Professor Gail Whiteman is director of the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University. Dr Jeremy Wilkinson is a sea dce physicist and lead investigator at the British Antarctic Survey.

  • Forget the FTSE 500: the Arctic is the real barometer of global risk

    Humans are naturally risk-averse. We try to avoid disaster zones, and don’t like to fly when there appear to be mechanical problems or heavy fog. However, often information about risk is incomplete, and sometimes we don’t even know the risks we’re taking until after the event. Even for thrill-seekers, identifying and managing risk is a prudent approach.