoming increasingly popular.

Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart

2011-07-13T02:00:00.003+02:00

This is the first Sci-fi I have read that take on the decline on the US though the “entertainment”/connectivity development we see now. It is also a good example on how people see China as the "threat" that are beyond the control of anything the US can do, as US is not really bringing anything of value anymore. The part where US wants to impress the visiting person (the head of China's Central Bank and "probably the most powerful person on the planet") by showing that the US can still innovate is brilliant.

In many ways this is for me the Bukowski version of Daemon (the brilliant book by Daniel Suarez that everyone interesting in technology should read). The need to stay connected and the focus on instant gratification is not very sophisticated but therefore also very effective. Letting all (almost) key characters be outside the main events in society is and efficient way to create the feeling of lost control that seem to drive many today into situations where they work without much reflection or thought about any broader consequences of their actions. His main character is such a sad person that it is hard not to see him as the perfect caricature of a US "intellectual" today.

Sometimes it feels a little to much focus on sex/nudity, but then you relies that this is where we are heading if media/PR/TV continue on the path we are on today and have been since mass marketing begun. I hope people doing advertising, developing apps and are innovative in the use of new media read this and think a little about where things are heading… Maybe even take the time to read Simmel, The Philosophy of Money.

Education for sustainability in the 21st century

2011-07-06T00:16:00.002+02:00

What is smart and sustainable education in the 21st century? This is one of the key challenges today. Instead of asking how ICT can be used in schools, the salary level of teachers and similar marginal questions we should ask what education is in the 21st century. The two key questions are:
1. What do we need to learn?
2. How can we learn? (using new technology and solutions)

The first question is very interesting as we are moving into a society where changes are happening so fast and where science is no longer even close to intuitive (quantum mechanics, nanotechnology, data processing, genetic manipulation, etc) that it will be challenging to guide the development with current democratic institutions (or non democratic institutions in some cases). It is also important as access to data and connectivity make interpretation of data rather than memorizing data more important in many cases. A geopolitical shift make cultural understanding of countries like China and India more important in the western curriculum.

The second question is equally interesting and related. When we can get access to information and explanations by the world’s best teachers though mobile devices what is the role of the “industrial school” (presented in an entertaining way here by Ken Robinson) and how can we focus on education/learning rather than an institution with limited relevance in the 21st century. Distant education has a great potential to lead the discussion, but so far they have often used traditional education as the benchmark instead of developing new innovative approaches to education. Will this change?

A first step could be to develop a ranking/rating system of current education. What are the best approaches/contributions to sustainable development and how can it be measured.

Realize that I’ve over the three last weeks discussed the issue of education and innovation three times in three different processes. At EDEN (Annual Conference – Learning and Sustainability: The New Ecosystem of Innovation and Knowledge) and at a pan EU university project and today I could not avoid it during a (video) discussion about ICT and sustainability during an event in Almedalen.

Immortality by Kevin Bohacz

2011-06-18T22:52:00.003+02:00

Immortality is not a bad book, for two evenings of reading it is more than OK. But as many other scifi's I think it ends where it should begin. The merging of man/machine, or upgrade to "human 2.0" is happening now and we need authors to explore the ethical and aesthetic aspects of what is happening.

1. We have close to 2 billion people with overweight,
2. close to a billion people chronically hungry,
3. at the same time as we are killing the planet,
4. we can see the end of the western dominance and
5. the (re-)emergence of other values beside the linear/growth paradigm that has dominated the leading institutions thinking about development.

For each there is a challenge for "transhumanism"
1. Will it only accelerate the need for "more" and individualism (the book and many others highlight the connectivity as a potential force for transformative change)?
2. Is the development helping those in most need of help? The book does not even mention the poor on the planet... and hardly anyone outside the US...
3. How will it help up live more sustainable lives? Here the book highlights current challenges (and actually make them a key part of the plot), but does not talk about actual solutions.
4. China, India and other re-emerging economies will set the agenda in a way that never has been the case though history. It is time for the western civilization to leave room for other cultures, if not we will have "war" in a few decades where the reality and current institutions drift too far apart. Nothing in the book discussed these issues.
5. There is so much focus on the technical development that the ethical aspects are often forgotten. Right when the book end the people of the world face some interesting choices and ethical dilemmas.

Part of me also feel a little uncomfortable with an average book that use the same title as Kundera's masterpiece.

Congratulation Peng Lei: Master of Public Policy

2011-06-18T22:41:00.002+02:00

Peng Lei, aka "Bruce" to many of us, has now graduated from Harvard.

Bruce was the first person I recruited in China. He was the leading person in China for the trade and investment work and soon become an influential thinker regarding global policy and business development.

When we, almost 10 years ago, started work with CSR as core business in China, China as an exporter of sustainable goods, transformative innovation as a key part for the 5 year plan, Sino-Indian collaboration, etc, these areas where almost unexplored.

I’m still reminded on a regular basis of the potential to deliver results with small investments in an area before everyone started to work on it. I have seen few people develop the analytical and operational skills so fast as Bruce did. I will never forget the dinner we had in Hong Kong after we arranged the first side-event ever with MOFCOM about sustainable trade during the WTO meeting in 2005.

Look forward to future adventure PL!

The road to green growth, China Daily 3 June 2011

2011-06-03T23:42:00.002+02:00

Below is an article about an area I've been spending a lot of time on the last five years...

Here is a link to China Daily.

China, EU need to overcome five communication challenges to build a low-carbon future

China and the European Union (EU) are in many ways the perfect global team to develop low-carbon solutions.

The EU is the only grouping of developed countries where serious discussion about a low/zero carbon society by 2050 is being held. Furthermore, the EU is in urgent need to refurbish much of the infrastructure that was built after World War II and needs new low-carbon solutions to do so.

Among the emerging economies, China is arguably the most important, not only because of its size and economic development, but also because of a long-term vision and innovation-based approach to low-carbon development. The 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) is ambitious and China has two very important roles to play in the global economy.

First, it will be seen as a provider of high quality low-cost low-carbon solutions to the rest of the world. Second, China will be seen as the place where a new urbanization is born, an urbanization that is resource efficient and low-carbon. Such urbanization would not only help China move up the value chain but also drive global low-carbon innovation.

Below are five key communication challenges for low-carbon companies that should be addressed to unleash a joint low-carbon leadership of China and the EU built on their respective strengths.

1. Image of aggressive dragon One of the most difficult communication problems is that many people in the EU have been influenced by the image of China as an "aggressive dragon". This image is a big obstacle as many entrepreneurs and important stakeholders hesitate to contact Chinese companies. So even before there is a communication challenge, the image of the aggressive dragon has resulted in many missed opportunities.
Chinese and EU companies must be more visible together to show the gains that result from collaboration. Media and policymakers in the EU have a significant responsibility as the language and images they use influence the image of Chinese companies in the EU.

2. Unbalanced knowledge
The average Chinese businessperson in the EU is knowledgeable about Europe's history, politics, food and literature. But the average European knows almost nothing about China. This is slowly improving, but only recently did most universities in the EU start to include China in the curriculum in a more comprehensive way.
In the case of larger companies from the EU, they often state that they have been in China for decades, or make similar statements, to highlight their Chinese experience. These companies tell the truth, but they forget to tell that it is equally true that 99 percent of the staff in these companies often don't know who even top leaders are, or can name more than four Chinese cities.

Chinese companies must start by treating Western people initially as if they have no knowledge of China. Today, many Western people are just nodding without understanding what the conversion is about, and sometimes that can result in a situation where people from the EU feel that Chinese businesspeople are difficult to understand. Similar things happen the other way around where EU companies must remember that while Chinese companies know many things about the EU, they are often unaware of ethical rules and what is required to become a trusted partner in the EU.

3. Two-hand business card Simple cultural differences - such as food, greetings, gift exchanges and the way to sit during negotiations - are hiding the more significant differences. Today, too many companies spend a lot of resources to learn basic culture behavior, just to ensure short-time business success. Understanding simple cultural differences can help communicate, but much deeper cultural understanding is needed, than that you hand over a business card with two hands in China.
The poor cultural understanding results in simplistic approaches also by Chinese companies. Some Chinese solar companies, for example, hear that they should communicate on environment and think that they only need to communicate that they pollute on the same level or less than Europeans to be environmentally credible. Again, this communication is too simplistic and more is needed.

Companies are expected to also present their positive contribution in the EU. Chinese companies must know and communicate how much CO2 they have helped reduce in the EU in collaboration with EU companies and how many new jobs they have helped create by providing parts of smart low-carbon solutions. They must learn to communicate much more than the technical data, they must explain their positive role in the EU.

4. The guanxi challenge Chinese companies in the EU often don't understand the need for a broader network of supporters. Guanxi, or connection, is as common in the EU as it is in China. It looks a little different. It is less discussed and business people don't refer to their contacts in the same way as Chinese businesspeople do in China. Still, networks are at least as important in the EU as in China.

As low-carbon development is a highly political issue, it is very important for Chinese companies to understand how they can provide policy support to low-carbon solutions. In the EU, Chinese companies should ensure that they are in regular contact with those who work with low-carbon development and that they keep them updated to progress in different kind of collaborations. Here it is also important that Chinese companies understand the important role of non-governmental organizations and engage with them.

5. The vision and passion Chinese low-carbon companies, especially solar companies, play an important symbolic role in the relationship between China and the EU. But Chinese low-carbon companies are often seen as only focusing on making money and selling the cheapest solar panels at any cost. Few in the EU are aware of the fact that some of the Chinese solar companies are led by passionate visionaries for global low-carbon development.

The exhibition in headquarters of companies such as Trina Solar, Suntech and the displays in Baoding, a solar power city in North China's Hebei province, should be brought to the EU so that people understand that the vision of a sustainable future is something that they share with Chinese companies. The CEOs should also ensure to participate in policy dialogues in the EU.
These five challenges will take time to overcome, but we need to start now and within one year leading low-carbon companies from China should have done the following in collaboration with stakeholders in EU:

Calculate and report how much CO2 they have helped reduce in the EU in collaboration with EU companies.
Calculate and report how many new sustainable jobs they have helped create in the EU in collaboration with EU companies.
Present how they support innovation in collaboration with EU companies.
Present policy positions where they give suggestions for what kind of collaboration in the EU would help to deliver new, smart low-carbon solutions.
Help support and accelerate the low-carbon domestic market in China and invite EU (and other) companies to help in this work.

Low-carbon companies from the EU should do the same in China, and where possible the same teams that do work in EU should also work in China to highlight the synergies.

These initial steps will allow the China-EU collaboration to move to the next level and avoid increased tension and trade conflicts that we will not be able to totally avoid. We will see more exciting collaboration with concrete results that will help deliver the solutions we need and support a collaborative culture.

It is urgent to act now. And we hope better communication is demonstrated at COP17 (the 17th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in South Africa later this year.

The author is the director of UN Global Compact's Low-Carbon Leader Project and founder of the initiative, China's Global Media Image, which will launch a website later this summer.

21st Century Clusters for transformative solutions/ LCL: Beyond carbon

2011-05-21T22:45:00.003+02:00

This week the phase two of the low-carbon leaders project was presented at the UNGC annual meeting in Copenhagen. It was a great session and from an idea less than a year ago to a fully operational project with significant support for a transformative agenda it is a project with the potential to help set the agenda at Rio+20.

The leaflet describing the project can be found here.

Launch of RiREL in Taiwan

2011-05-21T22:33:00.004+02:00

The 0.9 version of RiREL was launched in Taiwan 15th of May.

The parts I worked on are in the PPT that can be found here.

Suzanne Pahlman did the presentation.

Postdoc position for Low Carbon City Development Index (LCCDI)

2011-05-12T09:51:00.000+02:00

Thanks to Steen Rasmussen, Professor and Center Director at University of Southern Denmark, someone will be given the historic opportunity to do a postdoc in the area of a low-carbon city development index (LCCDI). This work will focus on the full impact, positive and negative, including the impact beyond the borders of the city through import/export of embedded energy, as well as export of low-carbon solutions that help other parts of the world reduce their emissions.

See below for more information:

Project: Low Carbon City Index (LCCDI) [1]

Cities are realizing the urgency to confront the climate challenge. New ideas and innovations are being developed and implemented by cities everywhere. However, many roadblocks slow down the exchange of promising ideas and innovations among cities.

The Low Carbon City Dynamic Index grew out of an urgency to define a universal science-based measure for the CO₂balance in cities[2]. An operational and science-based index is highly desirable as a means of tracking the true CO₂ emissions in a given region as well as a base for comparison and benchmarking between different cities. It is envisioned that the LCCDI could define a much-needed international standard.

