These are tough times for global policy making around sustainability. The rise of nationalism is challenging cooperation. Social media is changing how politics works. Inequality and poverty are causing real anger and soaking up political capital.
Even five years ago it was considered sensible to base policy on evidence. Now we’re told, “we don’t need experts”.
In January, a relatively unknown Swedish 16-year-old school girl, known for striking on Friday in the name of climate change, addressed economic leaders in Davos with what has become known as the “our house is on fire” speech. A few days earlier, Jeremy Grantham pledged $1 billion towards fighting climate change.
As the year unfolded, the world saw an estimated 1.4 million children striking globally in March, and in April Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, wrote an open letter on climate related-financial risks. Most recently, The Guardian has replaced ‘climate change’ with ‘climate emergency, crisis or breakdown’ and ‘global heating’ in place of ‘global warming’.
The world is listening, but on an individual level understanding what one can do is often overwhelming, particularly in the sphere of investing. Money can be invested so that it makes a difference, but navigating the jargon is confusing. Read more …