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Climate change affects all aspects of society from individuals to companies to countries – we are all in this together

The issue of Sustainability affects all of us, at every level of society, and around every part of the globe.

Solving a problem of this magnitude is not an easy task, but it is the one that we - as a species - now face.

We can no longer pretend it isn’t happening, or simply bury our heads in the sand hoping that someone else will come along to sort it out!

The good news though, is that we have seen record levels of engagement and collaboration to drive the Sustainability agenda forward in recent years, and this only looks to be increasing into the future.

Each company must align what they do as a business to wider goals such as Net Zero

Jack Bain Jack Bain Member of the Sustainability Team

So what can I do?

Individuals have begun to factor Sustainable consumption decisions into their private lives and, as I’ve written about on The Hub before this action by individuals will play a huge role in safeguarding the future.

If we can all find individual ways to reduce our own carbon footprints, then collectively, person by person, this builds into a huge movement that will make a significant difference. 

Anything as simple as more recycling, or choosing to walk rather than drive will have a positive impact, so remember that the next time you hear someone say “what’s the point?”.

Make sure you challenge them won’t you as the biggest challenge to all of this is negativity.

The reality is though that consumer behaviour really is reflecting a growing realisation that we each contribute to the problem in many ways that could be avoided if we all approached things differently.

What about government?

We might have seen the end of environmental protests for the moment, mainly due to COVID-19 but we can be sure that activist movements and lobbying groups will continue to campaigning for more change and a faster pace.

We are also seeing national governments setting ambitious targets that will make a real difference, with Forbes in particular ranking the top 150 countries – showing that the top 10 are all in Europe.

The Forbes article is based on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) conducted by researchers at Yale and Columbia universities who every two years rank the world’s nations on eco-friendliness.

The Index grades 180 countries from Albania to Zimbabwe, on 32 key sustainability indicators, with the research findings pointing to each individual country’s “environmental health and ecosystem vitality”.

And what about business?

To play our part, each company must align what they do as a business to support wider goals such as the UK Net Zero 2050 pledge or the 17 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Companies like Mitsubishi Electric are already innovating Sustainable solutions to many of the most important aspects of the problem - such as heating and transportation;

We are also looking at all aspects of the products and services we offer, so that we build-in sustainability from the ‘cradle to the grave’

There is a series of articles on our Corporate website which explores each of the 17 United Nation SDGs; looking at the ways in which we can continue to advance the Sustainability agenda in everything we do.

Jack Bain is a member of the Sustainability Team