News

When the pandemic hit in early 2020, many organisations both in the public and private sector were taken by surprise, despite years of warning signs. Some companies were able to ride the storm because of their preparedness, so how did they thrive where others failed?

Last week the team at Resilience First, along with a selection of our Champion Members took part in the IPCC SUP Global Dialogue Convening, contributing to future climate action for urban investment worldwide.

Tony Travers, Director of LSE London ended the forum with a thought-provoking speech which highlighted how the increasingly unpredictable climate presents a real test for all cities.

The first-ever Red Extreme Heat warning was issued in the UK last Friday (15th July) by the Met Office as temperatures were expected to reach 40C in London on Monday and Tuesday. Such temperatures make it extremely challenging for cities and society to cope.

There are many reasons for wanting to reduce the carbon emissions from your business. It can enhance your reputation and keep you on the good side of your customers. It can save you money or prepare you for future government policies and regulation. Or, of course, you might just worry about the effects of global warming like the rest of us and want to do your bit.

Fires in business premises are thankfully not common. However, we always need to be prepared for the unthinkable.

As with any other year, COP26 has not been without controversy. From charges of a locked-out Global South to ableism to the high carbon footprint of the conference menu, COP26 has attracted significant criticism in the media and on social channels. It’s difficult, too, not to come to the conclusion that the COP has largely become a PR circus, as actors across governments, NGOs, and activism jostle to advance their respective climate change agendas.

Our final event in our series of fringe events last week at COP26, in partnership with The Resilience Shift and Wood, was Wednesday's Business Leaders Roundtable Dinner Discussion on Climate Resilience Leadership: The New Competitive Advantage.

Our third day in Glasgow, and it was great to see a fantastic turnout for our second fringe event during COP26, Race to Resilience Breakfast Briefing – A Business-led Climate Resilience Initiative: Turning Aspirations into Action.

This momentous COP26, we’re delighted to be in Glasgow with our series of fringe events, exploring the challenges and opportunities for business to step up and take the necessary action to protect people and the planet.

Following the Resilience First report, in partnership with Russell-Cook, on ‘Flexible Working - the hybrid office’, the ICAEW – an Associate member of Resilience First – has published three articles on the nature of the office of the future and the way we manage the workforce:

Introduction

The outbreak of the Coronavirus (designated WN-CoV or 2019-nCoV) originating in China is viewed in the UK as a high-consequence infectious disease and a 'moderate' health risk. It is being carefully monitored by the World Health Organization (WHO) which has now declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. (See Useful References below.)

The November edition of the Resilience First newsletter, with the theme of 'Learning Lessons', includes features on:

With the collapse of Monarch in 2017 and now the demise of Thomas Cook, the travel industry – and particularly airports – is facing unprecedented pressures. The return of around 150,000 passengers to the UK, known as Operation Matterhorn, is the largest repatriation since WW2. This will place strains on airlines and airports alike: both need to demonstrate resilience.

The Indepen Forum on 10 July 2018 will cover issues of resilience in the infrastructure of the south east of England and the role investors can play.

Staff at the UK’s biggest summer events are to be trained in how to react in the event of a terrorist incident as part of Counter Terrorism Policing’s second annual ‘Summer Security’ campaign.

Marshall McLuhan coined the term “the Global Village” over half a century ago. The inference was that everywhere had become our neighbourhood. Through media coverage of other countries we know something of what it is like to be threatened by ISIS, to suffer extreme weather or to be exposed to fallout from a nuclear accident. In effect, what happens “over there” doesn’t stay over there. We cannot insulate ourselves from the dynamics that affect resilience elsewhere in the world.