Today the end of financial fantasy is finally here, as is climate change and a growing awareness of the bounds on the availability of natural resources like water and arable land and a growing list of minerals is sliding down the quality scale, all putting our modern business world in a crunch that may not be temporary.

We think objective perception of flowing reality is the key to the assessment of this new scenario. Nevertheless this challenge also represents a fresh opportunity to capitalize on the new circumstances. Getting there first will be cheaper and better.

Production and demand for many industrial chains will soon begin to migrate differently, geographically and technologically, driven by high energy costs, geopolitical uncertainty, desperate homeless capital and regionally shifting markets. Each activity is being affected, directly and indirectly, in a different form.

In this challenging context, a profound understanding of our commercial, financial and technological environment will be crucial, as the basic tool for confident successful decision-making. Narrow specialization probably will not be sufficient.

A multidisciplinary approach that weighs all effects and angles simultaneously, together with plain educated common sense, could be most effective in a changing uncertain environment.