For most people, until late February, Ukraine was a nation of which they knew little. Now its desperate plight is disturbingly close for all of us. The terror could be against you next. Yes really!

It is unthinkable. We are even closer to war in Europe. The inevitability of what Putin is forcing upon us continues to be real. The date and numbers 22022022 are the new 9/11. History will remember February 222022 as the day the post World War Two security of Europe was shaken. I write this as the founder of the Thinking the Unthinkable (TTU) project in 2014.

Many leaders are not yet convinced by the scale of change needed, plus the urgency. Anna Borg, President and CEO of Vattenfall, the energy giant which is “determined to enable fossil-free living within one generation”, explains why taking risk is so important to achieve the urgent transition needed.

TTU’s Nik Gowing talks unthinkables with Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at Oxford University.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2022 highlights the grim prospects for what lies ahead, especially because of the Climate Emergency. This is a lightly edited version of Peter Giger’s sobering assessment at the report launch.