Future-proofing our communities: embracing sustainability and resilience

While many declarations were signed and meaningful discussions had at COP26 – with COP27 expected to only re-affirm the urgency for action – it’s clear the world still has a long way to go. What’s changed in recent times though is industry attitudes. More than ever before, we’re seeing the response to climate change as opportunity-led, rather than as a risk to be managed. Pleasingly, both the private and public sectors have become more forward-thinking, with the conversation shifting from what impact climate change will have on their business, to what impact their business can have on climate change.

In addition, the science behind climate change has become more accepted and less debated than ever before, and it’s become apparent that communities, customers and shareholders, in addition to employees and business partners, are demanding climate action too. With jobs, livelihoods and humanity’s very existence at risk, a huge opportunity is within our grasp to embed adaptation and resilience to help protect against climate shock, and to wholeheartedly seize that opportunity. So, where to start?

With achieving the goal of net zero emissions now firmly on many board agendas, the greatest opportunity ahead is to aim for deep organisational change around climate priorities to genuinely embed that change in approach and mindset across all aspects of the business. No longer is it enough to pay lip service to climate change impacts with a tokenistic scheme developed by a standalone sustainability department; businesses need to demonstrate a genuine commitment and meaningful pathway for action. Before taking any action, however, it’s important to define an organisation’s role and sphere of influence. Is it this particular organisation’s responsibility to set the standard and lead the way? Does the organisation need a complete overhaul of its climate strategy? Where are the gaps?

Organisations should also seek to develop climate change plans for the short-, medium- and long-term. This is not a one-time process and should be part of the business planning cycle every three to five years. Risk registers should be discussed at quarterly board meetings, with a key focus on building resilience in the face of more frequent and severe weather events, among other threats. For example, how drought or increased flooding may affect infrastructure in the future, and whether changes can be made to mitigate or adapt to these impacts. Priority issues that affect a business and the environment it operates in and where pre-emptive action can be made, are other salient points of discussion.

Despite growing understanding and positive steps toward climate action, many challenges remain. One such obstacle is short-termism, especially on the public - sector side. From a political perspective, governments can be hesitant to enact too much change, too soon, risking backlash from constituents and industry and jeopardizing re-election for subsequent terms. On top of this, governments who do want to act can often have their hands tied due to political processes where policies cannot be made and laws cannot be enacted without a majority consensus. Companies are also increasingly responding to the responsibility to “do the right thing”.

For example, in 2018, brewing company Carlsberg ditched the plastic rings from their six-packs of beer, introducing new “Snap Pack” technology to dramatically reduce plastic waste and minimise their environmental impact. Another positive example is the British Retail Consortium, which through their “Better Retail Better World” initiative is encouraging the retail industry in Britain to meet some of the biggest global challenges of the coming decades highlighted by the UN, including modern slavery, climate change and responsible consumption and production, using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a framework.