23 Feb 2025
Sustainability in the crossfire
When the words sustainable development and sustainability hit the street nearly 40 years ago, they were widely welcomed as guidance away from the cycle of pollute, discover and clean up. Our Common Future, the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development [Brundtland commission] gave us a set of guiding principles. The goal was to reorient development so it would continue to give us the things we need but without destroying the environment. Governments, companies and individuals have been trying for decades to put the ideas into action. We have stronger environmental protections in many parts of the world. A lot of companies are working hard to produce sustainable good and services. Most people are aware of the environmental crises such as climate change and many are trying to lighten their environmental footprint.
But the political and social environments are changing. When the Brundtland report came out the cold war was coming to an end and that was followed by a period of relative peace, at least among the great powers. There was economic prosperity in much of the world. Things have taken a turn for the worse. The world order with its rules and agreements created after the chaos of the Second World War, is cracking. Countries are invading or threatening their neighbours. Forget about the peace dividend at the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. Many nations are rushing to rearm. And war is terrible for the environment and for our health and well-being.
The idea of sustainability risks being a casualty of these bellicose times. Remember the term “guns or butter” from the past century? Government spending looks as if it’s tipping toward guns. This will make it difficult to maintain health care, education, the maintenance of our towns and cities and the social safety net. It risks pushing environmental protection aside and increasing the production of fossil fuels even as they destroy our climate. We can’t ignore military threats and will have to spend more on arms, but will the next generation be able to do this while pushing us to a more sustainable economy and lifestyle?