As cities will increasingly house a greater fraction of the global population cities must also be part of the solution to the CO₂ emission problem. Therefore the LCCDI is divided into five parts where three parts are focused on CO₂ reduction solutions:

The index focus on solutions and will have five parts:

1. Urban profile (land use and actual carbon profile)

2. Urban trajectory (actual carbon history)

3. Investments for the future (high- or low-carbon investments)

4. Actual export of solutions (high- or low-carbon contribution/technology to the world)

5. Policy support/engagement (high- or low-carbon policy promotion)

Note that the CO₂ accounting includes imports and exports. E.g. CO₂ emissions from the production of goods produced elsewhere, but consumed in the city, are accounted for within the city.

The development of the index will follow a three-step plan.

Step 1: Compiling the index on a small group of 3-5 cities including: Sønderborg Denmark, London GB, Baoding China, utilizing (incomplete) database and established stakeholder network/contacts.

Step 2: Preparing a scientific paper on the index, linking up with additional key stakeholders, incl. progressive cities and related scientific and NGO index working groups, as well as graphical presentation material for stakeholder engagement.

Step 3: Institutionalization of the index (e.g. World Bank, Nordic Countries, WWF).

Budget:

Initiative for Science, Society and Policy could cover ~50% of a 1-year postdoc (or 100% for ~half a year postdoc) with a starting date ASAP. The academic task of the postdoc is to complete the practical implementation of the LCCI as outlined above through steps 1 and 2.

[1] Point of contact: Steen Rasmussen, Professor & Center Director, Fundamental Living Technology, SDU, http://www.sdu.dk/flint & Science Board, Initiative for Science, Society and Policy (ISSP), http://www.science-society-policy.org. The project will also be part of the NORTH STAR network, headed by Professor Mike Goodsite, see http://www.nord-star.info. Mike is also Science Board member at ISSP.

[2] LCCI originates in the ‘Copenhagen Declaration’, which was formulated in mid-2008 by stakeholders committed to helping cities improve their carbon performance. For a complete list of participants, see: John Bang (World Wildlife Foundation, Denmark) and Peter Rathje (ProjectZero, Denmark) “Low Carbon City Index, Concept Note”, Draft June 4, 2009, which has an implementation plan. The LCCI concept was further elaborated by Diana Mangalagiu (Reims Business School, France) and Britta Boyd (University of Southern Denmark), “Development of a Low Carbon City Index: the Issue of Accounting for Import/Export Emissions”, 2009 International Energy Workshop, Venice, Italy June 17th - 19th, 2009. The current form of the Index is mainly taken from Dennis Pamlin et al., (http://www.pamlin.net and http://lowcarbondeelopmentindex.net) where further inclusion of CO₂ policies and solutions are introduced into the LCCI and is now called Low Carbon City Dynamics Index (LCCDI).

RiREL presenation scheduled for Sunday May 15 in Taiwan at ASCC 2011

2011-04-16T18:46:00.003+02:00

Thanks to Kai-Tai, world leading robot expert, there will be a presentation and official launch of Robot Innovation for Resource Efficiency and Low-carbon development (RiREL) at the 8th Asian Control Conference, ASCC 2011. Please find the agenda for the event here.

Article in China Daily: BASIC, BRICS and a transformative solutions agenda for climate change

2011-04-15T10:37:00.005+02:00

These are very interesting times. 2001, after the WTO meeting in Seattle, I developed a BRICS strategy for WWF. (including South Africa as the "S", something that confused a lot of people at that time).

Tom Crompton, who today works as Change Strategist at WWF-UK, and I worked hard and managed to get resources and a team together that over a number of years worked hard to establish a solution perspective and support for the emerging BRICS.

Among other things we published reports about the BRICS and the role of leading companies that started with the report "Chinese companies in the 21st Century", but more than anything else we tried to build bridges and introduce a "transformative change paradigm" to support a move beyond incremental improvements.

As the "BRICS" now is established as a group, that exists and play a key role to play in relation to all global challenges, it would be interesting to study the emergence of this group and the network that exist today to support a truly sustainable development.

Just a reflection after I saw the photo in China Daily from the BRICS meeting in Sanya, Hainan province. It reminded me of the "logo" we used for the project (see the reports).

Below is the article in China Daily, click the link to read it in China Daily :
++++++++++++++++++++++++
The countries vowed to support the Durban climate change conference in South Africa this December and another two global conferences on sustainable development and biodiversity to be held in Brazil and India in 2012.

Russia expressed its support at two previous summits, though it holds a different line on climate change than the BASIC countries.

Partly to capitalize on the consensus, top climate envoys of BASIC countries will meet next month to push forward a nearly "deadlocked" global climate change negotiation.

A senior Chinese climate diplomat from the National Development and Reform Commission said the meeting will be held in Durban, South Africa, in May before the UN holds its mid-year negotiations in Bonn, Germany, in mid-June.

"The bloc has already formed a coordination mechanism to meet prior to important global negotiations and conferences on climate change," said the diplomat, who declined to be named.

Dennis Pamlin, director of the Low Carbon Leaders Project, said the BASIC bloc has set an excellent example of a "united line" to push forward global climate negotiations, but it needs to expand to an even more open platform to engage other developing countries.

Pamlin said the leaders at the Sanya summit have not only expressed a desire to put more pressure on developed countries to abide by their binding responsibilities of greenhouse gas reduction, but also offered more ideas to cut carbon density in developing economies.

The ministers of BASIC countries will hold their seventh meeting in South Africa in May. It is expected that one or two meetings of the ministers will be organized before the global Durban climate change conference.

Pamlin said as the global negotiations now move away from the old Kyoto discussions to a discussion about the need to create an almost carbon-free world economy in less than 40 years, there is a need to focus on the countries that will change the most during this time.

"So the BASIC bloc should not be seen as a fixed structure as other countries, such as Mexico, Indonesia and South Korea, Nigeria and Egypt are all likely to play a very important role as we move towards 2050," said Pamlin.

However, the four countries have been faced with an "interesting challenge" to include Russia in the group as Russia has not played a very constructive role in the climate negotiations and has focused more on securing its role as a fossil fuel exporter.

"An innovation-promotion working group would be a good way for BASIC to include countries like Russia," Pamlin has suggested.

He suggested that the BASIC bloc should strengthen links to other G77 countries, especially the most vulnerable and poor, less developing countries.

Meanwhile, the BASIC bloc should invite companies from around the world to form an alliance and help develop a policy framework that can create jobs, improve innovation, reduce poverty, ensure food security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he said.

"Today too much focus is on the big polluters and how they can reduce their emissions on the margin. Now is the time to support the next generation of companies that can provide sustainable solutions for everyone on the planet, not just the rich," Pamlin said.

Guardian Blog: Mobile applications: a window of opportunity

2011-04-13T02:16:00.005+02:00

Below is a blog about transformative applications I wrote for the Guardian Sustainable Business blog
++++++++++++++++
This week Transformative-Applications.net was launched. It provides a platform for the presentation each quarter of 10 transformative applications that address some of the most pressing challenges in our society, and five initiatives that support their development and uptake.

We are facing a number of global challenges, such as an increase in CO2 emissions, urban poverty, ageing, growing income gaps and the accelerating depletion of natural resources. As these converge we will face unprecedented pressure and the need for rapid change. Mobile IT applications, now among the most powerful tools available, can help to deliver solutions.

Mobile apps enable people to connect to networks, get access to real-time data, understand complex situations through visualisation, and obtain direct feedback. This represents a historic opportunity to deliver solutions to our challenges that are fundamentally different from those we have today. Connected citizens who understand the impact of their actions, and see through propaganda and PR, could become global citizens with wider ethical boundaries and longer time horizons.

The transformative potential of apps includes increasing transparency and the ability to create new networks. These will allow us to do many things, such as:

See the whole value chain of a product
Apps can help us realise that there is a "story chain" behind products and that our choices are not between different labels, but between the different life stories involved in producing goods. Everyone will be able to see the consequences of their choices, and when the history behind products becomes visible it will be possible to connect directly with the people who produce the things we buy.

Support global citizens working together
Apps can help us create new trans-border networks to influence policy makers and business.

See into the future
We can make choices based not only on what companies and policy makers have done, but what they are planning to do. Apps can help us get real-time information about the investment plans of a company and information about their lobbying. We will be able to see different futures illustrated on a mobile screen and make choices based on these.

These are not future dreams, but possibilities that are already in use in applications today.

However, these apps are currently few in number and hard to find, as they are not developed in a vacuum and there is a lack of supporting initiatives. Without this support, mobile technology will only accelerate the current unsustainable trends. There is no middle ground here and we need to focus on the stakeholders who will influence the direction of the development, including:

The developers of operating systems such as Apple, Google, RIM, HP and Microsoft. They control the markets and can promote transformative apps in the future.
Operators such as Verizon, AT&T, China Mobile, Vodafone and Telenor. They influence the use of smartphones and can provide information to users about the possibilities.
ICT companies, especially manufacturers of mobile devices such as Nokia, HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Apple, Motorola and HP, who can encourage the use of and even pre-install transformative apps.
Governments, as they decide how to engage with citizens and what they require of the stakeholders on the market.
All companies that interact with consumers, in fields including retail, energy, health, design and marketing, which can provide apps that allow users to be part of the solution.

Today, most of the above stakeholders are not doing much to support transformative applications, but some have seen it as a way to support the shifts needed in society, and they need support from new clusters and citizens who understand that "ethical consumption" is not enough. Political action is needed and a new generation of mobile applications can help deliver it.

Finally, and most importantly, the world of mobile apps development is still in its infancy and anyone, any organisation, any company, any network, that dares to think beyond the incremental, and about what is really needed, can make valuable contributions. If we act now we can create the underlying infrastructure and policy framework to support the development of many transformative applications.

New webpage "Transformative Applications" lists top-ten apps that can make the world a better place

2011-04-04T00:48:00.004+02:00

New website lists top-ten apps that can make the world a better place

Visit www.transformative-applications.net and get a glimpse of a better future

2011-04-04

Today Transformative-Applications.net is launched. The page presents ten transformative applications that address some of the most pressing challenges in our society, and five initiatives that support the development and uptake of such applications.

- Today we are facing a number of converging trends and global challenges such as CO2 increase, urban poverty, aging, geopolitical shifts, accelerated natural resource depletion, etc. There is a need for one of the most important tools today, mobile applications, to help deliver solutions to address these challenges, said Dennis Pamlin, who is coordinating the initiative.

- I’ve been working with ICT solutions that can help make the world a better place for ten years now. I know that some of the most creative people on the planet are engaged in app-development. This initiative celebrates those who make important contributions with the help of applications and aims to inspire others to use their skills and passion to create apps that make a difference, Pamlin continued.

- This initiative also hopes to inform groups working to address important global challenges on how they can make use of mobile applications in their work, Pamlin added.

The potential role of mobile applications when it comes to help create a better planet can hardly be overestimated. Many of our current challenges can be turned into opportunities with new approaches where mobile devices and connectivity play a key role.

However, today these transformative applications are difficult to find. A study done during the preparation for this webpage indicated that 98.5% of the apps covered by media, and promoted by key stakeholders, were “fun/music/gaming”, “general information”, or “administrative” apps that did nothing in particular to make the world a better place.

- There is nothing wrong with these kinds of apps, but their dominance makes it difficult to identify those that can help solve the major challenges of today. We don’t expect everyone to always highlight transformative applications, but they need to be acknowledged much more than they are today, Pamlin ended.

For more information and the list of transformative applications please visit: www.transformative-applications.net Or contact Dennis Pamlin: dennis@transformative-applications.net

Opportunities and Challenges of Greening ICT: Making Cloud Computing Green

2011-03-18T22:33:00.001+01:00

Friends of Europe arranged a roundtable and I was an introductory discussant on “Making Cloud Computing Green” together with:

> Molly Webb, Head of Smart Technology, The Climate Group

> Peter Thomond, Senior Consultant & Research Manager at The Think Play Do Group at Imperial College London

> Arthur Mickoleit, Policy Analyst, Information Economy Group, OECD

My initial recommendations was for ICT companies, customers and policy makers to work on the following areas (% of resources on each also indicated).

1. Cloud computing (1%):

> Building the first data centre that is a net producer of renewable energy. Together with this project present a plan to make the whole ICT system net producer of renewable energy.
2. The whole ICT system, e.g. the 21st Century Infrastructure (4%)

> Support multifunctional devices and where possible make them independent of grid charging.

> Support a module approach where devices are upgraded instead of thrown away when one part needs to be upgraded/replaced.

> Support a circular economy where re-use of material is promoted.

3. The use of ICT, Greening with ICT (95%)

> Introduce an alarm bell/flag to be used when the Commission or member states are introducing policies that should include ICT but are not (or only marginal). The recent transport white paper from the commission is a good example of a document where ICT should play a central role, but is not.

> Introduce an indicator that allows us to measure how offices use cloud computing in EU and beyond. Is cloud computing supporting a 21st century office http://www.21st-century-office.net/ or is it only marginally improving the current unsustainable system, or even making the current system even more unsustainable?

