Is it too late for Sustainability? It seems easier to find a pessimistic than an optimistic answer to this question. This article lines up with the optimistic answers. If you’re a pessimist, I hope I can at least give you a pinch of hope or inspiration. If you’re an optimist, I want to support your positivity and let’s get ready to rumble!

Trouble is coming, but has trouble ever stopped people from reacting? Instead of panicking, I suggest we take a moment (yes, we have those few seconds) and use our time to create something we want, something for the greater good.

All the challenges are leading us in one direction: systems change. We aren’t facing a magnitude of crises, but what if I told you that we’re actually facing opportunities? Should we grab them? We can rebuild our fragmented world and create systems that benefit people and the planet. Now, we can lay the foundation for a better world because it’s not too late for Sustainability!

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Instead of asking “Is it too late?” we should ask: “How much will we save?” and “How much better will our lives be?”

As long as every human accepts the limits of economic growth and finds different measures to define success, we are sweet. Sometimes I wonder: is it more ambitious to achieve behavioural change or save the world? Stubbornness isn’t our best trait.

How are we going to turn sustainability problems into sustainability opportunities? Using these 10 simple reasons why it’s not too late for Sustainability will open new windows of opportunities for you. Simple, efficient and creative is the motto.

10 reasons which will blow your mind because they are simple, yet powerful

#1 Human’s will to survive

Humans are too arrogant and stubborn to become extinct without a good fight. Sounds harsh? Indeed, but we have many other great attributes like love, compassion, etc. Our advantage is our ability to adapt even when it becomes uncomfortable. 

Another ace up our sleeve is our ingenuity and diversity. We have scientists, engineers, accountants, bakers, mothers, lovers etc. This seems like a pretty good army for change. In other words, diversity is exactly what we need. 

Different people come up with original ideas which make a difference. Important decisions affect all of us. For this reason, we should make use of our choices and make decisions for the better. Inaction is not an option anymore. Consequently, we have to look ouside the box and embrace and support everyone’s attempt to create a better world.

#2 Underestimated skills which have the whooms to change everything

Saving the planet is desirable for all of us. Unfortunately, we tend to think in a linear fashion when developing technologies. It’s a straightforward process: you develop and build something that focuses on solving a problem. Finding a direct solution to a problem is not as beneficial as one would think. 

Here’s why: our world is very complex. Instead of simply treating the symptom of a problem, we have to address it at its root with system change. A lot of money is spent on technological solutions, but more money should be invested into solutions for systems change. That’s an issue because our current systems are based on exploitation and destruction. 

My suggestion: let’s take a step back and reflect on humanity’s virtues. What are our drivers? What are our values? I prepared a list for you that hopefully sparks your inspiration to create sustainable systems for change: 

Love, hate, trust, motivation, values, habits, skills, belonging, satisfaction, happiness, stress, habits, empowerment, confidence, respect, morale, agency etc.

If you love words as much as I do, I recommend you to get my Sustainability wordlist. This wordlist will help you to communicate the many opportunities Sustainability brings us, inspire you to create meaningful solutions and encourage sustainable decision-making:

#3 There is enough money

Sustainability is represented as expensive. Funnily enough, the opposite is the case. In the initial stage, technologies are expensive, but become cheaper over time. Increasingly, money is mobilised to climate funds or other investment forms. As a result, achieving Sustainability will become cheaper and more affordable: fewer resources, increased social well-being and a regenerated nature will work like a charm. 

Sustainability-supporting technologies could already be mainstream if it weren’t for greedy industries. What is really expensive is the ego of a few at the cost of others. Solving this disease will bring us enough money to save the world 10 times (I made this up, but I believe this number is even higher). It’s not too late for Sustainability if make decisions for the greater good.

It’s not too late for Sustainability is about less and not more. What is actually expensive are our capitalistic and individual lifestyles, living at the cost of other people and the planet. Therefore, Sustainability is only expensive if we want to solve it with complexity and not simplicity.

#4 Nature can care for us if we return the favour

We depend on nature. This is indisputable. To be honest, I prefer to depend on nature than on some lunatics who promise us Mars when we can have heaven on earth. It’s heartbreaking to see that so much natural environment is destroyed to support egocentric lifestyles.

Instead of going into detail about environmental destruction (what I did in this article here Why We Need To Understand The Planetary Boundaries), I want to share a personal anecdote:

If you read my article Why I Started My Reimagine Sustainability Blog? you might know that my grandpa inspired me to travel. His favourite country is New Zealand and he told me many wonderful stories about his experience there. Through his stories he planted a dream in my head: I have to go there, it is paradise on Earth. In 2018, my dream came true, but New Zealand didn’t turn out to be the dream I imagined. Travelling the North and South Islands left me sober and not in awe. I was disappointed, but why? Then, I realised that the majority of natural land was erased to make space for dairy farms. It’s still a beautiful country, but I think it has lost a lot of its charm for cheap beef, milk and cheese. Is it worth it? Not to this extent.

