Search by category: Sustainability
Oct 23, 2024
From value to valuation: an economic case for sustainable finance
“Who killed the ESG party?” the Financial Times asked last July. In a few years, sustainable finance has become one of the top strategic agenda items at most financial services firms in Europe. Yet, the momentum seems now to be running out of steam. In my latest article for AGEFI Luxembourg, I explore how sustainable finance practices help mitigate valuation and financial risk, and how the financial services sector is offered a unique opportunity: that the right thing to do is also the one that makes economic sense.
Sep 17, 2024
Vendanges et cerisiers
Ah, le changement climatique ! Il y peu de sujets aussi controversés et déchaînant autant les passions. Si presque tout le monde s’accorde à observer certains phénomènes, la part exacte que joue l’activité humaine est sujette à débat. C’est pourquoi je trouve proprement merveilleux d’avoir parfois quelques exemples parlants à partager. Des exemples tout simples, des observations empiriques presque triviales. Parlons aujourd'hui des vignes de Beaune et des cerisiers du Japon.
Sep 11, 2024
The Pineapple syndrom: welcome to the Age of Impatience
Within a lifetime, we have seen a dramatic shift in how goods and experiences are available to us. Things that were scarce and precious became ubiquitous, and access became quite easy. Without a doubt, this shift from scarcity to abundance improved the quality of life in many respects, yet it also rewrote basic human behaviors and expectations. We have little patience for whatever does not amuse us instantly. How to keep the power of concentration, of perseverance, of working hard for long stretches of time toward a goal, defining characteristics of humankind?
Jul 29, 2024
Innovation and environment : batteries made of sugar and paper
15 billion batteries are disposed of each year worldwide and only 3% of their components are recycled. 400 liters of water, or 3 m3 of Earth, can be contaminated for 50 years by the mercury contained in one single battery. One of them is for me particularly impressive: the French startup has come up with a paper-based biofuel cell !
Jul 10, 2024
AI at the service of humanity: AI to help in the face of floods?
We still remember the two flash floods in Afghanistan in July 2023, the massive loss of life in Libya in September 2023 (5,000 deaths!), or even recently in China where floods and landslides were devastating. The floods in Qatar in April 2024 and images of the submerged airport and highways also made headlines. These events are no longer exceptions: they occur more and more frequently and now extend to all continents. A number of companies have worked over the past year on developing #AI solutions to help humans manage the risks associated with such flooding.
Jul 04, 2024
AI at the service of humanity: can AI contribute to "greening" the maritime sector?
At a time when environmental issues are increasing, could AI help us preserve resources, while promoting the continued progress of humanity? The maritime sector is a vital player in the global economic system, with a total value of goods transported estimated at $14 trillion in 2023 according to UNCTAD. But it also represents around 2 to 3% of global CO2 emissions and contributes significantly to marine pollution. We must therefore manage the dilemma which requires that our societies continue to participate in global economic exchanges while preserving our environment.
Jul 04, 2024
“GreenAI”: now we start to get the figures of AI’s ecological footprint
There is no doubt that AI brings a lot of opportunities to support humanity’s efforts to address the ecological challenges of our time, mostly through efficiency gains. But AI’s very obvious ecological drawback is, of course, its energy consumption, and the balance we need to strike between its potential ecological benefits and its expected ecological harms. Recent sustainability reports of large American companies give us insights to finally start estimating this ecological impact concretely.
Jun 15, 2024
Ecologie: comment concilier urgence et désir d'agir?
Le nouvel exemplaire de la revue de Up4Hu, "Pour un monde plus humain" est sorti! Nous sommes en 2024: tout le monde est écolo… Tout le monde? Non! Un petit nombre d’irrésistibles climato-sceptiques résiste encore et toujours à l’alerte globale. Il faut dire que le message ne donne pas envie d’être entendu, parfois culpabilisant, si vertigineux qu’il conduit souvent au sentiment d’impuissance et à l’immobilisme. Alors, comment donner à chacun l’envie d’agir pour la planète ? Comment envisager une écologie de l’émerveillement, humaine, non punitive?
Mar 17, 2024
The ecological challenge: reconciling progress and care for posterity
"Grandpa! Have you any idea of the CO2 footprint of your huge rib steak here ? You should eat less meat!" Laura says reproachfully and with a slightly smug air. Despite all the love he has for his granddaughter, Edouard immediately takes on the colour of the generous rib steak in front of him. Soon the tone rises: "postmodern!", "anthropocentric!", "anti-speciesist!", "cartesian!". If ecological engagement sometimes unleashes passions, it is because it does not call into question only a few consumption habits, but rather some of our fundamental representations of the world and humanity.
Jan 17, 2024
Durabilité: vers un nouvel humanisme?
Ce fut un honneur et un plaisir de tenir la conférence de clôture du premier cycle "Stratège de la transformation durable" à l’Ecole Polytechnique. J’attache dans ce billet le support de présentation pour quiconque serait intéressé.
Nov 12, 2023
Transformation éthique du concept de postérité
Dans ce texte remarquable et toujours d'actualité bien qu'il date de trente ans (1992), Monique Castillo explore deux approches philosophiques du rapport de l’homme à la nature et aux générations futures. Sur quelle base donc fonder notre engagement et notre responsabilité vis-à-vis de la nature et des générations futures : une morale de l’autonomie centrée sur les hommes, ou une éthique de la nécessité, centrée sur la nature? En d’autres termes, une morale de l’action motivant un engagement vis-à-vis de la postérité, ou éthique de l’abstention où la responsabilité précède la volonté?
Dec 11, 2020
The ESG Rush in wealth management – It’s time to be bold
Only a few years ago, investment funds embedding sustainability (or ESG, "Environmental, Social, Governance") criteria in their investment process were a small subset of the global fund industry - not to say a niche market. In just a couple of years, the consumer demand for ESG compliant products and services has risen dramatically. This newborn passion of sellers and buyers for investment products claiming compliance with ESG principles should however be regarded with some caution and reservation.