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How to ‘Be Prepared’ in 2023
I was a Boy Scout. Since 1907 the motto of the global Scouting program has been, “Be Prepared”. Yet the 2023 Scout Jamboree was woefully unprepared for a myriad of severe weather-related issues that befell it in South Korea in early August. First, prior to the opening of the Jamboree, torrential monsoon rains caused […]
We Are All Earthlings
There is a scene early in the movie Top Gun: Maverick to which I am particularly sympathetic. It immediately follows the moment when Maverick (Tom Cruise) has tested an experimental aircraft past its breaking point. We then see Maverick walking into a small rural town, entering a diner and after drinking a glass of water […]
“The Era of Climate Change is Over. The Era of Global Boiling Has Arrived.”
The Director General of the United Nations made this statement a week ago. He is right, we have now entered the era of global boiling. June was the all-time hottest month in human history, and July just beat it. The two hottest months in measured history have been the last two months. Why? Well, […]
Insuring Climate Risks w/ AI, IoT, Satellites & Big Data
Insurers are being overtaken by the pace of change. Our climate crisis (among several other factors including technology) is redefining the nature of risk. The industry needs to move quickly to keep up with consumer expectations, close protection gaps, and respond to emerging threats. Now is a moment of truth for insurers to consider their […]
The Insurance Industry Must Evolve to Meet the Growing Risks of Our Climate Crisis
About 40% of the US population lives in an area vulnerable to climate impacts including sea level rise, extreme weather and forest fires. How do we pay for the damages that occur and distribute the risk? This is a huge concern for the insurance industry in particular. Ten insurers have gone belly up in […]
Climate Resilience Planning Could Have Averted Southwest’s Christmas Debacle
Southwest estimates the loss from their scheduling system meltdown to be around $825M. Those are just the direct costs of lost revenue from canceling more than 15,000 of its flights starting on Dec. 22. It doesn’t include the costs for fines, brand erosion and systems upgrades which will increase the loss to well over a […]
The Story Behind Kufunda – an African Learning Community
What follows is a transcript of an interview by my friend Christine Brauitgam of Maaianne Knuth, the founder of the Kufunda village in Zimbabwe. I edited the interview for length and clarity. You can listen to the entire interview here. – Bob Leonard Hello this is Christine Brautigam. I was a guest, volunteer, and […]
Relentless
Three years ago we moved from south Florida to Portland OR. I knew we were vulnerable to the impacts of climate change in Florida where we lived two blocks from the Gulf of Mexico. Sea level rise, increasing heat (it was already HOT), and more severe storms. Hurricane Irma was the last straw. We were […]
La’au Ha’awi: Planting Hope on Maui
edited by Jon Biemer A modest cadre of dedicated folks on the island of Maui, Hawai‘i, just completed an elegant initiative to provide local food, sequester carbon dioxide, and reduce transportation carbon emissions. Plant a lot of fruit trees where they will be appreciated. Volunteers planting fruit trees at Ka Hale […]
Interconnected and Interdependent – a New Normal
“If man chooses oblivion, he can go right on leaving his fate to his political leaders. If he chooses Utopia, he must initiate an enormous education program… immediately.” – R. Buckminster Fuller We have to stop focusing on artificial dualities and past battles and move forward at every level. How do we categorize ourselves? […]
