Global crisis is your chance to blaze a trail
Scottish students should grasp transformational solutions to tackle the threat of climate change
IN A ranking of global risks produced by the World Economic Forum ahead of its annual summit in Davos this January, climate and environmental issues dominated.
Global business leaders and experts said that extreme weather, migration caused by climate change, and natural disasters are the three risks they are most likely to face in 2019.
In February, another study found that a perfect storm of human-caused threats to climate, nature and economy pose a danger of systemic collapse comparable to the 2008 financial crisis.
The Institute for Public Policy Research said the combination of global warming, soil infertility, pollinator loss, chemical leaching and ocean acidification was creating a “new domain of risk” that may pose humanity’s greatest threat – but was hugely underestimated by policymakers.
“A transformational response is required,” the IPPR said. “Due to the high levels of complexity, the scale of breakdown and systemic nature of the problem, responding to the age of environmental breakdown may be the greatest challenge that humans have faced in their history.”
Terry A’hearn, Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, said: “In Scotland, we’re currently using the resources of three planets, but only have one. At SEPA, we call this One Planet Prosperity, and all parts of our communities, businesses and government have key roles to play in helping Scotland live within its means.
“Good leaders say – there’s only one planet, we have to work within it. But great leaders say – how do we turn this from a threat into an opportunity for our organisation?”
As well as driving demand for environmental jobs in areas like ecology, environmental consultancy, renewable energy and resource management – this need for transformational change is seeing sustainability become an increasing staple of Scottish business schools.
Programmes like the University of Stirling’s MSC Strategic Sustainable Business or Strathclyde’s MSC Sustainability and Environmental Studies are equipping leaders with the knowledge and skills to tackle 21st century challenges like climate change.
A’hearn himself is a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership at The University of Cambridge. This is a globally influential Institute developing leadership and solutions for a sustainable economy. He was also a participant in London Business School’s Senior Executive Programme, which is designed to help business leaders achieve high performance and lead transformational change.
“We need to blaze a trail to a different sort of economy, a different sort of society – and it’s critical that our business leaders now and in the future develop the skills and knowledge to drive this change,” says A’hearn.
To help grow Scotland’s next generation of environmental leaders, A’hearn introduced SEPA’S first Graduate Trainee Scheme after being inspired by his own experience on a graduate programme in Australia in 1989. Originally from Melbourne, A’hearn spent 10 years in senior management roles at the Environment Protection Authority in the State of Victoria, and was chief executive of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency before joining SEPA in 2015.
“There are endless opportunities to tackle our planetary challenge and my key message would be: Change your mindset,” A’hearn said during his address to the TEDX Glasgow talks in 2017.
“Too many people think of it as a big threat – but it’s a huge opportunity for economic and social success. And every single one of us has skills, ability and experience to bring to this challenge – and create a very different future.”
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s Graduate Programme is recruiting now and is open until March 3. Visit sepa.org. uk/graduates