Even as climate change and nature loss become more acute, society’s ability to mount a coordinated response seems to be in rapid retreat. Geopolitical divides, trade wars, major U.S. policy shifts, and concerns over the costs and impacts of possible solutions are throwing sustainability momentum into reverse.
As members of the Council on Sustainability Transformation convened by Environmental Resources Management (ERM), we believe this situation calls for a reassessment of private and public sector sustainability approaches to ensure they support continued progress and help maintain competitiveness in this increasingly messy world. It’s important to recognize the complexity of this challenge, especially given that companies and countries that scale back sustainability efforts may realize short-term benefits that elude those that stay the course—even though decisions emphasizing short-term benefits may increase long-term business risk.
