MEGATRENDS: How to Include Climate Change In Your Planning

The Business Trendsetter Podcast

It is easy to ignore small changes in a long-term trend. But these small changes add up to big changes - creating a "punctuated equilibrium" where the entire marketplace shifts. Too often we become accustomed to our surroundings, and we miss the small evolutionary changes. We fail to see how trends add up, creating a major shift. There is also a tendency to omit planning for changes we cannot control. We assume the future will look like the past, when even the "now" doesn't look like the past.

Climate change has already impacted the entire planet, and thus every business. Most businesses have taken steps to mitigate the change - attempting to defend the old business in the face of change. But the warming planet will continue for at least 20 years, that's a proven trend. This will impact how, and where, we work and live. Those who plan for new climate impacts will be more successful. This podcast covers factors every business should consider as it plans for ongoing climate change.

Thinking points:

• Are you incorporating mega-trends into your planning - like climate change, demographic shifts, increased automation, inexpensive/effective AI?
• Are you tracking trends over time so small changes become more visible?
• Have you developed scenarios for how mega-trends could create a catastrophic event to your business?
• Have you identified the opportunities, as well as the threats, that are being created by mega-trends?