Data dilemmas

Hello, and welcome to the last Transform edition of 2023 and the first of 2024.

This is the time of year when the northern hemisphere is getting used to shorter days and colder weather, while colleagues in the south are welcoming spring and summer. However, wherever we are in the world, we are likely to be using data in our professional and personal lives, whether it's sending emails, writing reports or communicating with friends and family.

We're probably very aware of the electricity we're using in our homes and offices, but do we ever include the carbon footprint of the data we are using and storing?

Chris Seekings considers the costs to the planet of our inboxes, and what we can do to mitigate them.

The brilliant policy team here at IEMA have recently published, with the help and support of our incredible expert members, a '101' guide on the circular economy. It's a great way to understand the principles of the circular economy and how you can adapt them to your own sector. You can find it in the policy and practice pages of the website. But is 'circular economy' a synonym for greenwashing in some organisations? David Burrows investigates how to make the circular economy more meaningful.

Those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to invest, or put some money into a pension fund, have probably looked at ethical investments and how to ensure that your savings are doing good. But have you looked beyond what the fund managers are telling you and investigated the assumptions they are making on what a future economy stressed by climate change will look like? Huw Morris has some interesting and concerning information to share.

Well, that's it from me. May I wish you, on behalf of the whole IEMA team, a peaceful end to 2023, and a joyful and prosperous New Year.

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