Introducing Foreseeable

Why an image of bikes? I love bikes! They also play a small but important role in the response to the climate crises.

If a future event is foreseeable, you know that will happen or that it can happen, because it is a natural or obvious consequence of something else that you know.

Collins Dictionary

Many organisations are putting off action on climate change on the basis that the impacts are unforeseeable or that it’s really hard to know what the future might hold. My view is that if you put in the work to understand your relationship with the climate and the aspects of our economy that contribute to climate change the impacts start to become foreseeable. Yes, there might be a range of possibilities but at least you know what these are.

I have set Foreseeable up with the purpose of bringing forward action on climate change. I aim to achieve this by helping businesses to understand their relationship with climate change and what actions they need to be taking today.

Why climate change?

Coming out of a corporate world where I touched on any number of ESG topics why did I decide to narrow down on climate change. To regurgitate from others, it’s the issue of our generation. Professionally the climate change topic allows me to bring some of my key strengths to the table – systems thinking, collaboration and future-gazing. I’ve also got some pretty big skin in the game with three kids’ futures to be thinking about.

In my last role in the corporate world gained significant experience in developing climate scenarios, commissioned in-depth physical and economic modelling, undertook climate risk assessments, and developed a climate change strategy. I also led a cross-business team to prepare our annual CDP response which was a precursor to a full TCFD report.

During my time in the corporate world I was lucky enough to spend time with people like Professor Will Steffen, an internationally respected scientist but also just the loveliest human you will ever meet. His presentations to business and the general public were in some ways depressing but also a master class in how to simplify a complex issue for the masses. I first learned about the Anthropocene through Will and became a lot more educated on the ways in which we were breaking the earth systems one by one. Professor Steffen brought home the urgency of action required to bend the curve – a phrase used regularly in the climate change space before COVID came and stole it.

The Great Acceleration - one of the many images Professor Will Steffen used in his presentations

What is the role of Foreseeable?

Pre the internet (yes there was such a time) our trips to foreign countries, new cities or even a new suburb would be accompanied by, at a minimum a map (in the case of London an A to Z), quite likely a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide, and when we were feeling particularly wealthy, unsafe, linguistically challenged or a combination of all of the above a travel guide – the real physical person type!

Taking action on climate change is a journey in itself and just like arriving in a foreign city, it doesn’t take much to end up down the wrong alley or being taken for a ride to a souvenir shop. There are plenty of traps when it comes to climate change and while most are unintentional there are a few shady characters selling snake oil. I see Foreseeable as being your guide - helping you to plan out the right journey for your organisation.

Climate change has its own language and acronyms galore. Foreseeable will act as an interpreter to help you understand the aspects of climate science and climate economics that will impact your organisation.

The colour scheme used for Foreseeable’s brand is based on the climate warming stripes infographic produced by Ed Hawkins from the University of Reading. This is an incredibly effective way to simplifying the science and showing a clear direction of travel.

Warming stripes for the Globe 1850 to 2020. Source: #Showyourstripes

So who am I?

I’m a 40-something Kiwi living in Auckland, New Zealand with my wife and three kids. I’m a keen mountain biker and a rubbish surfer, but I love being in the water. I’ve grown up in the outdoors tramping, fishing, hunting, camping, and swimming. This is what fired up my environmental passion. Time spent working on projects related to social care, criminal justice, and healthcare in London woke me up to the social perils. Sustainability has been the gel to bring the two together.

Mountain biking the Heaphy Track

I’m particularly passionate about trees and the huge benefits that trees can play in the urban environment. For me, trees play an essential role in climate change – absorbing emissions but also providing key services that we will rely on more as urban areas get hotter and in some places wetter. I’m also a big believer in the mental health attributes of trees. Whenever I have spare time I can be found tending to the reserve area next to the house fighting the never-ending weeds and adding new native trees and shrubs.

I’m actually qualified as an environmental planner but have spent very little time in that field with most of my working life in project management and sustainability. Each of these disciplines in its own way has helped to shape my professional thinking and the way I work. I like to think has provided me with a well-rounded approach that can tackle a specific challenge but also be mindful of the broader context.

Karl Check, Director - Foreseeable