Paradigm shifts happen slowly, then all at once. Covid-19 has shown us this. Climate change has too. Pandemics and global warming are linked. So are rising flood waters, violent hurricanes and recent wildfires in California that threw up enough smoke to darken east coast skies.
Business is usually ahead of government on coping with change. We’ve already seen multiple adaptations to the pandemic, including working from home and kerbside pick-up of shopping. But I think the shifts are about to get bigger and more profound.
One area to watch closely, because it is linked to climate change as well as disruptions such as cross-border migration and deglobalisation, is vertical farming. This involves growing produce on giant, multistorey walls that are nourished with precise levels of light and water, a concept developed by Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier.