How the Sustainability Conversation Has Changed

The sustainability conversation has changed greatly since the time I started in this field, and even more so in the last five years. The speed of change has been exponential in three areas:

1.????Recognition of global impact

2.????The awareness of Intersectional Environmentalism

3.????Stakeholder expansion and the emergence of hope

The scope of the topics and lists of concerns continues to lengthen, but the biggest change that has occurred in the past five years is the recognition that outcomes of unsustainable human actions are global. An awakening has occurred. We are all in trouble unless we change our ways.

Take the ocean plastics crisis, for example. At one point, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located off the coast of the Western United States, was thought to be the extent of this problem. We now know that similar plastic garbage patches have converged in the five large subtropical gyres centered in the North Pacific, South Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Indian Ocean. Microplastics are now found in the most remote places. Plastic contamination is everywhere: in our food, in tap water, in bottled water, in streams and rivers that eventually carry plastic waste to the ocean, and even in the air that we breathe.

Similarly, the climate crisis is globally distributed, and the last five years have brought the stark realization that it can affect anyone, anywhere. In July of 2021, even previously immune Europe was affected by severe flooding in Germany and Belgium. There is evidence that the changing climate has created “biological niches” for diseases, parasites, and viruses to take advantage of a newfound habitat. This conversation has been much more relevant since the world has been grappling with Covid. Today, well over 70% of Americans believe that climate change is real, whereas five years ago, this number hovered around 20%.

Lea Thomas coined the term Intersectional Environmentalism in an Instagram?post? that went viral in May 2020 amidst the calls for racial justice. In Thomas’ words, Intersectional Environmentalism is “an inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for both the protection of people and the planet.” As a result of Thomas’ work and others, there is a recognition that social justice and environmentalism are really one in the same. If you ignore one, you ignore the other. Certainly the Flint water crisis is an obvious example.

However, let’s take this concept to a global scale: the war currently raging in the Ukraine. This war is creating both a devastating human rights and ecological disaster. While the criminal and immoral destruction of life is on the forefront, those that occupy the soil of Ukraine both during and after this conflict are and will be exposed to further harms. These include poor air and water quality and potentially nuclear poisons. The climate is suffering with the extensive burning of carbon-based fuel systems that are under attack, as well as the use of the weapons themselves. In truth, neither people nor the Earth can no longer tolerate the consequences of war.

Finally, the number and diversity of people that are now involved in this discussion about sustainability has increased to every demographic and every location, including the far corners of the world. There are many genuinely concerned people in all walks of life that have a voice and want to work together to make things better. The commitment is palpable, and with social media, the word spreads faster.

Corporate leaders are now expressing these conversations in terms of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and are taking action like never before. For example, we are documenting greenhouse gas emissions and putting in place measures for reduction, along with gaging performance against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Community groups are working at the grassroots level to protect our climate, greenspace, and biodiversity; nonprofit organizations that focus on sustainability are working more closely with government and the private sector in beneficial and unprecedented ways. The carbon offset market has more movement than ever before, protecting vast forests and biodiversity around the world.

Is there hope? Yes, of course there is hope. It’s never too late for you to do whatever good that you can do. There is no artificial deadline to save the world. Our actions add up, but each person must take responsibility. You must consider sustainability in each decision that you make. Please do this for all of us.