Water, particularly freshwater management, is the common denominator of all my professional activities. Thirty years of wine tasting and writing led me to Climate Change, culminating in the writing of "Wine and Climate Change" in 2014, the first book on the topic, and the founding of The Wine and Climate Change Institute (Twacci.org) in 2016. My research expanded to include sustainable agricultural practices, soil health, and water management in both staple and luxury crops, and I was honoured to be a contributing author to the United Nations' Encyclopedia of the Sustainable Development Goals. Simultaneously, my close Saami ancestry reinforced my study of Indigenous Knowledge Systems. My recent master’s in Coastal and Maritime Societies and Cultures further fed this passion for all things water and prompted my current work on the Indigenous peoples of the Circumpolar North and the geopolitics of the Arctic. This blog features extracts from my UN research, talks, articles, MLitt research, and books. It covers topics such as wine, climate change, sustainability, organic agriculture, freshwater management, water science, the Vikings and the Sámi, Arctic geopolitics (including water and land use, as well as indigenous rights), Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), and Welsh beach life… all my favourite stuff …
Climatologists consider the vitis vinifera to be the “canary in the coal mine”: so sensitive to climate is this fruit crop that many climate change models are based upon its migration patterns. So, forget “coal mine” and think “gold mine”. Even with the dampening prospect of climate change forcing many well-known wine regions to cease viticulture, and others to adapt, those that are improving and emerging mean that this $300 billion global market – not including its myriad of satellite industries – is witnessing soaring global consumption and production trends. It’s all about huge lateral shifts. But the larger this industry gets, so also grows its footprint. Today’s viticultural industry is ripe for the picking: it needs sustainable eco-friendly innovation that creates new activates in the industry, as opposed to merely sustaining it. It needs innovation that goes beyond adaptation and promises resilience. In fact, in the world of wine, most adaptation techniques (such as irrigation) directly contradict mitigation’s principal goals and undermine long-term resilience. As the world’s wine map shifts, new demands are created every harvest season. The opportunities for private-sector investment and invention to make eco-friendly technology accessible and understandable to an as yet relatively untouched client-base/market segment, are significant.
