Personal Predictions for Supply Chain Management in 2024

For several years now, it has been a tradition for me to use this blog to offer a little outlook on the coming months of SCM, a kind of glimpse into the crystal ball. This year, however, it is particularly difficult for me to do so. I have spent the last couple of weeks repairing the extensive damage that the climate crisis has caused to my parents’ house. Since the spring of 2023, the sea surface temperatures have consistently reached unprecedented extremes, leading to evaporation over the Atlantic and heavy rainfall in Germany. My compatriot, climatologist Stefan Rahmstorf, summarizes the current situation in Germany as follows: “Extreme precipitation is on the increase worldwide, including here [in Germany] due to global warming. Climate researchers have been warning about this for more than 30 years; the data from weather stations have long since confirmed it.” I hope you understand that in this situation I don’t feel like making predictions for SCM this year. My hope for this year is that we can all work together to protect the climate, because emissions along global supply chains play a critical role in this necessary transformation.