Turning Global Risks into Sustainable Opportunities

The first workshop takes place in Johannesburg August 27th. Over the following two weeks, workshops in Abu Dhabi, London, Mumbai, Oslo, Shanghai, San Francisco and Sao Paulo will follow, all gathering unique localized insights into how societies can handle the looming sustainability challenges in ways that not only protects life and property today but also acts as a leverage to create more prosperous and resilient societies for the future.

“Seeing sustainability challenges as opportunities rather than risks might seem a bit optimistic at first glance, but it is a necessary change of mindset,” says Bjørn K. Haugland, Chief Sustainability Officer at DNV GL. “We know that we need to act fast and in collaboration if we are to address the problems ahead of us. Looking only at the risks to lifestyles and business as we know it might cloud our vision. The greatest risk we are facing is not seeing the opportunities in the transition to a safe and sustainable future.”

The Global Opportunity Workshops will identify opportunities related to five global risks: Extreme weather, Continued Rise in Non-communicable Diseases, Water Scarcity, Urban Breakdown and Lock-in to Fossil Fuels. The workshops – called Opportunity Panels – will gather creative and innovative individuals from business, academia, NGOs, youth organizations and public offices. “We need the input from all sectors to help identify areas of investment with the promise of creating long-term value for society, not just short-term profit,” points out Erik Rasmussen, Founder and CEO of Monday Morning Global Institute.

The report and the ensuing Global Opportunity Network will be developed by DNV GL and Monday Morning Global Institute. Following the workshops, a global survey will be carried out to test which of the identified opportunities holds the greatest attraction to stakeholders.

“We don’t stop after mapping the opportunities. The Global Opportunity Report will also test the reception of the identified opportunities by rating them with the help of hundreds of stakeholders. This rating will help identify the areas where strong alliances for sustainable action most likely can be forged“, adds Erik Rasmussen.

Building on the coming eight workshops, the project will develop the Global Opportunity Network. The aim of this is to provide an arena to share initiatives on how an opportunity-focused mindset can be furthered and how concrete alliances for sustainability can be forged.