The six ‘Vs’ that threaten our future
At AIEN's 2022 International Energy Summit, keynote speaker The Rt Hon Lord Robertson explains the six ‘Vs’ he considers are the most challenging for our society and planet.
Volatility – the modern world has seen nothing like the volatility of events over the past few
years. Currently, we are dealing with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, whilst still processing
the Covid pandemic. And before that we have had a series of seismic events – the 2008
financial crash, 9/11, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the rise and fall of ISIS. There has been
very little that has stayed constant in the past two decades.
Velocity – the velocity of change has been unprecedented and unparalleled in global history.
As Justin Trudeau said: “the pace of change has never been this fast and will never be this
slow again”. There is scarcely any aspect of human life where things aren’t changing at a
great speed – from technology to bioengineering and media.
Vulnerabilities – There are so many vulnerabilities currently facing us that we have yet to
face or control, from cyberattacks to warfare, which has changed to become a war without
rules. And at the same time, we are facing the old vulnerabilities that haven’t gone away,
from terrorism to inequality.
Values – we are facing an assault on all the values that have underpinned our society since
the Cold War. These range from the rule of law, freedom of speech and a free press,
freedom of belief and separation of church and state, personal privacy and a peaceful
transition of power.
Vacuum of leadership – in the aftermath of the financial crash in 2008, world leaders came
together to create the G20 and keep the world from the brink of financial ruin. No such
fellowship and camaraderie seems to exist anymore.
Vision – the vision of ensuring future generations succeed is vital. We seem to have
forgotten the lessons learnt in the ‘never again’ aftermath of WWII. Only two worldwide
organisations have been created since then – the WTO and G20. As issues have gone global,
politics has gone local. This may not be a problem for us but it could be devastating for our
grandchildren.
Lord Robertson was speaking at our International Energy Summit, currently ongoing at the
London Hilton on Park Lane.
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