My final comments built on Willy De Backers observation/question that we are starting to see many black swans and how we should respond to this. I highlighted five areas:

1. The fact that we see so many trends converging now that we can expect the Black Swans become the norm. This will create tensions and rapid changes. The question is how ready Europe is to embrace these tensions and make them drivers for sustainable development. Using a 9 billion filter (asking if what we do is contributing to solutions that can be used by 9 billion people) is a good start.

2. We must look beyond individual issues, such as carbon, and aim for overall resource efficiency. If not we run the risk of moving the problems around instead of solving them.

3. We should explore the “Opportunity Hook” i.e. the fact that more ambitious targets from the start is often better than incrementally increase the ambition.

4. All stakeholders must abandon the sector approach when it comes to strategic planning and implementation. Instead a sector/service matrix should be promoted and a shift from product to service encouraged.

5. Finally I (again) highlighted the fact that smart coding must be acknowledged and said that I would stop working in EU if there was not a “Code of the Year” prize with in a year that acknowledged different smart codes that help reduce the pressure on the planet and provide the services we need.

UPDATE: I remembered that talking is good, but action is better so I registered www.Code-of-the-Year.net and will see who’s interesting to join and support this…

Will focus on the launch of http://transformative-applications.net/ next Monday, but after that I will send out a letter with a rough outline to the participants.

Words from Japan that hopefully can inspire

2011-03-17T22:18:00.004+01:00

I just got this mail from my long term friend Peter David Pedersen who lives in Japan. He wrote that the text could be spread and I think as many as possible should read this so here it is:

+++++++++++++++++

Ogoto-onsen, near Kyoto March 18th, 2011

I am writing to you from a hotel along the shore
of Biwa-ko, Japan's largest lake some 528 km west
(and slightly south) of the Fukushima nuclear
power station. Fresh snow is covering the
landscape in what would, normally, be a very
idyllic setting.

Right now, it feels absolutely surreal,
as if all the earthquake destruction in Eastern
Japan combined with the man-made specter of
nuclear destruction were scenes out a
Hollywood movie entitled "Twin Disasters." But
this is no movie, and whether there will be any
form of "happy" ending to the nuclear malaise
remains entirely unpredictable.

The Japanese government "cannot" talk openly and
honestly to the Japanese public about the
potential dangers in a worst case scenario at
Fukushima, primarily because of fears of panic in
the 30 million population in the world's largest
metropolitan area, Tokyo + Yokohama.

Personally, I have over the last 10 years or so
repeatedly experienced the attempts of TEPCO
(Tokyo Electric Power Co.) to control information
on nuclear power in this country. For eighteen months,
from 2000-2001, I anchored the main news program at MX
TV, Tokyo's local TV station, and was told by the
producer that "since TEPCO is a sponsor of our program,
I would prefer if you do not openly criticize nuclear power."

On another occasion, I was writing a piece for a
well-known publication for 5-6th grade school kids on
the environment, this time being told by the
chief editor that, "TEPCO is one of the sponsors
of our magazine. While I would like you to write
on the enviroment, please don't be critical of
nuclear power."

On a third occasion, not directly related to TEPCO,
I was interviewed by the Yomiuri Newspaper,
one of Japan's top two newspapers in terms of
circulation, about the 1978 demonstrations throughout
Denmark against the possible introduction of nuclear
power in which I participated as a child. When the
interview appeared in the newspaper, my phrase
"demonstrations against nuclear power" had been altered
to "demonstrations for renewable energy." This was
not what I had said, and when I called the journalist
in charge, he sheepishly apologized, saying that "I did
not dare to write anything negative about nuclear power
lest I should invite the wrath of my editor (boss)."

I feel so very sorry for the people who are,
right now, sacrificing their future health, and
some of them their immediate lives, working to
stop the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi
Nuclear Power Station. They may be described as
"heroes" - and surely their efforts as such are
heroic - but in a wider perspective they are
victims of an industry in which the brainwashing
of contractors and workers to believe that what
they work with is safe has been pervasive.

In its entirety, the present situation in Eastern
Japan and the Tokyo Metropolitan area has
revealed the amazing fragility of modern
civilization. All lifelines - water, transport,
electricity, food supplies - have been severed or
disrupted in Eastern Japan, and one of the
world's largest cities, Tokyo, was yesterday
afternoon (March 17th), in danger of a large
scale, sudden blackout as a cold spell of weather
drove up electricity consumption close to the limit of
maximum supply. A good friend of mine, working at
Tohoku University not far from the epicenter of the
earthquake, called to tell how he finally, after six days,
managed to leave Sendai (a city of more than a million
on Japan's (Honshu's) east coast), driving to Tokyo in
a 16 hour ordeal. No gasoline being available
anywhere on the route, he barely managed to reach Tokyo, his
gas tank drying up. More frightening than the drive, though,
was how food and water were virtually impossible to obtain
in the city center of Sendai. "Emergency supplies have
been distributed to the schools where tens of thousands of
people take refuge, but nothing seemed to reach the city
of Sendai and shelves in supermarkets were almost completely
empty. For the first time, I had the feeling of a threat to
my life because of an inability to buy food," he told me.
My friend made it, but older and weaker people are dying - or
will die - as the crucial lifelines of a hypermodern
society have been devastated.

The question, obviously, is what we can learn,
not only in Japan, but in modern society as a
whole, from this experience. It remains to be
seen whether we will, truly, learn anything at
all. To me, there seem to be at least three major
lessons. The first is the question of how or if
lifestyles and values will change. The thing that
the Japanese have been praised for throughout the
first week of this terrible disaster, has not
been "technology" or "financial strength"; it has
been the strong spirit, the patience, the human
qualities of the people here that has touched
many around the world.
Money and shiny goods in temples of consumption
have carried absolutely no value for the people
here in the last week. Is there a chance that we
may, now, see and act on the emptiness of useless
consumerism? A chance there must be, I hope,
although I do at the same time fear that once
things settle down, Japan and the world will go
on as if nothing had happened.

The second lesson is the danger of concentration
of population into huge metropolises. Although
the epicenter of the M9.0 earthquake was hundreds
of kilometers northeast of Tokyo, the city was
paralyzed, streets clogged, subways inoperational,
phone lines dead. The staff at my office could
not get home or get in touch with their family.
What if - and this could happen any day - the
earthquake had hit Tokyo straight on?
I have not the courage to think of the scale of
disaster or the number of human lives that would
have been lost. As urbanization continues at
great speed in the world's population centers,
the utter fragility of the 21st century
megacity poses serious questions. Is there a
way to answer this question in a more humane and
sustainable manner than we are experiencing today?
There must be.

The third lesson is the folly of making ourselves
dependent on energy production from large scale
and extremely dangerous power stations, where
no workable plans exist to control worst case scenarios.
Huge costs will be incurred in Japan over the next several
decades to clean up Fukushima. Huge costs were incurred
to build the plant in the first place. Surely, this money
could have been used more wisely. Hopefully, the lesson
taken from Fukushima will, finally, make the idea
of non-violent, non-toxic, decentralized energy
sources the mainstream policy and business choice
around the world.

If we can learn the lessons, there is hope for
the future.

Peter David Pedersen
Chief Executive
E-Square Inc.
Tokyo, JAPAN
www.e-squareinc.com

Om sannolikhet och kärnkraft: Tage Danielsson (Only in Swedish)

2011-03-16T22:28:00.004+01:00

Tage Danilsson som redan för många år sedan såg igenom svamlet som kärnkraftskramare ofta ägnar sig åt.

Fantastiskt med Youtube som gör att vi inte glömmer detta...

New Report: Norway and global leadership in the 21st Century: Supporting transformative low carbon ICT solutions

2011-03-11T14:32:00.003+01:00

Here is the link the the report "Norway and global leadership in the 21st Century: Supporting transformative low carbon ICT solutions" (5 meg).

Presenting the report today here in Oslo.

TelecomTV: Broadband for a Greener, more Sustainable Future

2011-03-11T14:19:00.002+01:00

Here is a link to a clip from the launch of the Working Group on Climate Change by the Broadband Commission in Barcelona during the MWC. There we took the Guadalajara Declaration for transformative low-carbon solutions to the next level

China Daily: Attempts to blame China for cyber attacks 'politically driven'

2011-03-10T11:04:00.004+01:00

Below is an article from yesterday that I contributed to:

Link to China Daily.

BEIJING - Recent attempts to blame China for a number of international cyber attacks are groundless and aimed at turning international public opinion against the country, analysts said on Tuesday.

Media reports on China's "cyber attacks" were publicity stunts with a clear political purpose, said Jin Canrong, vice-dean of the School of International Studies at the Beijing-based Renmin University of China.

"Playing up the 'threat' from China is a ploy by politicians to win votes and put more pressure on China in the international community," Jin said.

Large parts of the western media tend to portray China as a villain. As any country that is growing in important China can be seen as a problem or an opportunity. Today however, almost all reporting are negative, Dennis Pamlin, an international advisor and IT expert based in Sweden told China Daily.

Pamlin has begun to analyze covers from major international magazine publications and it looks like there are about 70 percent negative, 20 percent neutral and 10 percent positive.

"This is a serious problem," said Pamlin, "it is important to have a discussion about how media is dealing with the combination of new areas such and China's growing importance and issues like IT and renewable energy, where China is playing an important and often very positive role."

The French Finance Ministry suffered from a cyber attack in December targeting information related to its presidency of the G20, officials said on Monday.

A report on the website of Paris Match magazine claimed that some of the information had been redirected toward "Chinese websites", according to a Reuters report.

Yonhap News Agency, citing a South Korean opposition lawmaker, on Monday claimed that Chinese hackers broke into a computer network of the South Korean Defense Ministry last year and got secret documents on a plan to buy spy drones from the United States.

David Fouquet, director of Brussels-based Asia-Europe Project Information Service said that such allegations should be treated very carefully and with some skepticism.

"There are accusations of this type virtually every week, which are never completely verified there is considerable confusion, misinformation even manipulation in this sector," Fouquet added.

"China is likely to once again be made a scapegoat for the hacking attacks," said Cui Baojiang, an expert on information security with Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

"Hackers usually connect to overseas servers several times to hide their attacks. China's cyber security technology is so weak that international hackers usually use servers based in China to hide themselves and wage attacks," Cui said.

"Many groups are interested in getting hold of information and can use innocent peoples' computers to do this," said Dennis Pamlin.

Server protection technology is underdeveloped in China, so it is much easier for international hackers to break into servers based in China, Cui said.

"Internet users in China fail to pay enough attention to cyber security," added Cui.

"The amount of Chinese Internet users as well as computers (servers) is so large, which provides more chances for international hackers."

Fouquet said that the international community should cooperate to address cyber security in the same way that it deals with issues such as arms control or disarmament, before it gets out of control.

At the January summit between Chinese President Hu Jintao and his US counterpart Barack Obama in Washington, both sides agreed to examine the problem, while Russia is also taking steps on this issue, he added.

The hobby project The Urban Micro Jungle starts

2011-03-05T10:11:00.003+01:00

The same day as Oil prices hit the highest level since Sept. 2008 I put up the first Beta of my new hobby project "The Urban Micro Jungle" (just a PPT put on the web).

That oil prices reached new highest the same day was obviously a coincident. But it is a bizarre situation when I launch a project to encourage people to see the beauty around them and the same day "analysts" say that problems with high oil prices include "commuters opting for public transportation and car pools" and "vacations closer to home". To call "vacations closer to home" a problem is close to criminal with the current climate crisis, and it just show how far away the rhetoric is from action when it comes to a low-carbon development.

One idea with the Urban Micro Jungle is to get people who use models and work at places that use such assumption to reflect on what they are doing. Not by threatening with a climate catastrophe or how future and current generation are/will be affected, but by showing the beauty around us.

And this is a hobby project so I'm allowed to this without assessing the likelihood of such change ever happening, I will just do my best and hope.

Use of IT to reduce the companies environmental impact (98%) now the most common part in Swedish Green-IT strategies

2011-01-26T15:59:00.004+01:00

A recent Swedish study showed that the use of IT to reduce the companies environmental impact (98%) is now the most common part in Green-IT strategies (in Sweden) with 80% including it.

Interesting to note how the opportunity/solution perspective is becoming mainstream. Will be interesting to see what the next study show and get more information about the actual content of the studies.

Note: The translation of the categories is mine and not perfect.

The question asked was:

"What does your Green-IT strategy include?"

Those participating in the study were head of IT, CIO’s, etc in private (61%) and state owned (39%) companies and organizations in Sweden with more than 200 employees. 464 participated in the study.

Source: Exido|IT-barometern 2010: [In Swedish]

The word "Robot" 100 years 2021: The countdown has begun

2011-01-26T12:40:00.004+01:00

Countdown Clockgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

The 25th of January 2021 the word Robot will be 100 years... By then a sustainable framework that direct robot development must be in place and guide what robots we have....

