Our Future Relies on Sustainability
Sustainability: a noble concept and a bit of a pipe dream, this is a word that has been gaining more and more attention as more people aim to be more socially and environmentally responsible.
There are those who have argued that sustainable development is a false promise, a buzz word used to sell PR or a political message.
Regardless of the naysayers, sustainable development is being explored across the globe, helping millions of people and societies build better and healthier lives while reducing man-made damage. Our greatest minds are working towards the development of innovations that will save our planet.
But when we finally reach it, what will sustainability entail? There are many possible variations, but there are three elements that must be realized for true sustainability to be reached.
The first sector that needs to be reached is business. As it is a huge element, one that both spans and runs the globe and also has the potential to do a fair amount of environmental damage, true sustainability will not be reached without the creation of a sustainable business world.
A sustainable business world is better for everyone. After all, we all need to do our part to reduce our footprint and the hard work private citizens put in will not be enough if the business world isn’t willing to put in the effort.
Of course becoming sustainable doesn’t mean a business automatically becomes unprofitable. A truly sustainable business is still creating a profit for shareholders and is also eco-friendly and making a positive impact.
For businesses interested in working towards this goal there is help. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a conglomerate set up to help move the business world towards a sustainable future. More than 200 companies (including heavyweights like Apple, Ford and Santander) call themselves members. Together these companies seek out potential solutions to anything standing between the current business world and the sustainable business world.
Initiatives like this truly show the great things that can come from human innovation and cooperation.
Another factor that must be reached for true sustainability is gender equality. In fact many say gender equality is the main factor that has to be achieved.
The good news is more than 100 countries are making efforts, allocating funding. The UN is also stepping up with the Fund for Gender Equality. The fund has already been making a strong impact, helping women gain new skills that will increase their income and their political strength.
Canada is seeking to achieve gender equality through Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy. This new plan aims to go about international assistance in a more effective way, investing in the effective and innovative partnerships and communities that will better the world. Over five years the policy will provide $100 million, enough to start a change in our world.
For the future of our Earth we have to hope these efforts have their desired effect.
The last area may prove to be the hardest task, as well as the most important. It is also something we have been striving for for a very long time. A truly sustainable world must include the end of poverty and income inequality.
Poverty and income inequality hurt everyone, even if you don’t realize it. These elements are detrimental to economic growth and are a source for many conflicts and growing instability. This is why “End poverty in all its forms everywhere” is goal one of the UN’s sustainable development goals.
Progress has been made but millions across the globe still struggle to survive.
There may be no universal solution. Politics and specific differences in countries and cultures mean we need multiple answers. However, a redistribution of wealth through a universal income is a logical first step.
Brazil has been testing a solution in this vein: the Bolsa Família Program. This universal income has been shown to improve the health rates of the impoverished and reduce the child mortality rates. It also decreased homeless and hidden homeless levels.
Other basic income pilots have showed similar outcomes, with participants displaying better levels of health and improved housing situations.
Proponents of the system immediately stress the cost, and it is true that a fully universal income would be incredibly costly. However, the benefits to raising so many people out of poverty are very important and are why the system needs to be properly explored.
Humanity has come up with so many innovations. I know we can figure out a way to properly harness basic income and eradicate poverty.
A sustainable business world free of poverty and gender inequality: This is the world we need and the world we are (hopefully) moving towards.
Across the globe people are making strides, thinking up ways to create a more sustainable world. This is not an easy process and will require the efforts of all of us, but if we manage to reach our goal we will both save the planet and make it a better place for all of us.