Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)

Blogs

Our blogs offer timely perspectives from CISL experts and our global network, exploring how leaders are responding to market shifts, managing risk and turning insight into action.

259 results

Climate action is doomed unless we rewire the global financial system

13 May 2025 - Dr Nina Seega, Director of CISL's Centre for Sustainable Finance, explains why changes to the financial system will underpin the fight against the climate emergency. First published in Forbes.The world is not in good shape. 2024 was the hottest year on record. Six of nine planetary boundaries - the limits deemed safe for humans to enj…
A day in the life of an Master's in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment student

9 April 2025 - Gloria Wong, Senior Civil and Structural Engineer at Arup, and student on the Master’s in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE), shares her experience of studying the programme and details what a day looks like during the third of her residential workshops in Cambridge, UK.My day begins with…A leisurely walk to Ma…
Private finance is vital for climate action. Here’s how to scale it

8 April 2025 - Dr Nina Seega, the Director of CISL's Centre for Sustainable Finance, explains why it's time for the private sector to step up and scale up finance for climate change adaptations. First published by Forbes.Tariffs, trade wars and Trump. The world has seldom been on such uncertain territory. Yet while these issues “flood the zone”, in…
Silence is not a strategy when it comes to sustainability

7 April 2025 - In the current climate, there is huge opportunity for business in leading. But as the need to act grows more urgent, the political context is driving many companies to retreat from public leadership. CISL's CEO, Lindsay Hooper, makes the case for speaking up. First published in Newsweek.The ground has shifted under the feet of busine…
Neutreeno: The journey of a Cambridge cleantech startup on the rise

31 March 2025 - Zoe Loughlin, who leads the Canopy innovation community, gives her insights on the Cambridge innovation ecosystem and follows Neutreeno as the Cambridge-born cleantech startup grows from strength to strength. We all know the old proverb: it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes an ecosystem to scale a startup. This is th…
What is it like to work in a collaborative hub fostering sustainability and innovation?

27 March 2025 - CISL’s Chief Innovation Officer James Cole details a day in the life at CISL’s Entopia Building, a world-class innovation hub. Seven years ago, a bold vision was set in motion: the transformation of a 1930s telephone exchange in central Cambridge into a world-class innovation hub for sustainability. The objective was to create a phy…
Remote sustainability courses could close global skills gap, says University of Cambridge director

26 March 2025 - Unless sustainability courses are made more accessible to busy working professionals, the talent shortage will increase, putting the planet’s climate and other sustainability goals further beyond reach, says Dr Theo Hacking at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. First published by Eco-Business.The qu…
With America hostile to multilateralism, G20 president South Africa should forge closer ties with Europe

19 March 2025 - The G20 is facing a crisis. This is due to the United States’ newfound hostility to multilateralism of all kinds and particular hostility to the holder of the G20 presidency, South Africa, CISL Africa's Sikho Luthango writes. First published by Reuters.Since Donald Trump entered the White House in January, the administration has pul…
A day in the life of a Postgraduate Course Director

24 February 2025 – Dr Tim Forman, Course Director of the Master’s and Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainability Leadership for the Built Environment (SLBE) shares a day in his life at the last SLBE workshop of 2024. During SLBE residential workshops, students engage in lectures, practical exercises, and discussions, and meet with supervisors and s…
Comment: The dangers of ditching Europe’s Green Deal

18 February 2025 - Remaining competitive is fundamental to Europe’s future. And implementing the European Green Deal is the best mechanism to get there. Climate change and its costs to the economy are real and set to soar. CISL's CEO, Lindsay Hooper, and the CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition, María Mendiluce, write in Reuters.Brussels is under …
On conflict, critical minerals and the need for renewed global leadership

13 February 2025 – Sibusiso Nkomo, Africa programme manager at CISL, explains how the regional crisis around critical minerals sourcing in the DRC reflects deeper global problems as demand for these materials increases. First published by edie.From ‘blood diamonds’ to ‘conflict minerals,’ Africa does not seem to be able to escape its resource curse…
A day in the life of an Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment student

12 February 2025 - Melpomeni Rapti, Homes Propositions and Products Manager at Lloyds Banking Group, and a student on the Postgraduate Certificate in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE), shares her experience of studying the programme and details what a day looks like during the second of her two residential workshops in Cambr…
Comment: Sustainability is under unprecedented attack. Here’s how we can fight back

10 February 2025 - Those working for a sustainable future are under attack. Progress is being dismantled and a new reality is hitting hard. And yet there’s no shared plan for what comes next. The time for passive observation, or for relying on vague calls for “courage” or “digging deeper” is past. We need a new strategy – fast. Eliot Whittington wr…
Beyond box ticking – why investors and boards will benefit from strategic collaboration on sustainability

29 January 2025 - Collaborative support for legislative reforms, taxation frameworks, and public incentives is vital to create a level playing field for long-term value creation, says Gillian Secrett of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. First published by IPE.Businesses and investors today face a world of conflicting realities.…
A day in the life of a Master’s in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment student

23 January 2025 - Adam Meyrick, Construction Manager at Galliford Try Construction, and a student on the Master’s in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE), shares his experience of studying the programme and details what a day looks like during one of his residential workshops in Cambridge, UK.My day begins with…An early morning…

Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)

About

Entopia building

Courses

Sectors

Innovation

Global innovation partnerships

Policy and finance

Community

CISL Network

Campaigns

Resources

About

Courses

Sectors

Innovation

Policy and finance

Community

Campaigns

Resources

Blogs

Our blogs offer timely perspectives from CISL experts and our global network, exploring how leaders are responding to market shifts, managing risk and turning insight into action.