My 2030: Will Earth Rise?

We stand at a truly exciting moment in humanity’s experiments with civilization. Surmounting the varied and vicious odds of population growth, wars, poverty, ethnic strife, power- and resource-divides, weapons race, civilizational animosity and the havoc we are wreaking on Earth’s natural wealth, many parameters of human development are actually showing an upward trend. For vulnerable populations across the globe access to nutrition, literacy, health, shelter, dignity and political participation, among other things, has actually increased. The world needs to be thankful to the movements, like the UN MDGs, individuals, charities and foundations for keeping the focus firmly on developmental goals.

Yet, the slide above makes for sobering reflection. It points to the fact that we are, in fact, at a cusp moment. There is a lot still to be done and to be done right. The Earth could easily slip back into despair and darkness, if we do not set the right goals and the right processes right now! The first set of UN Millennium Development Goals is due for revision and leaders around the world and at the UN Headquarters are discussing the way forward. We are setting the pace for Earth in 2030 now and there is data aplenty from our collective experience to better mold the world towards the eternal human ideals of peace, justice and prosperity.

In my work with NGOs and corporations on CSR initiatives I find that the Voice of the Community is the game changer. Technology, education and political mobilization are creating an increasingly aware community that is eager to be heard and be respected. And, their stories are likely to be far different from the ones policy makers and leaders tell each other if they are not listening intently. A rural community I interacted with for implementing an ambitious CSR program told me that their need was actually simple: they wanted a source of drinking water close to the area where the poorest section of the village lived. That would give them a sense of empowerment vis-à-vis the dominant community of the village, which already had a water-well positioned in the middle of their location. As the future of development unfolds with debate around new MDGs, we must look closely at autonomous communities of the most vulnerable who are customizing their development story based on their needs. A grand development architecture is necessary, of course, but the building blocks have to be these autonomous development experiences. The key to sustainability lies in widening these experiences. Many governments are acting on this imperative. The 2014 State of Food Insecurity (SOFI) Report cites the instance of the action in Bolivia where the country has created institutions to involve previously marginalized indigenous people in the cause of greater food security. Malawi too has done well in the food security space by creating a program of community-based nutrition intervention.

By 2030, the horizon which world leaders and policy makers are now trying to figure out at the UN and elsewhere, the world will be a different place and nothing will show up the difference more than the way business would have changed. The boundaries of business will be more porous than ever, thanks to assertive, empowered, voluble populations increasingly aware of their rights. The linear structure of business ownership – shareholder-management-employee – is under stress. Some years back I worked for a global company whose ambitions were being thwarted by rural communities unwilling to give up their land rights to accommodate Big Business. They were doing something that only owners of a business had the power to do – stop or start a business – as we are taught in B-School.

As levels of technology, education and skills rise among the world’s people business will find myriad non-traditional stakeholders climbing onto the bandwagon. Business is trying to address some of the pressures with CSR and Sustainability programs, but if it is to look at 2030 with some amount of confidence then a move beyond CSR is necessary. Globally business today harnesses human potential and energy at an unprecedented level. Business must prepare for #2030NOW with Non-Market Strategies that carry a blueprint for Corporate Social Inclusion. India’s premier business conglomerate, the House of Tatas, celebrated a Volunteer Week this month with their employees, former employees and their families, a week in which participants are encouraged to reach out to local communities and address community needs. This kind of osmotic inclusion will drive business in the future as leaders look for ways to bridge social divides through business enterprise. Business leaders, managers, employees and boards have to connect better with communities that impact their work and life.

The other significant theme that develops as we look at 2030 is the future of our children. When we think of our children now, we are thinking of 2030 now. A child today will be an adult at the prime of her social and economic life when 2030 arrives. World leaders have to keep this individual in mind while deciding developmental goals and processes. I have spent considerable time with children in rural India and found that their priorities are not getting the kind of attention that other sections grab. There is a welcome move afoot internationally to put education at the heart of every new MDG. There is also welcome news that under-5 years mortality has declined globally by 49% in the period between 1990 and 2013. If all our development goals carry education, the future of children and community-connect at their heart then sustainability is assured.

One other piece of good news has come this month in the form of the announcement from scientists that the ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere has started to heal as a result of the concerted action by 197 nations to phase out chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases following the signing of the Montreal Protocol of 1987. Now, if only the nations of the world would bring to bear the same commitment and unity on action in the areas of climate change, international cooperation and trade! The title of this post is inspired by the name of the famous photograph, Earthrise, taken from the Moon's orbit by an Apollo mission in 1968 which showed, for the first time, our planet rising above the lunar horizon. The photo forms the backdrop of the headline slide used in this post, a gentle reminder that the Earth is capable of rising above the horizon of human hope and possibility if nations act in concert and leaders in all fields embrace the idea of inclusion in every decision.

Twitter: @simantam