Abu Dhabi among global citites debating Global Opportunities Report

|By TAP Staff| Abu Dhabi, along with London, Shanghai, San Fransisco, Mumbai and other global cities, will be the venue for the meeting of Global Opportunity Network panels to discuss how the pressure for change can be used to create more resilient and sustainable societies.

Global Opportunity Network has presented five risks that will inspire this year’s opportunity panels. The Abu Dhabi meeting will take place on September 9. The first meeting is scheduled for August 27 in Johannesburg.

“We cannot escape the need for change, but if we do our utmost to respond wisely to the challenges these risks present, we believe that not only can we address the risk, we can build a more sustainable future,” says Morten Jastrup, Project Director of the Global Opportunity Network.

The risks – extreme weather, continued rise in non communicable diseases, urban breakdown, water scarcity and lock-in to fossil fuels – will be debated on the panels, workshops of approximately 30 creative persons from business, academia, civil society and youth organizations connected by a common interest in sustainable development. The input from the panels will be refined into 15 sustainable “opportunities” – areas of investment that will benefit society and business. In October/November these will be tested in a survey to gauge the resonance they create with decision makers and influencers.

“For us the greatest opportunity is not the initiative with the absolute best result in the cost benefit analysis or life cycle analysis. It is rather the one of the range of good solutions with the attraction needed for stakeholders to invest and keep their commitment. This attraction is what we test with the survey,” says Morten Jastrup.