10 August 2021
Dear Richard and Montserrat,
At times of threat, we look to warriors that act under a higher code to defend the defenceless. The Japanese, have stories of the Sohei monk-soldiers and China, the Shaolin. In England, the legendary Robin Hood and his green-wood troop fought King John’s enforcer the Sheriff of Nottingham.
As science and data converge the press reports new global climate breaking records. The Thames Barrier, modelled for 100-year events, has since 2010 closed 80 times! With 65% of Russia being permafrost and warming 2.5% faster than the planet average, the Environment Minister notes 40% of buildings and infrastructure in these areas already damaged. Danish Arctic research institutions studying Greenland’s ice described a single July day’s "massive melting event…as enough to cover Florida with two inches of water" adding additional pressure on the already weakening Gulf Stream.
Whilst climate consensus is checked for flaws and assumptions, NASA’s 2020 study confirmed that climate models are getting warming projections right however change is now non-linear with sudden extreme events. With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest global assessment on the science of global heating now published, the Glasgow COP26 summit will have to assess the cost of disorderly versus orderly transitions to sustainable targets; 2030 v 2050 is now a very stark global issue!
As countries, such as India, still need to develop it is now a matter of how fast neutral carbon methodologies can be both proven and, crucially, implemented. Already with an average warming of 1.1% we now try to hold a 1.5-degree threshold and for this, we turn to today's green-wood troop led by the Warrior Accountant. An unlikely defender but the Accountant is now to audit ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) standards to rigorously report the full extent of organizational performance.
The Bank of England is now modelling Climate Change risk management, and the International Criminal Court is to consider a crime of Ecocide to personally hold responsible CEO’s and Principles of Companies for corporate climate malfeasance. It will not be the longbow but rather the combined skills of Accountancy, deep web ‘Open Source Intelligence’ driven research, and the resolved application of court action that is to defend us. Our unlikely warriors will interrogate the underlying data to identify, assess, and measure impact to identify accountability.
As pensions and institutions divest of implicated investments the private office, and those of wealth need to know they are accountable by association; in turn, their warrior accountants need to interrogate their assets and a family's conduct therein.
In 1857 the Salisbury citizens facing pandemic reported alarm that ‘cholera appeared to be no respecter of class’. Likewise, climate change is no respecter of position or nation; it will be a matter of speed, degrees of warming, disruption, and the weight of climate refugees. Our Accountants, geeks and lawyers have families too and, with nowhere to hide, they will seek out those that damage the lives of those they love.
All the Best,
Alistdair