From Global Warming to Stepping into the Great Unknown: My Top 5 Articles Last Week.

Another very good week, last week – some eye-catching and thought-provoking articles and insights – here’s my Top 5:

1. Global Warming's Terrifying New Math:  Bill McKibben provides some great (but scary) data, a very powerful reminder of the urgency of our situation, and the very real behavioural and economic challenges of moving away from fossil fuels. Powerful, but leave yourself plenty of time to read and digest.

2. How shareholders are learning to say "Yes, but":  On the growth of shareholder advocacy, towards responsible business practices to improve share value.

3. Symbolic, not Substantive, CSR Action Has Greater Positive Financia...:  An interesting headline, but belies the finding that “the more companies engage in both symbolic and substantive actions, the higher the value accumulates to the company.” Could also take a broader view to consider resilience and profitability in the long-term – some companies may appear to prosper from symbolic initiatives in the short-term, but may suffer if they miss the fundamental risks and opportunities associated with underlying ESG impacts to their business models.

4. Outsourcing Losing Its Allure As China Costs Soar:  Could we see the shifting global dynamics lead to re-localisation in US, and elsewhere?  Potentially a megatrend?

5. For sustainability leaders, embracing uncertainty can be rewarding:  Great insight shared by the Guardian’s Jo Confino, as he reminds us of the reality and opportunity of getting comfortable with living with uncertainty. Stepping into the unknown is, after all, what we are all faced with in these unprecedented times...

I do hope you found these articles worthwhile reading...