A Futurist for UNFCCC Resilience Frontiers

Nikolas Badminton was invited to be a Futurist for the United Nation’s UNFCCC Resilience Frontiers. This collaborative design thinking event was hosted in Songdo in South Korea from the 8th until 12th April, 2019.

What is Resilience Frontiers?

Resilience Frontiers is an interagency effort undertaken by the UNFCCC secretariat in collaboration with Canada’s International Development Research Centre, EIT Climate-KIC, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Global Water Partnership, the Green Climate Fund, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
The 2019 event took place during the Korea Global Adaptation Week from 8-12 April 2019 and kicks off the work to further the exploration of frontier issues launched by the United Nations Chief Executives Board for Coordination.
It marked the start of a collective intelligence process on how best to respond to the deep societal transformations driven by emerging technologies and new sustainability trends, and maximize our resilience to climate change beyond 2030. It brought together 100 visionary thinkers and thought leaders for five days of collective thinking and brainstorming inspired by the Futures Literacy Laboratory framework developed by UNESCO and futur/io’s Moonshot approach.

The Challenge

Building resilience to the adverse effects of climate change requires a comprehensive approach and a long-term outlook. Yet, how can we envision the whole spectrum of future challenges and opportunities without considering the tenets of the fourth industrial revolution, including implications of artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain and biotechnology?
How can we try and mitigate future risks without factoring in the possible evolution of emerging social trends powered by a sustainability ethos, such as local and organic production and consumption practices?
How can we think long term without using the tools of futurists and foresight experts, and applying new skills to envision and co-create the future?
How can we enhance our creativity and develop our sensitivity to the world without engaging with artists? How can we conceive of a climate-resilient future for the world ecosystem without being mindful?
See more of Nikolas’ climate-related posts:

Climate Briefing – Creating Artificial Climates

Climate change and Jeff Bezos for President

Energy Trends – Can Renewables Replace Fossil Fuels?