"TheGlobalBody.net" and Robotic innovation and low-carbon exploration mechanism (RILEM) are two projects that hopefully will contribute to this.

2010-12-18T16:46:00.001+01:00

ICT SOLUTIONS FOR A SMART LOW-CARBON FUTURE: Supporting a solution agenda in Cancun

2010-12-09T02:05:00.003+01:00

Here is the GeSI leaflet, ICT SOLUTIONS FOR A SMART LOW-CARBON FUTURE: Supporting a solution agenda in Cancun, that I wrote to support the Guadalajara declaration. Download it here (2.6 MB)

The Guadalajara ICT declaration for transformative low-carbon solutions

2010-12-09T01:31:00.003+01:00

The Guadalajara ICT declaration for transformative low-carbon solutions, with the first round of supporters...
Download here

Press release: ICT companies stand up for key role in Cancun

2010-12-09T01:02:00.004+01:00

Below is the press release from today here in Cancun... For the first time (as far as I know) there is a trillion in revenues and some of the most innovative companies on the planet behind a transformative solution agenda...

On the panel when the declaration was presented was
Luis Alfonso de Alba, Special Representative for Climate Change, Mexico
Derrick Hanekom, Vice Minister for Technology, South Africa
Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Environment and Forests, India (TBC)
Dr. Adrian Fernandez, President of the National Institute of Ecology.

Hans Vestberg, CEO Ericsson and Luis Neves Chairman GeSI participated over video...

It was great to hear the positive response from Mexico as the host and South Africa as the host for COP17... From now on ICT and transformative low-carbon solutions can be part of the global climate agenda...

ICT companies stand up for key role in Cancun
The Guadalajara Declaration, with a focus on transformative low-carbon ICT climate solutions, is launched at COP16 in Cancun

A group of key ministers and business executives, under the leadership of the Mexican government, met today at the Cancun Messe to present and discuss the "Guadalajara ICT Declaration for Transformative Low Carbon Solutions," in conjunction with the 16th Conference of the Parties, where the global climate negotiations are ongoing. The Declaration is supported by more than 40 companies and organizations, representing more than 1 trillion USD in turnover in 2009, from more than 20 countries." The declaration will be supported by the establishment of a public-private work stream with focus on transformative low-carbon ICT solutions, which will be carried forward to COP17.

Historically climate negotiations have focused on high carbon emitting sectors, and industry was seen as the problem. The declaration stemmed from the need of many companies with solutions to climate change to have their voices heard, and the industry has come together to develop it after COP15. "The declaration has generated high interest around the world, and more and more companies are signing on to the declaration every day," says Luis Neves, Chairman of the Global e-sustainability Initiative (GeSI), who together with its member companies has led the work around the declaration. The declaration builds on early work of the sector showing ICT's potential to reduce CO2 emissions by 15% by 2020, in the Smart2020 report.

-"We see it as important to recognize that the products and services of solution sectors, such as ICT, can help make transformational change to reduce CO2 emissions and mitigate climate change," said Mexican Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, ?? Special Representative for Climate Change. "These companies will play an important role by helping to drive innovation and create jobs in the low-carbon economy. Supporting the launch a public-private work stream with focus on transformative low-carbon solutions comes as a natural continuation of the public-private dialogues Mexico has supported during the preparations for COP16," Ambassador de Alba added. "Mexico has been working with the ICT sector during 2010, and is very pleased with this important outcome."

-"Ericsson strongly supports the launch of the public-private work steam with focus on transformative low-carbon solutions and congratulates the Mexican government for their leadership in taking this historic step," said Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson. "In order to leverage the broadband infrastructure which is deployed around the world, we need to have a supporting policy framework. This will help to accelerate the uptake of transformative low-carbon solutions in areas such as transportation, utilities, communication, health and the creation of smarter, more sustainable societies in general. ICT solutions are unique because they can be used by all countries," Vestberg added. "This is good for environment as well as for the economy."

-"Encouraging companies that provide low-carbon solutions that also help poverty reduction and that can support technological leapfrogging is very important and we look forward to engage in this public-private work stream and we will use the results as input in the work towards COP17," said Edna Molewa, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs of South Africa.

- Georg Kell, Executive Director, UN Global Compact, commented: "Technology and especially ICT has an enormous potential to drive green growth and sustainability. Already there are many smart solutions that show that more can be done with less. Now we need to support incentives so that smart solutions can diffuse rapidly."

- "ICT currently plays an important role in the Southeast Asia's rapid economic growth. However, given our region's vulnerability to the effects of climate change and Indonesia's national emissions reduction target, there is a pressing need for our industry to also develop solutions which enable mitigation and adaptation while facilitating development. Bakrie Telecom looks forward to studying the role ICT can play in meeting this need and welcomes the public-private work stream on transformative low-carbon solutions," said Anindya Bakrie, CEO Bakrie Telecom.

"If we want to work towards an effective global agreement for climate protection, we need to consider alliances between business and public actors. ICT can foster the sustainable development of our society and economy by increasing the resource efficiency in almost all industries. It can enable new business models thus creating new business opportunities. Therefore alliances with all partners - be it companies or public institutions - are today a matter of urgency," said René Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom.

An initial meeting to develop a more detailed work plan and agree on roles and responsibilities will be held in South Africa early 2011.

New report: Transformative Transparency (part of the low-carbon leaders for transformative solutions)

2010-11-27T11:03:00.006+01:00

Here is the report Transformative Transparency. It is one of the most interesting papers I've written during 2010 (the work started in 2009 and have direct linked to the 2002 book, savings the planet at the speed of light) and 2-3 projects are already under development based on the findings.

Transformative transparency: definition
Transformative transparency occurs at the threshold point at which massive amounts of data on goods, services, or even individuals, can be accessed instantly, in ways that allow users, or programs, to make decisions and provide immediate feed-back.

At such a point, an interactive “reality search engine,” i.e, a situation in which objects and events in reality, not words or sentences on the web, are processed, becomes possible.

This requires an infrastructure with high connectivity and a critical mass of users who engage with this information. The current situation with smart phones and connected devices indicates that we have just arrived at this point.

The report can be downloaded from the Transformative-Solutions page, or directly here.

Saving the planet with web 2.0: Using web- and mobile tools to generate, support and implement transformative low-carbon solutions

2010-11-20T15:40:00.004+01:00

Here is finally the report “Saving the planet with web 2.0: Using web- and mobile tools to generate, support and implement transformative low-carbon solutions”. It's been almost a year since I started writing it, but now it's ready.

PDF for download here (6meg).

It’s been a very interesting process and it inspired the new project “Transformative applications” that I will launch Q1 2011. I really look forward to see how the discussion about web 2.0 will become mainstream over the next years. As always it is fascinating to see how slow most organizations are to use/adopt and understand what’s happening around us. I really hope those interested in saving the planet and that are not afraid of technology will read this report.

China Daily Article: Looking for historic shift in Cancun talks

2010-11-20T15:17:00.005+01:00

Here is an article from this weeks China Daily European edition:

PDF can be downloaded here.

Looking for historic shift in Cancun talks

The world’s climate negotiators will meet in Cancun in early December to discuss the possible ways forward for global efforts to avoid dangerous climate change. Some pessimistic voices have been heard, but it should not be forgotten that much indicates that we will see a historic shift in Cancun, a shift where solution companies and transformative solutions are given
a more prominent role.

So far the focus in the negotiations has been how heavy-emitting sectors should reduce their emissions and what countries should force their heavy emitting industry to begin reducing emissions. Three things make Cancun different:

1. Up until recently, the main focus was on the initial reductions agreed under the Kyoto Protocol, or about 5 percent of reductions. It is now time to focus on transformative solutions that can deliver significant reductions (for example, 30 percent or more by 2020 in the European Union as being discussed by policy makers and then close to a zero-carbon
economy by 2050).

2. It is time to encourage more public-private partnerships and bring in the views of industry and various sectors and companies that can provide solutions to climate change, and not only focus on those with big emissions.

3. So far much of the focus has been on low-carbon solutions for rich countries. It is now time to focus more on solutions that can be used by both rich and poor. For this to happen, solutions allowing for technological leapfrogging is necessary.

This situation makes it important to focus on transformative solutions and not only incremental improvements in existing systems, such as more energy-efficient coal power plants and cars. Incremental solutions can be important, but only if combined with transformative
solutions. If not these investments will lock us into a high-carbon society that is not able to
deliver the necessary reductions.

Still, it is common to discuss the cheapest reductions of incremental reductions without analyzing whether these reductions are the best way to ensure the reductions that are needed to avoid dangerous climate change.

It is time to focus more on transformative low-carbon solutions that deliver the services in totally new ways, such as teleworking, video-conferencing, zero-emitting buildings, e-books and smart architecture. These solutions often reduce emissions 80 percent or more compared with traditional ways of providing the service. They depend on a low-carbon underlying
infrastructure; all countries can use such solutions and they support technological leapfrogging.

The Mexican government has included solutions companies, such as those from the ICT (information and communication technology) sector, in a unique way during the preparations for COP16 (16th Conference of the Parties).

This process mirrors the constructive approach that the Chinese government and Chinese companies have promoted together with leading countries and international corporations.

Companies such as China Mobile have together with international companies and experts explored the contribution, and future potential, from transformative ICT solutions.

The role of ICT to support low-carbon city development has also been strongly supported by
many policy makers in China. During the fourth International CEO roundtable of Chinese and foreign multinational corporations, Zheng Wantong, vice-chairman of China’s top political consultative body, highlighted that the ICT is a useful tool to make cities more convenient,
efficient and safe.

Renewable energy companies such as Trina and Yingli Solar have also initiated dialogue with
international companies to explore how they can help reduce global CO2 emissions together and create jobs. Accelerating uptake of solar solutions in China and the rest of the world require intensive international collaboration.

What is encouraging with a solution approach around transformative solutions, such as low-carbon ICT solutions, is that they support and depend on collaboration. Low-carbon ICT solutions that enable a 21st century transport and communication system need electric
batteries for both cars and laptops.

This requires software solutions to control charging of electric cars and secure connections so that people can telework and do other things that different companies must collaborate
to deliver.

By looking at required system solutions for low-carbon development, instead of only a few parts, it will become obvious that the world needs collaboration and not protectionism
to accelerate the uptake of transformative low-carbon solutions.

Much indicates Cancun could be historic and not only have a number of governments acknowledged the need for a solution approach. A work stream with focus on transformative
low-carbon solutions could be launched in Cancun during COP16. China is well placed as we move into the solution phase of the global climate work and hopefully we will see many concrete examples in Cancun as well as during 2011.

The author is global policy adviser to several leading companies and governments. He is also director of the UN Global Compact project “Low Carbon Leaders for transformative solutions"

Rio +20, "progress" since 1972 in Stockholm

2010-10-31T17:57:00.002+01:00

As we are getting closer to Rio+20 (even if few seem to care about it) I could not resist to post the overview that I did after Johannesburg as I was frustrated that there was no solution perspective.

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1972
”A point has been reached in history when we must shape our actions throughout the world with a more prudent care for their environmental consequences. Through ignorance or indifference we can do massive and irreversible harm to the earthly environment on which our life and well-being depend. Conversely, through fuller knowledge and wiser action, we can achieve for ourselves and our posterity a better life in an environment more in keeping with human needs and hopes.”
United Nations Conference on the Human Environment Paragraph 6
Stockholm, 5 to 16 June, 1972

1992
”Humanity stands at a defining moment in history. We are confronted with a perpetuation of disparities between and within nations, a worsening of poverty, hunger, ill health and illiteracy, and the continuing deterioration of the ecosystems on which we depend for our well-being.”
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
Agenda 21, Chapter 1
Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992

1997
”We acknowledge that a number of positive results have been achieved, but we are deeply concerned that the overall trends with respect to sustainable development are worse today than they were in 1992. We emphasize that the implementation of Agenda 21 in a comprehensive manner remains vitally important and is more urgent now than ever.”
The Commission on Sustainable Development (Rio +5)
Statement of Commitment
New York, June 1997

2002
”The deep fault line that divides human society between the rich and the poor and the ever-increasing gap between the developed and developing worlds pose a major threat to global prosperity, security and stability. The global environment continues to suffer. Loss of biodiversity continues, fish stocks continue to be depleted, desertification claims more and more fertile land, the adverse effects of climate change are already evident, natural disasters are more frequent and more devastating and developing countries more vulnerable, and air, water and marine pollution continue to rob millions of a decent life.”
World Summit on Sustainable Development,
The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development
Johannesburg, September, 2002

2012
????
Rio +20
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If they are honest the world's leaders will have to repeat the same message that they have given for more than 40 years now. Hopefully they will also provide a message regarding solutions this time... Today the solutions exist that can solve most of the challenges, we just need leadership and policy makers that don't listen to business leaders that cling to 20th century business models and see people as consumers.

