The world is changing - or is it our perspective

What country is the most "green"? One of the more interesting was just published by National Geographic. The way the study was structured might make it an indicator of the world of tomorrow.

From the webpage "Greendex":

"Unlike other measures that rank countries according to the environmental performance of their governments, companies and other factors, the Greendex is the first to rank the performance of individual consumers, rather than countries as a whole.

Consumption as measured by the Greendex is determined both by the choices consumers actively make—such as repairing rather than replacing items, using cold water to wash laundry, choosing green products rather than environmentally unfriendly ones—and choices that are controlled more by their circumstances, such as the climate they live in or the availability of green products or public transport. The initiative considered both these factors, with 60 percent of the 65-variable index based on choice or discretionary behavior."

The ranking

1. Brazil and India
2. China
3. Mexico
4. Hungary
5. Russia
6. United Kingdom
7. Australia and Germany
8. Spain
9. Japan
10. France
11. Canada
12. United States

Where the future is born – the 12th five year plan/program for China

Poor Li Nan had to fight red tape and spend half of the morning to get a visa to Switzerland , but after that adventure we visited NDRC (Institute of Economic Research and Institute of Social Development) to discuss with the experts that will work on the report we are doing to support our project that focus on the 12^th five year plan. For the world to better understand the opportunities and make sure we support targets that are crucial for a peaceful development requires us to think ahead, in this case only a few years ahead. Still maybe one of the most crucial times of our time when it comes to economic development of the world and global resource consumption.

Will post our folder about the project as soon as it is ready, probably in June.

In love with a stone that can save the world

I spent a good part of the afternoon at the Communication University of China (CUC) with Liu Wanying where we met the teams that have produced the top nine contributions in the “short movie” competition that GlobalFOCUS/WWF here in China has arranged with the aim to provide visions from the future/China related to the challenges that climate change/resource consumption on western levels pose. It is meant to be solution oriented, inspire action and provide a glimpse into how the next generation in China is approaching these issues.

Many of the outlines/sketches/drafts/ideas for the short movies are really good and I think that quite a few could become world class contributions. I just had to post a picture on one contribution that I must admit that I fell in love with, it has personality and it is a new world that feels familiar. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a fantastic story and that once this figure starts to move it will be even better.

China Mobile gearing up to deliver real CO2 reductions and Sweden as a margin of error

Had great meeting with China Mobile together with Li Nan where we discussed the structure and focus of our joint project that we just started about the role of ICT to reduce CO2 emissions. It is easy to feel that resources spent by most environmental organizations are less than optimal when it comes to result on invested work when you look at the potential and willingness to engage in a serious way. Our work will link to their new Green Action Plan and is part of our joint work with MOFCOM.

Looking at the targets of China Mobile and the opportunities it is easy to be impressed. 6,94 million tonnes of CO2 reductions until 2010 (7 million tonnes today but will grow fast due to expansion plans) from their own operations and a target to “utilize mobile tech to enable the whole society to improve resource efficiency”.

The fact that China Mobile has 369 339 000 customers make’s Sweden’s whole population close to being within the margin of error, that is food for thought for anyone thinking about outreach and engaging individuals.

I really look forward to develop the detailed work plan.

China's role in Africa: A thought when worlds connect with IT

With Skype strange situations happens. Sitting in Beijing, in Jade Garden Hotel close to the forbidden city, where the increasing food prices are being discussed intensively and so are links to Africa for obvious reasons.

Then talking to Penny Davies who participates in an OECD meeting in Kigali about aid, who is living in Hôtel des Mille Collines, the hotel that became “famous” as the building in which more than a thousand people took refuge during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994.

Only 14 years ago… Beijing was a very different place then… The following was world news April 1994 from China:

"Beijing's first public showroom for imported cars opens this week, an important step in turning the car from a tool of privilege into an ordinary commodity."

Now oil, food and China top news, still few are discussing the links and the history that brought us here.