“The only thing missing right now is an invasion by extra-terrestrials,” is what a friend who works as a journalist said to me at the weekend. Her words seemed to sum up the strange situation in which our society currently finds itself. Over the months to come, decisions will be taken that determine our lives in the 2020s.
We are in the midst of one of the biggest global wake-up calls in history, threatening both individual lives and entire economic and social systems. Let’s make sure we don’t learn the wrong lesson. It’s not just a public health emergency. It’s something bigger. It’s nature telling us that the new global ecology that we have created through our ravaging of Earth’s resources holds great risks for ..
In times of upheaval, we see developmental trends in a magnifying glass. The question isn't just what the coronavirus crisis “does to us”; on the contrary, “what we do” with the crisis is far more relevant. The momentum of the crisis should be used to turn the juxtaposition and partial opposition of two very important developmental trends into a collaborative process for creating something new: ..
It is only a few days since the German federal government launched a multi-billion Euro rescue package to cushion the consequences of the coronavirus crisis on businesses. And absolutely rightly so, as it is in the interests of society as a whole to successfully guide healthy businesses through these difficult times.
Once again, the world finds itself in crisis mode. The 21st century is still young, but has already seen plenty of crises, each of which has been noteworthy in its own right. This crisis is particularly immediate, and therefore very dramatic as well. A virus has turned the world upside down. It is a matter of life and death. Points of weakness become evident, in the health care system, but also ..
The coronavirus pandemic brings about drastic changes for a great many people. When social life returns to normal once the coronavirus crisis is over, a window of opportunity will open for launching innovative concepts and ideas for sustainable development. This is an area in which universities will be required to take responsibility. The example of Eberswalde University for Sustainable Developmen
Accelerated by a virus, we have suddenly found ourselves in a possible future. The existen-tial threat appears as if through a magnifying glass, allowing us to perceive the state of the world with increased clarity. With astonishment, we have seen political taboos and unques-tioned assumptions falling by the wayside, allowing our institutions to take action.
Across the world, from Wuhan to New York City, cities are on the frontline of the unfolding COVID-19 crisis. Starting with overwhelmed heath care systems, cities are experiencing unprecedented strain across social, economic and environmental systems as economies grind to a standstill.
