It is impossible to ignore the reality that sustainable development is gaining urgency around the world. Powered largely by the abundance of new and easily accessible data, advocates for the most pressing global issues of our time can now be found on all seven continents. However, whilst last November’s UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow firmed up the global commitment to accelerate climate action during this decade, a topic for debate now is whether this action will be adequate in limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
As we look ahead to the upcoming COP27 meeting in Egypt later this year, the answer to that question increasingly appears to be “no.” As UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his COP26 wrap-up message: “It is time to go into emergency mode — or our chance of reaching net-zero will itself be zero.” As we come to grips with the severity of this message and many others from scientists and policy makers around the world, we have had ample time to reflect on the fundamental strategies in place for promoting sustainable development in our own lives.
In a nutshell: We need to do more, without further delay, and consumers must be part of that solution. This means that local government and business leaders must work together to deliver an engaging consumer proposition, making them active players who are empowered to take the positive actions needed to facilitate meaningful change. The public want to hold governments and businesses accountable for achieving these changes; we must enable them to be part of that process with the right frameworks.
Technology to engage the public in climate action
Around the world, cities contribute the majority of carbon and greenhouse emissions, which will persist and increase with growing urbanisation and the emergence of megacities. However, even with most of the G20 economies committing to zero carbon by 2050-2060 and to work towards a global temperature increase of no more than 1.5°C, this is looking like an increasingly challenging target.
A powerful yet rudimentary part of the solution is to continually engage the public, particularly young people, to help accelerate the Net Zero transition. Technology, leveraged and propagated by the major digital platforms in use, would be the key partner to major cities in activating this engagement. Imagine if every business (or even every building) had a five-star sustainability rating published prominently for consumers to see – similar to a standard review rating – when hailing a ride, booking a hotel room, ordering a home delivery service, or entering a destination on a map. It’s already happening in a piecemeal fashion, but what if we could scale it up? Consumers can then “vote with their money” and choose the more sustainable alternatives, thereby enabling them to play a part in combating climate change by holding businesses accountable.
The impact of such massive action cannot be underestimated. Larry Fink, chairman and CEO of Blackrock, the largest asset management company in the world, said in a mid-2021 interview that unsustainable companies would eventually find themselves starved of capital. In a similar manner, I would also argue that talent are already voting with their time and effort to work for more sustainable companies, and consumers are doing the same with their purchases.
Consider the positive impact achieved by nutritional labelling on food packaging and health warnings on cigarette boxes as effective case studies for how swiftly behavioural changes can be accomplished with clearly targeted, appropriate strategies. If big tech and big cities cooperate to make the sustainability impact of our daily choices more transparent, the effect can be amplified across all publics.
Empowering civil society’s voice
The idea of an engaging consumer proposition on sustainability begins with business leaders, government officials, and major digital platforms worldwide collaborating to provide channels and mechanisms that allow consumer-driven change to happen. The voice of civil society can help us achieve sustainability and climate goals through higher demand for sustainable products, climate transparency, and economic circularity.
With almost a quarter (23 percent) of consumers saying they are buying more sustainable products today (vs 2019), we are at a tipping point for continued transformation as civil society is increasingly leading calls for more ambitious climate action. As business leaders, our responsibility is to promote this social transformation and facilitate the required platforms and channels to encourage better decision making by our consumers.
Finding collaborative solutions
We cannot deny that issues of sustainable development are notoriously complex – and I speak from direct experience. The pursuit of sustainability is multi-faceted and incorporates a combination of commitments as part of a comprehensive, integrated strategy. It requires a dedication to transparency on these issues and enthusiasm to engage with local communities in this pursuit. The fundamental belief must be that businesses of all sizes – especially the largest ones – can make similar commitments while continuing to prosper.
We are certain that the future well-being of our planet depends on the choices we make today, and not a moment later. recognising our collective roles in our societies and broader economies, and our shared responsibility towards the planet and our generations’ future, we invite businesses (especially technology platforms) and cities (through their local governments) to collaborate on engaging consumer propositions for sustainability and turn them actionable plans. Taking concrete action now would demonstrate that our region can take a leading role in securing the future survival and prosperity of the human race.
Ahmed Galal Ismail is the CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Properties
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