If you have a look at New Zealand, there is no wilderness left…

This anecdote doesn’t aim at abolishing the dairy farm industry. It aims at rethinking if vast amounts of land have to be used for the production of highly resource-intensive food. When I travelled through New Zealand, I worked on a few dairy farms. Dairy farming is a tough job and in comparison to other countries, New Zealand has strict laws in regard to the well-being of the cows. It’s not too late for Sustainability practices to be implemented. What are the alternatives? How can dairy farmers be supported in transitioning to more profitable and environmentally friendly practices?

#5 Our responsibility to straighten it out

As you can see in the picture “What’s Left?”, there is not a lot of wilderness left. We can’t bring back what’s gone, but we can take the responsibility to stop before there is no way of returning. Business as usual will become our nemesis. 

Not only are we responsible for nature’s health, but also for the generations to come. Youth-led movements like Fridays For Future which protest against the lack of action on the climate crisis have been frowned upon. But why? Why did so many adults become bullies against their own children? Because young people have understood the crisis a lot earlier? Skipping school because little value is taught is not an offence. It’s actually pretty smart. I also didn’t feel well prepared for the world after school: Now it’s even worse. 

Education is crucial to prepare our children and the following generations for the challenges ahead. It is a responsibility that lies on the shoulders of adults. Children are smart, and very aware when things are going wrong. The adult’s responsibility (parents, teachers, educational ministers etc.) is to work together and solve problems. Or do we have another issue of arrogance here?

#6 A transition to a green economy is possible

Low carbon, resource efficiency and socially inclusivity are a few of the many opportunities we can achieve with a green economy. Good for communities, good for businesses and good for the environment, so why isn’t it the norm? 

There are many reasons, but decoupling the economy from our dependency on excessive resource use is a goal we have to achieve in the modern world. It doesn’t mean that we have to live frugally forever after. Our mindsets need a shift from scarcity to abundance without the dependency on material status. 

The only legitimate scarcity we can experience is when we don’t have fresh air, clean water, healthy soils, thriving environments and safe, nutritious food. Additionally, safety and our communities are crucial for our well-being. Anything else is replaceable, but not what really contributes to our well-being.

#7 Mitigation is our biggest hope

Fighting the effects of climate and other crises is our future. There’s no way around it. Our actions will determine how warm the world will become. Stabilising the climate is one of our jobs, but there are many more. It’s not too late for Sustainability to start now.

If we want the world to be sustainable, we should take all crises seriously. The article From A Carbon Tunnel Vision To A Holistic Collaboration Approach explains the benefits of a holistic perspective. Without doubt, we are already experiencing the effects of climate change and it won’t be easy to reverse them. As a result, mitigation will be our best friend. 

Instead of wasting time, energy and money focusing solely on tackling the climate crisis, we need to invest in a more holistic perspective. Understanding the interconnectedness of our world and finding the hotspots for action will bring us faster to our goal. 

#8 It’s easier than we think: Optimistic mindset

Our global problems need global collaboration. A success story of global collaboration is the adoption of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Due to the release of highly potent chemicals, the ozone hole grew to a troubling size. Scientists, as well as governments, came together to reverse the man-made damage; successfully. 

There are not many successful examples of global collaboration, but we need every optimist we can. Pointing fingers is pointless and we need empowering motivators to bring more optimism and zest for action into the world. 

Communicating the benefits of sustainable achievements can deliver significant impacts. Sustainable development results in many benefits for people and the planet. Focus on the positives to bring about change.

#9 We know what we need to do

Simply knowing that we have to do something is a superb step in the right direction. Anything else will fall into place because what we want already exists in some form somewhere. Decoupling, rethinking, reimagining, downgrading etc. are all actions where we can bring in our ingenuity and smartness. We need thinkers, developers, doers, dreamers, and so on because diversity is our saviour. 

Moreover, another aspect is to stop letting people make decisions that only benefit their and their shareholders’ pockets and destroy our world. Redesigning education empowers people to become better decision-makers. 

Consequently, the preparation for an ecological transition where humans and nature act in a symbiosis will be a piece of cake. #Cavelife won’t be necessary, but smarter ways of living and interacting with nature will benefit both: people and the planet.

#10 Better now than never

So let’s start ignoring people who are in the way of making the world a better place. Take away their spotlight and replace them with people who care for us, the environment and the state of the world. 

We are better than what is happening right now. Sure, it’s a scary future, but only to the extent that we let it happen. The right time is now. For you, for me and for everyone. We are not even close to having lived longer than the dinosaurs. A meteorite wiped them out; an unavoidable circumstance. Unlike us, they had no choice. 

We have a choice. We can make the decisions to live longer than a second on our beautifully amazing planet.

It’s not too late for Sustainability, are you going to make this choice?