Dear Davos...

Dear Davos,

The start of a new year, but an old set of problems. Capitalism creaking at the seams, so much so that even national governments are now calling for a ‘more responsible capitalism’. The world getting warmer, and now wetter, 2011 and 2012 have been the wettest years ever. And there’s the debt - economic, societal and environmental. A triple-debt whammy.

'Committed to improving the state of the world'; photo courtesy of Davos on Flickr.

However, dear Davos, you have a few days, this week, to try and find some new solutions to these pressing problems. So, here’s what I would like to see, please, in no particular order:

1. A plan for the delivery of the ‘great transformation’, the theme of the conference. We know we need one, but how? Please would you ask all those Government leaders, CEOs and important people to commit to hard targets, from proper investment for a green economy to global carbon reductions. You could point them to our very own West of England Carbon Challenge, where we have started small (regionally speaking) and have 100 businesses signed up for a regional carbon reduction target. We just need to see this scaled up.
2. A spot of long-term thinking. Please would you spell out to those clever people present that the world is changing rapidly, and current failures to deal with perennial problems stem from an inability to think further than the next quarter, never mind the next year?You could tell them about our next Forum network event, scheduled for March 13 in London, which is designed to help leaders make long term thinking a reality. I’m sure we can find some room.
3. Recruitment of more senior voices in business calling for change and showing exemplary leadership on sustainability. Take a look at our interview with Paul Polman from Unilever to see the kind of thing I mean.
4. A touch of creativity and emotion. Have a look at our story from our work with two villages in the UK where we set out to find out what works when a community wants to embrace low carbon living. The inspiring lady that helped one of the villages do this was known as the ‘Gingerbread Lady’, not the ‘Low Carbon Lady’ (and for the reason why you need to read the full article). So let’s stop talking about the need for 'multi-lateral negotiated agreements', but instead everyone taking some responsibility and doing their bit, and instead of stories of gloom to galvanise action, let’s share the stuff that works. Come along to our Big Green Week in Bristol in June to see how this works.

That’s all. Should be a doddle.

Yours sincerely, Sally