Maybe a 100+ years old quote can inspire:

”You may accept this as the world of reality, you may consent to be one scar in an ill-dressed compound wound, but so - not I! This is a dream too - this world. Your dream, and you bring me back to it - out of Utopia.”
H.G Wells, A Modern Utopia, 1905

Meeting in Guadalajara to explore transformative low-carbon ICT solutions in the global climate negotiations

2010-10-28T15:05:00.004+02:00

This is very interesting and I really look forward to this.

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Personal invitation

The Mexican government together with GeSI is convening a meeting the 8-9th of November 2010 in Guadalajara to explore how transformative low-carbon solutions can be supported in the global climate solutions. The host is the Government of Jalisco.

So far the ICT sector has not played a very visible role in the global climate negotiations, but a couple of things make COP16 in Cancun different:
1. Up until recently in the negotiations process the main focus was on the initial reductions agreed under the Kyoto protocol, about 5% reductions. It is now time to focus on solutions that can deliver significant reductions (for example 30% or more by 2020 in EU as being discussed by policy makers)
2. It is time to encourage more public private partnerships, and bring in the views of industry and various sectors and companies that can provide solutions to climate change, and not only focus on those with big emissions.
The ICT sector already delivers many solutions that help to significantly reduce emissions with 90% or more and that can contribute to a low-carbon economy. The meeting in Guadalajara is an important step to ensure that the ICT sector is an integrated part of the global climate discussions and that the solutions from the sectors are better understood and that knowledge about transformative solutions is shared in the global climate negotiations.

The outcome and recommendations of this meeting will be circulated to negotiating parties before COP16, and delivered at the CEO roundtable event on Dec 6.

We look forward to your participation in Guadalajara. Sincerely,

Rogelio Granguillhome
Assistant Secretary for Economic Relations and International Cooperation Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mexico
Mexico City, October 27, 2010

Gartner and WWF Assess Low-Carbon and Environmental Leadership in the ICT Industry 2010

2010-10-28T11:05:00.003+02:00

I will put up the report the 25th of December here on my web, until there enjoy the press release and download the study from Gartner. The press release below and original press release is here

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Egham, UK, October 28, 2010

The results of an assessment of 28 global information and communication technology (ICT) providers by Gartner, Inc. and WWF Sweden revealed that the ICT industry sees climate change and sustainability as an emerging opportunity. While it identified the emergence of a group of market makers, the industry as a whole fell short of making climate change and sustainability part of its core business.

"2009 and 2010 have seen rapid progress in the maturity of ICT vendors both in terms of their internal environmental programs, and the development of a set of low-carbon market offerings," said Simon Mingay, research vice president at Gartner. "We now have a clear group of market makers formed by BT, IBM, Cisco, Ericsson, HP, Fujitsu, and SAP who we believe are beginning to build a distinguishing capability. However, at this stage they have not really taken the issues associated with climate change and sustainability into the core of the business and their strategies, and they continue to deal with it within the mindset of incremental improvement and short-termism."

Gartner and WWF invited 28 global ICT providers* to participate. Nineteen chose to participate by providing the required information. Those companies include: Accenture, Alcatel-Lucent, BT, CSC, Cisco, Dell, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Fujitsu, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, SAP, Sun Microsystems**, TCS, Verizon, Wipro and Xerox.

The survey, the second of its kind, examined ICT providers' commitment to managing the environmental aspects of their internal operations and their supply chain. Very importantly, it also explored their capabilities in advancing the low-carbon solutions markets and developing products and services that will help them and their customers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions or increase their energy efficiency.

"The good news is that we don't see anyone going backwards," said Mr. Mingay. "But, across every category*** there are clearly a group who are on the move and a group who seem to be treading water relatively." IBM, Fujitsu, HP, Cisco and BT ranked in the top five positions, while others such as Verizon and Lenovo did not score particularly well, and held the No. 19 and No. 17 spots, respectively. Mr. Mingay said Microsoft, ranked in the No. 13 position overall, is making reasonable progress, from a relatively weak starting point.

The survey revealed that service and software providers have improved their position from 2008, but remain relatively immature in terms of both their internal programs, as well as their market offerings. SAP, ranked No. 8 overall, did substantially better than any of the other large software and services organizations. SAP has put sustainability at the heart of its communications and closer to its strategy over the last 18 months. The survey also found that Fujitsu, ranked No. 2, is the only ICT provider to set a long-term context to its initiatives, and want to help reduce more emissions in society through low carbon IT solutions than their own emissions. Fujitsu has set itself a carbon reduction goal in terms of its impact on its customers versus a target related to their own emissions. Finally, ICT providers in Asia (not Japan) are still lagging overall, but making some dramatic improvements, which Gartner analysts anticipate will continue.

The dominance of talking in 2008, when Gartner and WWF Sweden completed their first assessment has evolved into much more action in 2009 and 2010. "We now have a number of ICT providers with an actual low carbon portfolio and a readiness to move from an incremental contribution into the center stage when it comes to providing society with low carbon solutions," said Magnus Emfel, director of Climate Program, WWF Sweden. "It is precisely this shift — from ICT as a minor contributor to global emissions to a major enabler of low-carbon solutions — that we need to see replicated in business strategies and urban planning, if we are to succeed in the transition to a low carbon economy and stabilize the climate."

The survey also found that inter-industry partnerships are starting to emerge, particularly from ICT providers including Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent and IBM. This is a very significant and important step in ICT's ability to develop commercially viable solutions for a low-carbon economy, particularly around smart grid, intelligent buildings and smart city infrastructures.

When looking at ICT's own impact, and the focus on the 2 percent of ICT's global CO2 emissions, it has become evident that hardware vendors, such as HP, Ericsson and Fujitsu are increasingly focused on the energy efficiency of their equipment and making it a core business, while for software and services organizations this is not the case. Very few vendors are thinking about dematerialization in any real systematic way, though Xerox is one of the few exceptions that is reusing and recycling parts.

Collectively the ICT industry has enhanced its game in terms of providing solutions in other areas, e.g. transport and buildings, to help reduce the 98 percent of global CO2 emissions that are not generated by ICT, but that can be reduced with the help of smart ICT.

"Although the leaders in the Carbon Delivery sections such as IBM, Fujitsu, HP, BT, Ericsson and Cisco have begun to build structural capabilities, governance, and allocated organizational resources to addressing the opportunities of a low-carbon economy, their commitment still falls short of being integrated into their core business," Mr. Mingay said.

Gartner's client interactions and analysis of the survey suggests this is due to a lack of spending on low-carbon and sustainability-related solutions by the public and private sectors, except in the area of smart grids, but also to the ICT sector's conservative approach built on incremental changes in existing technologies and capacity.

"We were surprised at the lack of disruptive innovation, with the majority of responses essentially focused on the incremental 'client-driven' development," said Dennis Pamlin, co-author and independent consultant working for WWF Sweden on this project. "If the ICT industry is to deliver on its promise of making a significant contribution to enabling a transformation to a low-carbon economy it is going to require substantially more than marginal incrementalism."

"No one is making any serious effort to extend the life of equipment beyond the basics one would expect of improving reliability and quality," said Mr. Mingay. "But, with the management of e-waste and rare earth metals rapidly turning into a substantial global challenge and the growth of emerging markets the industry needs to be giving much more serious thought to dematerialization, recycling and longevity."

Additional information is available in the research note "Summary Report: Low-Carbon and Environmental Leadership in the ICT Industry by Gartner and WWF, 2010." The report is available on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1456140.

Shaping Things, by Bruce Sterling

2010-10-20T22:47:00.001+02:00

One of the unknown environmental activists of out time is Bruce Sterling. It frustrates me that he, and other people with a 21st Century perspective, is not given more room in the discussion about sustainability and climate change. He started the Viridian Design Movement in 1999 and closed it in 2008 http://www.viridiandesign.org/. I think there are good reasons to believe that people will look back 20 years from now and point at this, and other similar initiatives, as the start of the new generation of sustainability work.

Shaping tings is a fun book that is well worth reading. It has the feeling of a teenager that look at the world with fresh eyes and was allowed the time to get the thoughts down on paper. The structure that is presented is interesting even if the different phases of humanities relation to things has been discussed in countless books. The design and connected economy present a new filter for the history, but any reader should be aware that the book is also shallow in a way that makes it more of a source for general inspiration and less helpful for those looking for concrete guidance.

Still the book is written in a way that could/should inspire a new generation of activists.

This time not biologists and bird watchers that saw that the consequences of industrialization and gave us books such as silent spring 30-40 years ago. That was the first generation of “environmentalists”. It also moves beyond the current generation, that is dominating the discussion today, who uses the language of the economists and lawyers (often without deeper knowledge of the disciplines) and focus how the current system can be tweaked. These people spend the time trying to put a price on nature (eco system services, etc) or argue that it is illegal/expensive to destroy nature from an anthropocentric perspective that use today’s economy as the reference. They give us CCS, a shift in current car fleets to biofuel and other dead-end solutions.

If the first generation wanted to “get back to nature” the second generation wants to see incremental solutions, such as CCS and biofuel for cars. Sterling is part of what I would like to call the third wave of environmentalists that take for granted the fact that our planet has limits and that changes are needed. This generation approach the challenge through the lens of 21st century technology and values.

The focus is on how things can be changed, not on the surface, but fundamentally as we move into a society of transformative transparency (I like to call it that, others prefer radical or ultimate transparency. Sterling talks about transparent production. It does not really matter as the focus is the same, a world where distance and time does not equal less information/understanding). Sterling use the more academic/older term: “ubiquitous computing” and describes the book as ” a speculation about “ubiquitous computing in the service of sustainability”.

It is “designers” that Sterling writes about, designers that make things “talk” and that allow for a new transparency. The fact that we are destroying the planet and treating people really bad should not result in an urge back to a simple society, but provide energy to create a society that can give everything value (not prize).

I was surprised to see that the book is from 2005. When reading it I got the feeling that was written mid 90:s, or earlier, but we live in a time of accelerated change and if Sterling would write the book today I think it would look quite different.

In parts it is the technology version of Bret Easton Ellis. It is fast, fun and without any clear ethical compass. It is homo ludens surrounded by high-tech, but with an understanding that how we treat the planet and each other are fundamentally wrong. Not just from a “biological” perspective, but from an esthetic. Our society are designing ugly things in the sense that we destroy beautiful things and creating irreversible damage.

When Sterling presents his response to an unsustainable society it is in the shape of the “SPIME” that “have the capacity to change the human relationship to time and material processes”. This is when the books becomes really interesting.

Much of the later part is spent to discuss the outline of a world with SPIME’s. It is nothing very concrete but a lot of inspirational snippets. I like these rough outlines as they are like a good abstract painting where your brain is starting to see patterns and thing about different applications without being “forced” in a specific direction by the writer.

In many ways the project transformative-applications is inspired by similar ideas, but with a focus on the “beyond the blur” aspect. With so much of the current economy and development investing in entertainment and the feeling of belonging/connectedness the need to support those who do something (I think these are a specific group of the “Wranglers” Sterling writes about)…

Maybe the one major thing missing in this book is a discussion about ethics, what are the underlying values that will dominate the connected economy and what are the sub-groups that will influence the development of the underlying infrastructure and direction of the connected society.

It is a short book and instead of the airport literature written by people that seem to have only one idea, read this and enjoy a book of a person that has too many for the 145 pages they are crammed into…

PS
Please try to find a version without the layout I had. I have no idea what Lorraine Wild, who designed the book, wanted to say with this when I read the book, but it must be among the most ugly books I have read. I would have expected a person like Sterling to be a little more sensitive when it came to visual pollution. Even if her explanation (as an appendix to the book) makes the layout a bit easier to understand I got the same feeling as you get for ugly art that is done by an interesting person, it does not help…

Transformative solutions: The iPhone app

2010-10-06T01:21:00.003+02:00

The iPhone app looks great and it will be interesting to see what platform (iPhone, Android or BlackBerry) that get the most downloads.

Download the app here

WWF Media Release: Meeting needs the way to low carbon revolution

2010-10-04T15:08:00.002+02:00

Media Release
00:01 GMT Monday 4 October 2010

Meeting needs the way to low carbon revolution

Mexico City, Mexico ? Business leaders convening today in Mexico City will hear that meeting needs is a better basis for a low carbon economy than a focus for improving technologies for delivering the same goods that have met the needs so far.

A report issued by the Low Carbon Leaders Project, supported by the UN Global Compact and WWF, will tell the Business for Environment (B4E) Conference in Mexico City that transformations in the way that needs are met would produce much greater emissions reductions than incremental improvements in existing technology.

"Low Carbon Leaders are the companies who understand that saving the climate depends on revolutionizing the current economy so that the needs we have can be satisfied in totally new ways," says Stefan Henningsson, Director of WWF Sweden?s climate change programme and member of the Low Carbon Leaders steering group.

