Anticipating an Uncertain Future
One-day in person workshop by Black Mountains College
Dangerous climate change has arrived. With carbon dioxide emissions still increasing, further disruption and damage is inevitable. No one knows what this means for the future stability of markets, prices and societies. Impacts are unlikely to unfold in a linear fashion. Tipping points –potentially rapid and effectively irreversible changes in climate and ecosystems- are becoming increasingly likely with further warming. Historically human systems, and particularly financial markets, do not respond to shocks in a linear fashion either. What changes can we expect? How will they affect the financial sector? And what can we do to slow down and adapt to these changes?
In this one-day Masterclass convened by leading experts in climate science and sector impacts, you will develop theoretical knowledge and practical skills that will enable you to adapt to the unfolding changes.
The day starts with the unvarnished reality of expected climate impacts and emerging attempts to explore when and how they arrive, and what effect they might have. Laurie Laybourn, award-winning researcher and Visiting Fellow at Chatham House, will explore scenarios of rapid Earth system change.
James Dyke, Assistant Director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, will then explain the various tipping points and their expected impacts on the financial system. We will look how these erratic unpredictable changes map out against traditional risk assessment models that quantify risks and offer mitigation strategies. And discuss the inter-related risks of how humans respond to such events. For example, the risks of a chaotic transition and the potential cascades resulting from the activation of multiple tipping points.
The final sessions, stewarded by Natalia Eernstman and Ben Rawlence from Black Mountains College, examine the implications for our jobs and institution: what does adaptation to the new reality and meaningful risk assessment looks like in the context of non-linear uncertainty? Building on the facts from the morning sessions, and using the collective expertise of participants from the financial sector, we analyse agency, political factors and theories of change to consider how we can slow down the changes, and how risks can be integrated into personal and institutional actions for a just pathway through a turbulent future.
Why choose Black Mountain College?
Our workshops are expertly facilitated using innovative learning methods; applying proven theories of how humans learn and tested across a range of context, we design experiences that are transformative.
The content is always informed by the latest findings from research and delivered by leading experts in their field. We draw from our wide network of scientists and practitioners.
Because the problems we are facing are systemic, our approach is interdisciplinary. We don’t just combine environmental and social sciences: as the roots of these problem are cultural and for people to develop adaptive skills such as creativity, we also integrate the arts.
You will leave our workshops feeling better equipped for what lies ahead, both because you have gained in-depth knowledge and developed practical skills.
Key information
Date: Friday 3rd November
Time: 9:00 – 18:00
Location: Schroders Asset Management Ltd, One London Wall Place, EC2Y 5AU