Evaluating the Sustainability of a Clean Cold Network
The world is facing existential challenges arising from systemic unsustainability and a lack of resilience in critical socio-ecological and economic systems. There are no robust, comprehensive evaluation tools that integrates all the material elements and multiple perspectives of sustainability in a way that can be easily or meaningfully appropriated in decision-making processes.
Contemporary sustainable evaluation tools are analogous to: Oncology before CAT scans, forensics before DNA testing, or travel without Sat-Nav: resulting in deliberative processes that do not appropriately consider all material positive or negative impacts, relying on repurposed, second-hand data, ignoring data gaps, based on scientifically invalid assumptions and dominated by powerful vested interests. Even with good intentions, decision makers may unintentionally worsen situations rather than improve them. This presentation will explore how to avoid these problems, identifying the essential attributes of a holistic sustainability assessment in the context of clean cold infrastructure.
Professor Ian Thomson
Ian Thomson is Professor of Accounting and Sustainability at University of Dundee, previously held chairs at Birmingham Business School, University of Strathclyde, and Heriot-Watt University. He was Director of the Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business and convenor of the Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research.
Over 34 years his research projects have included cleaner technology implementation, stakeholder engagement, risk governance, sustainable development indicators, government policy making, climate change, use of accounting by activists, human rights, international development programmes. His current projects include carbon accountability, operationalising the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) for business and responsible business outcome measurement.
He was an expert reviewer for the latest IPCC report, special advisor on sustainability to Scottish Parliamentary committees, Sustainable Development Commission (Scotland), an accountability expert to UN World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organisation and advised large corporations on their sustainability strategy and reporting. In 2019 he was awarded BAFA (British Accounting and Finance Association) Distinguished Academic of the year.
Event Details
Registration
Registration is closed.