"These companies don't see carbon constraints as a threat, they use it as a driver for innovation. Instead of only improving current products on the margin, the winners in the low-carbon economy focus on what service that best can meet the needs and develop solutions for that. In this way that can increase revenues while taking carbon out of the economy".

The report "Low Carbon Leaders Transformative Solutions Leadership" lists twelve examples of 'transformative low-carbon solutions' that can provide services in a new and energy efficient way. Some of these solutions have the potential to build inverse relationships between revenues and emissions.

Five of these case studies are to be outlined in detail at the conference, which is expected to go on and call on governments to produce real progress in enabling a low carbon economy at the December UN climate conference in nearby Cancun.

A typical example for a transformative change is lighting which currently - based on conventional incandescent lighting - consumes approximately 19% of all electricity production globally. By focusing on that we need, e.g. light, retailers could help accelerating a switch to efficient technologies such as Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs and LED lighting. A switch that can save 630 million tons of CO2 emissions per year globally while also avoiding wasting US$120 for each ton of CO2 not emitted. A focus on light also supports the provision of timers so that light is provided when it is needed.

Another example for providing a service that meets a need with lower climate impact is to allow people to read with lower climate impact by changing from printed matter to electronic formats such as e-books, with internet bookseller Amazon now already selling more electronic than tree-based books.

The companies gathered in B4E will call upon governments to ensure a clear progress is made within the text of the negotiations later this year in the sixteenth Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (COP16) that can accelerate the up-take of transformative solutions globally.

The B4E conference, convened by WWF, UN Environmental Programme, the Mexican government and the UN Global Compact, will also hear about an application of the new approach called "Moving the sun", using vegetables grown in areas with high solar input, such as Africa: the vegetables are grown organically without the emissions associated with fertiliser and pesticide production, consumed locally and surpluses are transported in low emission ships to fetch premium returns in retail organic markets.

Companies from different sectors are already cooperating to reduce costs and emissions in logistics. Such models of inter-sectoral co-operation can be used elsewhere to guarantee the lowest carbon emissions for a particular service provided.

"There is a tidal wave of companies, large and small, that are now doing all they can to provide society with what we need in new innovative ways that also dramatically reduce the emissions. Moving focus from companies as only a source of emissions to a situation where their potential as solutions providers is recognised would unleash the kind of innovation and collaboration that is needed", said Dennis Pamlin, Director of the Low Carbon Leaders Project.

"Today too little attention is given to the solutions that are available and how these solutions can be accelerated. As part of the project we now launch a web platform and mobile applications, and only in a few days during the preparation 40 high-quality solutions were collected. These solutions already help reduce almost eight million tonnes of CO2 and the aggregated potential for 2020 is more than a billion tonnes. I hope people will download the reports, visit the page and try the mobile applications. These show the passion and commitment among entrepreneurs around the world", Pamlin added.

The report is also likely interest to climate negotiators assembling on the same day in Tianjin, China, in the final lead-up meeting to the Cancun climate conference; it states principles and recommendations for policy makers, emphasizing the role of national and international policies to help companies make the shift to low-carbon services.

Policies for the low-carbon future to which Ministers and negotiators should pay heed include increasing research and development, agree on international action programmes to roll-out tested and proven low carbon technologies, e.g. energy plus housing, smart grid solutions, solar PV solutions, phase out fossil subsidies so that transformative solutions can compete more fairly, and tighten standards in a technology neutral fashion.

Notes:
The Low Carbon Leaders Project has been developed under the umbrella of UN Global Compact "Caring for Climate" initiative in cooperation with WWF. The overview report and supporting materials including case studies can be downloaded from www.transformative-solutions.net. Facts mentioned in this release are detailed and referenced in the report and background documents available from this website. The Low Carbon Leaders Project is developed with the support of WWF, Global Compact, A.P. Moeller-Maersk, and Global Initiatives who provide the secretariat.

The B4E - Business for Environment conference http://www.b4esummit.com/ will bring together leaders from influential global corporations and key global environmental organizations on 4 and 5 October in Mexico City. They are expected to call on governments to make a success of this year?s UN climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, from 29 Nov to 10 Dec.

low Carbon Cities Development index: The leaflet

2010-09-26T19:26:00.002+02:00

The leaflet for the Low Carbon City Development Index is now ready and by the end of the year the first index could be presented. The work is picking up speed and Karin Wessman is leading the work to get a first version in place.

Download the leaflet here

转型解决方案, 创造低碳未来

2010-09-02T23:29:00.002+02:00

Download here

DES SOLUTIONS TRANSFORMATIVES POUR UN AVENIR À FAIBLE EMPREINTE CARBONE

2010-09-02T23:20:00.002+02:00

Download here

LÍDERES PARA UN MUNDO CON BAJAS EMISIONES DE CARBONO

2010-09-02T23:18:00.003+02:00

Download here

An end to poverty?, by Gareth Stedman Jones

2010-08-17T13:17:00.002+02:00

This is a book that is well worth reading. While the structure and language used is based a little too much of traditional Marxism for my taste (as this tend to polarize history and ideas) the book is written by a person with knowledge and brings up a number of interesting observations.

I found the history around the creation of the social security system was particularly interesting. Fist in terms of bringing up ideas that most people find “utopic” and “unrealistic”, but even more interestingly and something that is seldom discussed/described, how new structures were created. How different groups that did not trust each other had to create a structure in order to deliver on something they did agree on in principle is something that anyone who is interested in transformative change can learn from.

Another very interesting aspect of the book is how different ideas changed as they where picked up by different interest groups before they got such momentum that they could affect actual policy discussions. The interaction between groups, structures and ideas is described in a very interesting way. So is the non linear history where ideas can emerge, become strong and then die/go into hibernation for a long time before re-surfacing again.

Finally it is healthy to reflect on the fact that it was not long ago since people thought that poverty was a natural part of a society. Looking at the world today it is surprisingly many who seem to be willing to reintroduce the idea of poverty as a natural part of society. For those engaged in poverty reduction it might be valuable to not only look at the incremental discussions (level of aid, area of focus, etc), but also see how the underlying discourse is changing.

Maybe someone could set up a webpage that track what individuals and organizations that are talking about poverty as something that society have to live with. In a time where the natural resources are under pressure it is highly likely that some groups/companies would prefer to see poverty as something natural, rather than question their own lifestyle/business models.

On the following link Gareth is discussing some aspects of his book: Link

Freedom ™ by Daniel Suarez

2010-08-15T13:25:00.002+02:00

I thought I would not review this book as it is great, but just a sequel to “the Deamon”. I have already said that anyone interested in technology and the future should read "the Deamon", and if you do that you will also read “Freedom ™”.

But when insurance.aes256 was circulated on the web (and I like many others stored it on a few different places) and when Wired had Sergey’s search for a cure on the cover it felt like I wanted to remind people to not miss this book.

A more practical implication from reading the book: I felt a future with a one dimensional rating of people was both simplistic and not a very good idea (also from experience from the 21st Century Office application), so I decided to include more than one parameter for the rating of solutions in the new application that will be out any day… www.transformative-solutions.net…

I guess it is time for Daniel to write a follow-up…

Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think. Differently, by Gregory Berns

2010-08-09T01:45:00.003+02:00

One thing that might be important to know is that the title is wrong. Gregory Berns is not writing about “how to think differently”, instead the book is 90% general reflections of a less structured kind. Why must people that know an area (like neuroscience) write about so many things they don’t know about? Is it to be published that people with knowledge have to write in a simplistic way. I don’t know if it is true, but it feels like an increasing number of books are moving towards a tabloid format (short sentences and emotional outbursts).

I think Gregory is an intelligent person and I hope he get’s to write a proper book someday. When he does this it would be interesting if he put an structural and ethical filter on the idea of an “iconoclast”. To say that it is about 1. Perception 2. Fear response and 3. Social intelligence does not help very much. The ability to create something coherent would be good to add (if not any mad person is the same as a person that develop a new theory/art), to ask why the person is doing it (money, fame, fear, vision, religious conviction, etc) is also interesting to understand, etc.

Where it becomes more then just general reflections on an interesting subject is when Gregory writes about his area, neuroscience. As part of his interesting writing he (surprisingly) attaches an appendix where he spends a lot of time writing about drugs and what they can help us, or not help us with. Maybe it is too narrow for a mainstream book, but I really hope that Gregory gets an opportunity to develop his thinking on what drugs can or can not do with our brains. In such a book it will probably be healthy if he took a closer look on the pharmaceutical industry and what they are trying to do as well and what kind of people they are “creating” with the drugs they are trying to get doctors to sell.

Thinking in Systems, by Donella Meadows

2010-08-09T01:15:00.002+02:00

I’m note sure who Donella wanted to read this book. The first chapters are like a basic introduction to logic thinking. Maybe her frustration with many of the economists resulted in an attempt to explain obvious things in a simple way? For most people I think the first chapters can be ignored (these chapters also have some strange over simplifications that make me wonder how much practical work Donella did and how much she spent in the academic world).

What Donella does very well is putting focus on the right thing, she explains that we “can learn how to look for leverage points for change”, and not any change but transformative change. Her list with 12 levels of change is a great inspiration and should be used more often than it is. It is also available on wiki here.

So much of today discussion is about “Constants, parameters, numbers (such as subsidies, taxes, standards)” and very little is about the “Goal of the system” and even less about the “Mindset or paradigm that the system — its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters — arises out of”.

What is most rewarding with the book is the honesty and wisdom in the last chapters. The self-reflection and understanding that everything can not be calculated and planned, that what we need to “dance with the system” and that there is a need for those who dare to speak out even if they don’t always have numbers to put on their feelings. Few books have this kind of balance between being humble and still a strong call for action when it comes to the great challenges of our time.

I end with a long quote from the end of the book:

“If something is ugly, say so. If it is tacky, inappropriate, out of proportion, unsustainable, morally degrading , ecological impoverishing, or humanly demeaning, don’t let it pass. Don’t be stopped by the ‘if you can’t define it and measure it, I don’t have to pay attention to it’ ploy. No one can define justice, democracy, security, freedom, truth, or love. No one can define or measure any value. But if no one speaks up for them, if systems aren’t designed to produce them, if we don’t speak about them and point toward their presence or absence, they will cease to exist”.

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, by Nicholas Carr

2010-08-08T18:14:00.002+02:00

A book with very interesting theme, but with too much of a shallow approach. Nothing really new, but a few reminders that are healthy in our time. The obvious fact that: “every intellectual technology…embodies an intellectual ethics, a set of assumptions about how the humand mind work and should work” should be something that any reflecting person understand today. But speaking at Techonomy Eric Smith said “The technology of course is neutral but society is not fundamentally ready.". Hopefully this was taken out of context as Eric should be smarter than that.

Techonomy a an interesting initiative/conference that seem to want to put ethics into our economy by using the inspiration/power of technology in an interesting way. Will be interesting to see where they go next, this year was a US focused event with the usual suspects, probably to ensure funding, but with a slightly more diverse invitation list and a little more focus on implementation and urgency this could be interesting.

Back to the book, where a number of quotes present some interesting thoughts by less known thinkers. De Forest, who invented the Audion/early transistor, is one example of a person who thought about the use of his technology. As all reflecting persons he felt torn as the powerful tool could be used in both good and bad ways. I particularly like his observation of mainstream media that he described in the following way: “A melancholy view of our national mental level is obtained from a survey of the moronic quality of the majority of today’s radio programs.”.

I would like to have seen a lot more discussion about the actual impact on the brain. Intuitively it make sense to assume that heavy browsing result in a situation where “certain cognitive skills are strengthened sometimes substantially… These tend to involve lower-level, or more primitive, mental functions such as hand-eye coordination, reflex response, and the processing of visual cues.”. Still is would be interesting to put these skills in a broader context and ask what kind of society this would encourage and what kind of ethics that could be enhanced.

If it is true that browsing the web is not only “diverting resources from our higher reasoning faculties but obstructing the consolidation of long-term memories and the development of schemas” people would be less able to understand more complex narratives, let alone create new. In a time where a paradigm shift is needed this is no small thing.

Add to this that our capacity for empathy might be reduced. “the more distracted we become, the less able we are to experience the subtlest, most distinctively human forms of empathy, compassion, and other emotions.”

Some serious research, supported by technology companies, would be welcome…

I have my own ideas about the possibility that the web can bring. And while I agree that the negative aspects is what we see most of today hyper/radical transparency though augmented reality can contribute to a new situation that support empathy and innovation for “real challenges”. Such a development would also move ethics and empathy to a whole new level (that is the idea/vision behind my current work with smart phone applications).

“Solar Solutions for the Future”: The first leaflet

2010-07-22T20:51:00.004+02:00

Here is the leaflet for the initiative “Solar Solutions for the Future”. It is one of the most interesting initiatives I have worked with and think it will contribute some significant changes in the near future.

The initiative “Solar Solutions for the Future” will support all solutions that move society toward a sustainable solar-based energy system. It will highlight efforts in all major sectors and will not be limited to the industries typically included in the solar sector.

