Marcus Barber invited to attend World Water Week in Stockholm 2007
Futurist Marcus Barber has been invited to present at the Stockholm International Water Institute’s prestigious World Water Week conference to be held in Stockholm later this year. His abstract submission ‘Life versus Lifestyle: the emerging clash between consumer demands and water availability’ forms part of the key workshop item of ‘Managing Future Consumer Demands’ which will attempt to consider the multitude of approaches and factors that will influence fresh water availability around the globe. The full abstract is availble below. To request a copy of the full paper, please contact us
Title of Paper:
‘Life versus Lifestyle: the emerging clash between consumer demands and water availability’
Key Words: Consumers; Commercial Impacts; Globals; Lifestyles; Values
Abstract
For arguably the first time in the history of humankind, the developed world is facing similar water access problems to those of their less developed counterparts.
The author asserts that as water is relied upon in every stage of production, all trade exchanges are simply examples of shifting water in its various end states. This understanding creates a paradigmatic shift in thinking for consumers of tomorrow who will increasingly rely upon ‘water used in production’ as an influencing factor when considering which products to buy.
In this piece we use two new concepts to change our paradigm on water access and use: the “Global Currency Map”(GCM) that assesses the types of challenges faced around the world and the different societal approaches to dealing with the crisis of water access; and a universal currency unit called “Globals” – the equivalent of 1 litre of fresh water.
By using Globals as a currency unit, consumers are made aware of the true costs associated with creating products and services and will begin to make more critical choices about the types of products they buy and influence their understanding about appropriate uses of water. This awareness will lead to a massive increase in pressure on companies whose high water use is deemed unacceptable give the consumers’ values. The author envisages a consumer based water usage guide that will enable the same product type from different manufacturers to be compared for water consumption.
The GCM also shines a spotlight on the topographical, geographical and societal biases that influence the amount and quality of available water. In this light we understand that countries that have an abundance of Globals to ‘spend’ tend to be more materialistic while those that have few typically face survival issues. The emerging consumer issue around the world can now be summed up as a choice between “Life versus Lifestyle”.
Are we there yet? Have people finally cottoned on to the idea that maybe, things aren’t going so well for the planet and our place in it? Storms, up; floods, up; fires, up; droughts, up; people being displaced by climate events, up. The signals are all around us. And yet, as a species we struggle…
Read More >One of the most challenges aspects for owners of businesses, and also for Boards charged with running businesses, is how to allow for the impact of a decision to unfold over time. Many listed company Boards will be delaying with a CEO on a limited tenure. The Board will have set expectations for performance and…
Read More >Local Governments in Australia face an emerging risk space that many seem unaware of. Brought on by rising costs, especially in business premises rentals, compliance needs and registration costs, research we’ve identified as part of work with a Local Government client is indicating a significant increase in businesses popping up in residential areas. What seems…
Read More >It’s been a rather hectic few months here at Looking Up Feeling Good in between getting a complete site rebuild, multiple interstate travel commitments and assisting an assortment of clients trying to deal with one rather interesting challenge – what to do when we’re supposed to be done and dusted with a pandemic, yet we…
Read More >Interesting emerging dynamic about to land on the shop fronts of Australian retailers that pose serious risks to their staff. And few retailers are ready With moderate level of vaccinations targets achieved, the NSW Government has decided to open up from a #Covid19 lockdown. It does so, relying on compliance enforcement to be undertaken by…
Read More >There’s a lot not to like about the latest spike in Victoria’s #Covid19 numbers. And the most culpable are mainstream media companies who created the social response The latest spike in #Covid19 infections can be directly attributed to Channel 7, Channel 9 and the ABC with lesser blame attributed to Channel 10 and SBS. In…
Read More >For those of you that follow me on other platforms, you’ll have seen, heard or read some of my thoughts on the lab grown proteins from firms like #ImpossibleFoods or #BeyondMeat. I’m a fan of those lab grown protein concepts arriving at that position whilst undertaking a Master of Science in 2004 in which…
Read More >Trying to understand something you’ve never experienced before can be a real challenge. In this post the #Covid19 #pandemic is explained using cars and traveling Your body is your car – it’s your mode of transport in this life. We want to treat it well and insure it and ideally we want to be able…
Read More >There’s a significant disconnect with a number of articles on ‘Hybrid Workplaces’ and it’s really disappointing to see SO MANY large consultants pump out articles that ignore reality. So this is a short take to offer an additional perspective. 1) Hybrid workplaces have existed for centuries, they are not new, though the sudden interest is…
Read More >Hi everyone – though a focus on particular those of you in Victoria, Australia who have an idea related to sports, active living or recreation that they might like to convert into a business. Sportstech & Active Living Pre-Accelerator program is being run by the Australian Sport Technologies Network (ASTN) and the Global Sports…
Read More >