Recently I had the honor — and the amazingly complex challenge — of preparing a report for the new United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD), based in Incheon, Korea. The title of the report signals its state-of-the-art global breadth: “Knowledge, Capacity Building, and Networks for Sustainable Development: A Review.” This report has been published … Continue reading Knowledge and Sustainability: The Global State of The Art
Government, Policy, Politics
Report from OECD: What Winning Looks Like
Here's a letter I sent out to my friends in the Balaton Group from New Delhi, India, where I was recently attending an OECD World Forum and moderating a panel on sustainability. I never thought attending a meeting on national statistics could make me so happy. /Alan Dear friends, I am reporting to you now … Continue reading Report from OECD: What Winning Looks Like
Life Beyond Growth—download free report
New report traces revolution in how we think about "progress" Is there Life Beyond Growth? The new report by that name declares decisively yes, citing more and more countries that are seriously questioning the "Gross Domestic Product" (GDP) and traditional economic growth as their default definition of "progress." Despite all the economic and political turmoil … Continue reading Life Beyond Growth—download free report
Why Russia Should Invest in Sustainability
Seven Reasons why Russia Should Invest in Sustainability — Three of Them Unconvincing by Alan AtKisson CEO, AtKisson Inc. & Author, The Sustainability Transformation On Wednesday, 10 February, I made the second keynote presentation (after Ashok Khosla's opening) to a conference in Moscow called "Innovative Russia: Responding to Global Challenges." The other participants on the … Continue reading Why Russia Should Invest in Sustainability
How I Created (Not) a UN Campaign
This article is about how I became obsessed with trying to create, or catalyze into being, an international campaign to dramatically increase renewable energy investment in the developing world — and why I now feel ready to let go of that obsession. The short version is this: The campaign is happening, and the UN is … Continue reading How I Created (Not) a UN Campaign
Labeling Sustainability: Is Certification Working?
The answer from this small seminar group of world experts on assessing the impact of sustainability standards -- gathered by IVL, IISD, RFF and others to review the work of a big international research program called Entwined -- is a qualified yes. The "Yes" is interesting (and thanks to Erika Svensson of IVL for inviting … Continue reading Labeling Sustainability: Is Certification Working?
“San-ten-ichi-ichi” — what March 11 means to Japan (so far)
I was on UN business in Korea this week, but on Friday, I took a day off to fly to Osaka and meet with friends Junko Edahiro and Riichiro Oda, at a hotel near Osaka’s Kansai airport. I wanted to find out how they were doing, and how the country was doing, since the last … Continue reading “San-ten-ichi-ichi” — what March 11 means to Japan (so far)
Watching Egypt 1 – Private Worries, Public Hopes
It was a relief to finally hear my client's voice on the phone. She was a bit breathless, but not sounding in distress. She had been out food shopping by taxi just that afternoon (this was Monday, 31 January), able to find what she needed, "though many people are just buying up whatever they can … Continue reading Watching Egypt 1 – Private Worries, Public Hopes
Wailing on the Road to Cancún
"It's so bleak, it's very depressing. But we are activists. When things are bleak, we don't give up. We get busy." So said Meena Raman of the Malaysia-based activist group Third World Network at a small seminar on climate change held in Stockholm this week. For me, it was an excellent opportunity to get updated … Continue reading Wailing on the Road to Cancún
The Earthquake in Copenhagen: Reflections on CoP-15 and its Aftermath
After attending CoP-15 (as a UN Observer, on temporary assignment to the Division for Sustainable Development, though of course I write entirely in my individual capacity), talking to numerous delegates and observers and NGO activists during the event, and reading over a hundred articles on the process and the outcome, I have come to an … Continue reading The Earthquake in Copenhagen: Reflections on CoP-15 and its Aftermath