These policy and business efforts include:

Constructing buildings powered by solar
Manufacturing solar-powered vehicles
Designing IT control systems for solar solutions
Providing logistics for goods and services based on availability of solar energy
Developing software applications that help customers understand the benefits of solar solutions
Communicating key solar messages in marketing

Solar Solutions is not about a specific company, sector, or technology; it’s a paradigm shift. Everyone can win by supporting Solar Solutions for the Future.

Creating a platform for Cities and Companies

Many stakeholders have expressed the need for a platform where information and best practices can be shared. Solar Solutions for the Future will use innovative digital tools to meet this need, in collaboration with stakeholders.

A 21st Century Solar Map

The 21st Century Solar Map is a Web 2.0 platform to support the accelerated uptake of solar solutions by cities and companies.

This platform will:

Identify strategic solar solutions for the future
Provide best practices
Facilitate interaction among change agents
Support innovation
Encourage job creation
Identify thresholds

The platform will be open to all stakeholders supporting an accelerated uptake of solar solutions.

Why now?

Climate Change and energy security are two of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. Reducing CO2 emissions and dependence on fossil fuels is a challenge but also an opportunity for those who can provide solutions. The cities and companies that are successful in implementing solar solutions will be winners in the 21st century.

Solar solutions present a historic opportunity to support job creation and innovation, as well as CO2 reductions and a sustainable economy. This opportunity could be leveraged by the implementation of a 21st Century Solar Map using cutting-edge web solutions.

2010-07-22T17:42:00.002+02:00

Here is a draft summary of the event during the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010 in NY, a final meeting report will be issued, but I think this captures many of the interesting points at the event. The solution agenda is growing stronger. Read the summary here

Meals to Come: A History of the Future of Food, by

2010-07-20T18:23:00.002+02:00

“Meals to Come: A History of the Future of Food”, by Warren Belasco is one of the best books I’ve read about food and the possibilities, as well reasons, to try to predict the future.

In the book there are so many layers that it is hard to not to think about our limited discussion regarding the future of food today.

Food is such a fascinating subject and still it is rare to read something really interesting. Belasco manages to look at the future of food from many different angles and thereby the future of food becomes a reflection of major ethical challenges, such as equity, poverty, animal rights, the role of technology, the role of companies in society, but also the role (and limits) of traditional science.

There are so many fascinating and provoking arguments in the book that I recommend people to read this instead of next sensationalist book made for airports.

As all authors Belasco is sometime sharpening the differences and sound bites very hard to make a point, but as long as you read this as a book about ideas and not a book where one side shall be proven wrong/right this helps rather than undermines the value of the book

The fact that Belasco spend so much time discussing if speculative (science) fiction as a better predictor than methodical and “serious” research is very interesting. As he correctly reminds us the most important changes are not linear they are due to: “wild cards, unexpected twists and turns, surprise decisions.”

I like to echo Belasco’s last sentence: “Realism favors small steps, while the challenges we face may require quantum leaps. For these we may need much more romance than our ironic postmillennial era as been able to muster so far – more utopians proposing “dreams to live by,” more public intellectuals issuing impassioned wake-up calls, and more public citizens hungry to foresee and act.”

PS
As an ebook you can read this book without having to cut down forests and ship the book in planes and lorries about the planet…

TRANSFORMATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR A LOW-CARBON FUTURE

2010-06-24T18:14:00.005+02:00

Now it is finally official. The Project Low Carbon Leaders for Transformative solutions has begun.

Download the leaflet HERE (906 kb)

I look forward to lead this project (that was presented at the Global Compact Summit today) as I believe that it will help to redefine the global climate work by shifting focus from the polluters to the companies with solutions, and from incremental improvements within existing systems to transformative solutions that provide the services we need in new ways.

FROM PHILANTHROPY TO CORE BUSINESS|

2010-05-26T13:45:00.001+02:00

Old article that is still valid... Especially in relation to the work with Climate Positive and companies as solution providers.

+++++++

FROM PHILANTHROPY TO CORE BUSINESS| 2007-02-23 11:07

Opening a window of opportunity

By: Dennis Pamlin

Western companies and governments are pushing the world toward a war over natural resources. At the same time rapid development in countries like China and India provides a historically unique opportunity to move the world toward real sustainability.

The world is in a situation where conflict over natural resources, especially oil, minerals and water, is moving up on the international security agenda. Measures to reduce poverty and create greater global equality have become challenges for the industrial societies. It is impossible for the whole world to live like the populations of the US, EU and Japan due to limited resources, and since no developed country has a strategy to increase resource efficiency to provide the same level of welfare to countries like India and China, this creates a precarious situation.

While great progress has been made in some areas, and technology and economic resources are available to solve many of the great challenges, there is very little happening.

Although complex, three main causes can be identified:

A Western perspective dominates.

Companies talk about sustainability, but few act.

There is a focus on simplistic problems, not opportunities.

While not difficult to solve, it requires that new players get involved and that the old generation of reactive environmentalists leave room for those who want to deliver real sustainability.

A major challenge is that there is unwillingness among westerners to realize that their societies are fundamentally unsustainable. It is not enough to reduce pollution and emissions when the total resource usage is far too high and the solution involves sending the emissions abroad.

Another concern is that environmental organizations, which are seen as the “environmental voice”, have become reactive and marginalized. They arrange their own conferences, reports and seminars, and tend to represent environmental issues in a very narrow sense. Instead of challenging and working with the groups that really influence economic development, they work with each other, convincing themselves that protected areas, wastewater treatment and recycling is what the world needs.

Many “environmentalists” are ignoring the great inequity that exists, and the economic and technological challenges that lie ahead. A serious initiative should provide welfare to those who are poor, while reducing the ecological footprint of the rich.

Most western governments have designated their environmental work as reactive, with a focus on those companies creating problems. While this is important to ensure laggards don’t fall behind, it is the proactive work of supported leaders that is needed most.

Defining end-of-pipe technologies as “environmental” is really counterproductive for three reasons. First, it doesn’t help the environment in the long term. Second, it excludes those who have real solutions, such as information and communication technology companies. Third, it communicates the wrong message regarding challenges.

It has been the view of some working in academia that the only role of companies has been to make money. However, most working people realize and acknowledge that companies have some kind of responsibility. The question is what kind of responsibility they have.

For a long time the American method of philanthropy dominated, with surplus given to “good causes.” During the 1970s and 1980s it became clear that many companies were contributing to the destruction of nature and exploiting poor people, rather than helping them. The second generation of CSR was born. This became the breeding ground for PR departments and environmental consultants who tried to engage the companies in damage control, risk management and branding. Some companies started to ask fundamental questions about their existence. Could their business model help solve the challenges humanity faces and allow people to move out of poverty? Thus the third generation of CSR was born.

The result is that some companies today are not only moving beyond current legislation, they are making changes that will allow them to keep making profits, but reduce their resource consumption while helping the poor.

Many global companies have a very reactive approach. They want to portray themselves as progressive companies, but very seldom does this translate into concrete plans. Often these companies have well-developed communication departments, but very little discussion about how to meet the future needs of societies. Interestingly enough we see signs that many companies in emerging economies look like third generation companies, while most “CSR-events” organized by western companies or governments are generation one or two. It is time to listen more to the companies from emerging economies, and separate the companies in the west that belong to the three different generations.

Not only have western companies approached sustainability issues in a reactive manner for a long time, they have also acted as if the western world was the center of the universe. With the emergence of new economic centers, such as those in India and China, this illusion is even harder to uphold.

The relationship between consumption, production and use of natural resources is becoming more complex. Hopefully this, together with limited natural resources will result in companies and governments abandoning the linear approach. Instead of running the economy with no regard to natural resource depletion, long-term sustainability, or equitable use of the planet’s resources, we need a global circular economy.

Progressive companies and governments could set up meetings between representatives from all parts of the global economy – those providing the natural

resources, those producing the goods and services, as well as those consuming them. The companies marketing and developing new products and services should be confronted with the consequences of their choices.

In order to encourage a sustainable business development, innovator zones for a circular economy should be introduced. These innovator zones could be used to explore ways that allow the rich population to enhance their welfare, but reduce their total use of natural resources, and at the same time allow the poor to boost their well-being, while only marginally increasing their use of natural resources. It is important that these innovator zones are not only set up by the companies that currently are experiencing problems, but also by those who can provide solutions, such as architects, city planners and ICT companies. Sectors that have been contributing indirectly to destructive development, such as the financial sector and PR/marketing/branding firms, need to provide new solutions in addition to reducing their destructive behavior.

Before the end of 2007, all major environmental institutions need to move away from the single-minded focus on end-of-pipe technologies. A strategy for supporting real sustainability solutions rather than incremental improvement of inherently unsustainable systems should be developed. All major economic player – major companies, export agencies, members of industry, and organizations promoting innovation – should explore how they can support real sustainable solutions. Leading companies in major western countries should set concrete targets and develop business models for a global circular economy. Leading CEO’s should act together on a global level with those responsible for major investments. Companies and countries should disclose how much they invest in reactive environmental protection compared to proactive solutions. Triangular dialogues are necessary between key players in various geographical areas such as Africa, China and the EU.

Artikeln även publicerad i Sustainability Sweden, 2006

The report: "Low Carbon Telecommunications Solutions in China: Current Reductions and Future Potential"

2010-05-13T11:39:00.003+02:00

Today the report ” Low Carbon Telecommunications Solutions in China: Current Reductions and Future Potential” was launched in China.

Download it here (4.3 meg)

The process from idea to report has been very interesting and rewarding. It is in many ways one of the most interesting reports I've been part of writing. I want to thank everyone that was involved and look forward to further collaboration. I think this report is a landmark study in many ways:

1. For the first time (to my knowledge) a company has made a full assessment of its positive contributions to society through the services it’s providing (in this case everything from smart logistics and teleworking to e-readers and smart lighting) and compared this with its negative emissions through its own operation and value chain (Scope 1-3).

2. It clearly shows that by both having a product/company perspective (the traditional) way of measuring a companies climate impact and the service perspective gives a better understanding of the climate impact of a company and hopefully such a “total emission approach” can turn into a global standard for major corporations within a few years.

3. The report (and press release) focuses on transformative solutions where new ways to provide services is the focus. Most other reports and studies today still focus on incremental improvements in existing systems (even though we know that this is not enough and often result in high-carbon lockin).

4. Through the calculations China Mobile can reasonably claim to be climate positive and a solution company that needs support to grow in order to deliver more of these solutions. To understand what companies that need to grow is important and I hope we will see more of these assessments soon for other companies and sectors.

5. Through the policy recommendations the report help to establish the need for focus on companies with solutions. If China include this perspective in the 12th 5 year plan, as recommended in the report, this would be a historic shift from problems (the big polluters) to solution providers (companies providing transformative solutions by delivering the services we need in a much better way.)

6. By using accepted methodologies the report demonstrate that it is possible to get an understanding of the savings from a companies services. It also demonstrates the need to further develop the methodologies and frameworks to A. Indentify, B. Measure and C. Report, positive contributions from companies.

7. Demonstrating clearly that thought-leadership and actual action in key areas are happening in China and that China can become a key provider of the solutions we need to reduce the CO2 emissions and the use of natural resources.

8. The report list key actions that are needed to accelerate uptake of transformative solutions. This provides a platform for further action among stakeholders working to support a low carbon future.

I guess I listed eight key areas that I hope to focus more on after this study.

Below is the press release
+++++++++++++
Beijing, China. A joint China Mobile and WWF study has shown the huge potential low carbon telecom solutions have to reduce carbon emissions, with savings from Chinese telecom solutions in 2008 estimated at being similar to the total CO2 emissions of countries like Sweden, Denmark or Finland.

Low Carbon Telecommunications Solutions in China: Current Reductions and Future Potential, which was presented today at the Telecommunications Sector Conference for Energy Efficiency and Emission Reduction in Beijing was carried out by the Service Management Science Research Institute of the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

It estimates direct CO2 emissions savings from low carbon telecom solutions provided by China Mobile in 2008 at 48.5 million tonnes or just over six times the company’s own emissions. For 2009, the savings were 58.2 million tonnes, almost six and a half times company emissions.

“It is important to pay attention to the companies that deliver the solutions society needs, and not only focus on those that are big emitters,” said Dermot O’Gorman, the Country Representative of WWF China. “We want to support China and Chinese companies to take the lead in a solution approach that can deliver results not just in China, but globally.”

The estimates were based on detailed analysis of direct savings from 14 low carbon information communication technologies (ICTs) offered by China Mobile which were categorised into smart logistics (like matching truck journeys to load needs), dematerialisation (saving paper and other materials), smart work (reducing commuting and travel needs) and smart appliances (remotely monitored and controlled for energy savings).

