In 2007, HCSS was established. In the same year, Apple released the first iPhone. China shot down one of their own satellites, creating an enormous amount of space debris. For the first time in American history, a new generation earned less than their parents. A bond trader from Morgan Stanley caused a financial shockwave and the US housing bubble burst. A severe drought in Australia had a detrimental impact on wheat-prices. Al-Qaeda detonated bombs at an United Nations building. The Treaty of Lisbon was signed. Putin suspended the 1990 Conventional Armed Forces Treaty. Yushchenko accused Yanukovich of attempting to consolidate power in Ukraine.
In hindsight, the warning signs of our current global challenges had been there: from climate change, to geo-political shifts, geo-economic tensions and populism. The challenges we face are far from over. Population growth lies at the root of many of today’s problems, with a predicted 50 percent population increase worldwide by 2100. Large-scale environmental degradation reduces the resilience of our ecosystem. Violent conflict is on the rise, including civil and interstate wars. These are all major challenges, which are interconnected and impact each other negatively. These risks transcend national boundaries and demand urgent global collective actions. They should be at the top of the international political agenda. Technical, economic and social breakthroughs are a necessity to come up with better answers for tomorrow. Nationalism and protectionism are not going to help.
At HCSS we are committed to developing better insights based on a solid data-driven framework to understand, explore and manage our complex connected world in a more sustainable and resilient manner. We are just at the beginning, but our efforts are already recognized all over the world. In the Global Go To Think Tank Index 2016, HCSS is listed in the top 50 of 5 different categories in Western Europe! It keeps us very motivated for the next decade!
This is the first post in a series on the HCSS 10 year anniversary. Throughout the year analysts, experts and former colleagues will publish a post reflecting on the past 10 years.
Read the post by Rob de Wijk, founder and non-Executive Director
Read the post by Sijbren de Jong, Strategic Analyst
Read the post by Stephan de Spiegelerei, Principal Scientist
Read the post by Karlijn Jans, Strategic Analyst
Read the post by Michel Rademaker, Deputy Director Market and Operations
Experts
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