The estimates are also conservative, disregarding the potential for indirect savings. For instance, while the energy implications from savings in paper from putting newspapers, sales brochures and invoicing online are calculated, no account is taken of the reduced needs for transport, storage and waste disposal or the knock-on infrastructure implications of such reductions.

“We are happy to present this joint report with WWF that clearly demonstrates the important role of the mobile telecom sector in helping China to move towards a low carbon economy,” said Jianzhou Wang, the President of China Mobile Communications Corporation.

“Many of our solutions are transformative and help people get better service with dramatically reduced emissions.”

The largest single current savings in carbon emissions lay in reducing commuting through teleworking, which could save an estimated 340 million tonnes of CO2 emissions China-wide in 2020. However, the savings from virtual meetings will increase at a much greater rate to an estimated 623 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030 when such meetings reduce the demand for commercial aviation by nearly 40 per cent.

The potential savings from smart logistics, dematerialization, smart work (including smart meeting and smart commuting) as a whole in 2010 is 399 million tons, 615 million tons in 2020 and 1298 million tons in 2030.

“This would be a significant contribution to the global greenhouse gas emission reductions and an important contribution to China’s target to reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 40 to 45% by the year 2020,” said Yanli Hou, the Director of Climate Change and Energy Programme of WWF China.

“With the already existing savings and the great potential we look forward to continuing to explore the opportunities for China Mobile to contribute to a low carbon society,” said Guangze Qin, the Director of Working Group of Green Action Plan of China Mobile Communications Corporation.

The report recommends the recognition of the contribution of low carbon ICT solutions in China’s next five year plan, along with targets for the emissions reductions to be delivered.

“The government should stipulate emissions limits for certain services to support innovation and heighten the sense of industrial discipline in order to increase the incentive to use low carbon ICT solutions,” said Mr. Qin.

The short movie: "The 21st Century Office: A low carbon economy and transformative change"

2010-05-13T00:11:00.003+02:00

The short movie is now linked to the apps for Android and iPhone as well on the 21st Century office web page.

Have a look at the movie here.

I will also upload high definition version when I can find a way to get a 500 meg file up in less than 3 hours (the time would take now).

The applications are doing really well and we are above 10 time the target already. Lot’s of lessons in crowdsourcing process and the final report/guide will be exciting to finalize.

Making the movie was a very interesting process. This is my second movie (first movie here) and I’m beginning to like the way it is possible to communicate a complex narrative. It is hard when you have a limited budget and have to cut some corners, but at least you end the process with enough ideas for a couple of more movies.

Of course the movie breaks a lot of rules in terms of how things “should be done”. But unless we try new things we will never deliver the changes that are needed. It is a balance between getting the message out to many, and telling the right message to those that really can use it. I rather have 10 people that can contribute to transformative change be inspired then 1 000 000 having a few laughs and then forgetting it. If the movie is watched by 10 000 people without any promotion I hope I have reached those ten.

The BP accident will hopefully result in a discussion about the underlying infrastructure and the need for transformative change. Hopefully this movie can help provide context for this discussion.

Hopefully the movie can also inspire more people to think and focus their energy on transformative changes. So many processes and organizations today have lost the passion and will to do something that they can be proud of. It is time to re-think the way we approach things and encourage those who want to do meaningful things.

Q&A for "climate positive" and "total emission approach

2010-05-10T10:59:00.003+02:00

Here is a draft Q&A for climate positive and a "total emission approach". It allows companies to also include the positive impacts in society from products and services they provide. It looks beyond scope 3 and use a "service" rather than a "product" perspective. It also shifts the focus from the company itself to society.

Download the document here. Feedback most welcome.

Thanks everyone for the input and feed-back so far.

Leaflet for "The ICE Climate Academy"

2010-05-02T17:04:00.004+02:00

"The ICE Climate Academy" is a very interesting initiative and could become the world's first initiative for companies with low carbon solutions. If things go well this will generate and inspire many of the most important winners in the carbon economy.

Download the full leaflet here.

IKEA Sustainability Report: Climate positive work and more

2010-04-30T23:10:00.003+02:00

The Sustainability Report 2009 from IKEA is now public. It has been very interesting to work with IKEA and these are some of the projects that I find most interesting:

Climate positive opportunities
This project aims at mapping the opportunities IKEA has to create an overall positive climate impact, by also reducing emissions outside our conventional scope. We want to get a rough estimation of carbon dioxide emissions from every aspect of the IKEA value chain, from raw material extraction all the way to how customers use our products at home and how they are recycled. For instance, by providing products, solutions and information we can help consumers to live a more sustainable life at home.

Solutions for a more sustainable life at home (SL@H)
IKEA has decided to help customers take simple measures at home that contribute to a better environment and save on household expenses. We believe IKEA products can help customers adopt a more sustainable behaviour at home, and – as a collective of several hundred million people – reduce their overall climate impact. Working in partnership with WWF, our initial focus will be on solutions for kitchens, waste management and lighting.

Closing the loop
This project aims at identifying what IKEA can to do improve the recycling of IKEA products once customers no longer want them, in ways that are adapted to each market’s conditions and infrastructure. We also want to find ways to better utilise recycled materials in new products.

The 21st Century Office application is now up and running

2010-04-30T09:16:00.003+02:00

This is a really amzing project and I hope to write more about it later. For now I just paste in the letter that was sent to different thought leaders that contributed to the project.

+++++++++++
This Earth Day April 22nd, a 21st Century office application will be launched together with a short movie about the possibilities of a 21st Century Office i.e. a transition towards new ways of working that will save time, money and CO2. This 21st Century Office application is targeting office workers everywhere and will be available on:
1. the web http://21st-century-office.net/

2. as an app for iPhone http://itunes.apple.com/se/app/21st-office/id366954683?mt=8

3. as an app for Android: market://search?q=pname:com.karmeye.office21

It is already featured as number 2 under "What's hot" in AppStore and as 9th Top free business app! (see attached)

The 21-st-Century-Office.net is an independent project supported by WWF, made possible through a grant from HP. It has been created as an open source project, written and distributed under the GNU General Public License.

The 21st Century Office application allows people to:
- measure their CO2, time and money savings from new technology solutions for smarter office work
- share, geotag, use and rate ideas how to achieve a 21st Century Office
- see where in the world ideas were first generated and then follow to see where the idea has been used
- twitter and e-mail ideas and test results to challenge others to participate and work smarter
- build up a database that can be used to create tailor-made roadmaps for a transition to a 21st Century office
- see a short movie that explains the difference between a 20th century and a 21st century infrastructure
- and a few more functions…

Too many functions in one app? Maybe, or maybe these kind of integrated solutions will contribute to new tools being developed to help society move towards a smart, low carbon, high-tech future. A development with solutions that nine billion people can use.

In the same way that the Wright brothers created something more than the sum of a propeller, wings, engine, etc we believe that today’s entrepreneurs have the possibility to combine different parts of the web to create the transformative tools we need for a better future. We have done a rough draft of a tool that we hope will contribute to the kind of transformative change we need. Please see for yourself. (attached is also a more thorough background document)

Thanks for your time,

the 21st Century Office team

PS.
We also have a teaser ready for the movie that we hope you will enjoy and if you like it, please spread to your network of people you think this might benefit. Full short movie will be ready 1st of May.

Suzanne Pahlman and I are exploring the possibility to launch a new web-page with “transformative applications” that will list and review the most transformative applications every Quarter. If you are interested, please let us know.

Booz report: ICT for a Low-Carbon World Activism, Innovation, Cooperation

2010-04-12T11:15:00.005+02:00

Nothing new in this report as far as I can see and unclear what the companies have done to qualify in the different categories.

But good that they include the 98%/Greening with IT aspect (helping customers to reduce emissions beyond ICT). For the sake of transparency it would be good to list what the companies have to qualify in the different categories.

Probably the people writing this were either told to focus on the "2%/Green IT" or they have little experience in this field (as so much details are given to the 2%/Green IT discussion, and so little to 98%/Greening with IT).

I hope this is not because I discussed the work with transformative ICT that I did with Booz with the IT people at WEF (that resulted in this report)

In the Booz report the 98%/Green with IT is called "Green Innovation - Business potential of environmental sustainability products beyond ICT".

Download the report (was published 24th of March) here

Another report about low carbon ICT

2010-04-08T17:25:00.003+02:00

Maybe not any groundbreaking new information, but an overview of many of the issues from Telecom TV and Guy Daniels in the new report "ICT for a Low-Carbon Future".

Download it here

Op-ed China Daily: Innovation the key for China in Bonn

2010-04-06T09:06:00.006+02:00

Below is the op-ed from today's China Daily

Dennis Pamlin: Innovation the key for China in Bonn

In a few days the world's countries will meet in Bonn for a new round of climate negotiations. This presents an opportunity for China to support a more collaborative process with focus on solutions instead of problems.

Two major challenges face climate negotiations after the Copenhagen conference last year. First, climate negotiations are now so complex that no one has an overview of what's going on. Second, the culture at climate negotiations is one of short-term thinking where everyone wants others to reduce emissions and protect its own fossil industries.

China has an opportunity to put the negotiations on a positive track and demonstrate its willingness to deliver concrete results with the help of two suggestions. These two suggestions could be presented in Bonn in order to support future negotiations that will help the world deliver the reductions we need.

First, it could present ideas on how to make the process more open and transparent. New technologies with mobile applications and web-solutions allow experts and people all over the world to follow the negotiations in ways that was not possible a few years ago. Such tools could help the world to avoid a situation like the one in Copenhagen where many foreign experts and journalists misunderstood different countries' positions.

One of the key issues to be discussed in Bonn is "innovation in working methods, based on principles and models within the United Nations". A contribution from China could be to present ideas for tools to collect input from relevant stakeholders. It could develop its own mobile application and web-platform that could be launched after Bonn, which would help it in the process leading up to the big climate meeting in Mexico. This would allow China to better understand the stakeholders around the world, and provide tailor-made information so that companies, cities, countries and individuals can find ways to collaborate with it for a low carbon future.

The second idea is more ambitious, but also more important in the long run. China could introduce the idea of a track for transformative solutions in climate negotiations. Transformative solutions are solutions that the entire world can use and which provide the same or better services that old high carbon solutions do today. Examples of transformative solutions are e-books, tele-working, buildings that are net producers of renewable energy and intelligent public transport solutions.

Today much of the discussions focus on incremental improvements in existing systems. While such solutions have an important role to play, it is time for a truly global perspective where the focus would be on solutions that everyone on the planet can use. During the negotiations in Bonn countries will have to provide input to a discussion on "the potential environmental, economic and social consequences, including spill-over effects of tools, policies, measures and methodologies". China could use this opportunity to present the idea of transformative solution track with global focus.

The track for transformative solutions would develop measures that support companies with innovative solutions that society needs.

In Mexico, a lot of time would be spent on discussions on relations between rich and poor countries. During these discussions it will be very important to demonstrate the kind of solutions that the rich and developing worlds can develop and use. China and Mexico share many things in common so it would be fitting that they promote such a transformative solution agenda together.

The climate meeting in Bonn is around the corner and it's no time for major initiatives, but China could introduce the two ideas and begin discussions on both new smart ways to communicate as well as the structure of a transformative solution approach. This would demonstrate both innovative thinking and a global approach from China that many would welcome and which the world needs.

New Study: 350 trillion available for change

2010-03-28T11:11:00.003+02:00

Download the report here [1 meg]

In February 2007 I read an article in Strategy + Business that said that “The world’s urban infrastructure needs a $40 trillion makeover". I thought the article was interesting and wondered if a similar assessment could be done for investment in services that today are provided in a high carbon way and tomorrow must be provided in a low carbon way. I wanted to see if it was possible to assess the size of the investment flows that must be re-directed and also what new services that would win on this. The idea was to move from the studies that focus on incremental improvements in existing systems to understand the room for new ways of providing services (smart buildings that are net producers, teleworkiing instead of cars, etc)

I contacted Virin Doshi at Booz, Allen and Hamilton (that Booz and company was called then), and we had a great meeting in London a few month later. He put me in contact with Dan Gabaldon. We drafted a project plan and worked on and off on the report for many months.

Three years later the report is finally done. Dan left Booz and I left WWF, but now the report is out…. Maybe not as exciting as I originally hoped it could be, but a first step towards a service and market opportunity approach for the global urbanization investments. So while the available sum is now official (350 trillion dollars) the assessment is still based on incremental uptake of new solutions.

If there is anyone who is aware of an institution that can to calculations that captures system change please let me know.

This blog has moved

2010-03-24T20:34:00.001+01:00

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No blogging from China

2010-03-18T11:59:00.002+01:00

For the first time I could not find a way to blog from China (the great firewall). So I will update the blog as the result from the latest trip becomes official. Keep an eye open for interesting news about:

China Mobile

Baoding

CASS

CREIA

Renmin University

China Daily

+ a few other things. I had some time to think on the way back as we had 8 hours on the runway (in the plane) due to snow before we took of...