Vital challenges facing business and humanity (or the curse of living in interesting times)
On the surface this is an upbeat, visionary book that focuses on crowdsourcing technology as an emerging enabler of innovation to accelerate sustainable business and solve social and environmental challenges. Underlying this is a powerful dichotomy of threat and opportunity. The compelling statement above by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus clearly defines our moral obligation to act to âsave the world.â Although he proclaims our responsibility to save the planet from environmental threats, social perils are no less pressing. On the threat side, the evidence of current humanitarian and environmental crises and projections of what âbusiness as usualâ will bring are dire. Catastrophic natural systems collapse, climate-related natural disasters and social disruption, and the destabilization of society loom on the horizon. Importantly, on the opportunity side, the dark presence of these challenges is also a driver for change, and not just incremental improvements, but a fundamental transformation of our culture, industrial system, management practices, and lifestyles. The danger is perhaps finally urgent enough to inspire a step-leap evolution in our technology, social consciousness, compassion, and competence at creating a just, sustainable world.
First, letâs be clear that there are tremendous positive aspects of where we are today. Humans have crafted an industrial system to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter on a mass scale; employed over 3 billion people;2 designed and implemented democratic governance structures; made astounding discoveries and advances in science; developed knowledge and delivery systems for healthcare; created stunning literature, dance, art and music; invented technologies for global communication; enabled billions of people to live in comfort and with conveniences; explored keys to enlightenment; and developed insights about ethics and morality, among many, many, more accomplishments. Author, entrepreneur, and founder of the X-Prize Foundation Peter Diamandis assembled evidence showing that on many dimensions â such as the percentage of people living in absolute poverty, child labor, years of education, and literacy rates â the world is getting better (contrary to the message portrayed in crisis-focused news media).3 In introducing this positive story, however, even Diamandis notes: âThis is not to say that there arenât major issues we still face, like climate crisis, religious radicalism, terrorism, and so on.â The big picture may be, however, that in spite of these positive accomplishments, the current conditions and the projected future for most people and species on the planet is pretty dismal. The fact that our Titanic may have improved working conditions, health and education for some percentage of the crew and passengers doesnât mean it is not heading toward disaster.
Unfortunately, our current system has a destructive underbelly, the extent and consequences of which are becoming increasingly evident. Inescapably, our industrial system was built on the foundation of colonialism, slavery, racism, sexism, exploitation of labor, imperialism, hegemony, and neocolonialism â all of which have vestiges that are alive and flourishing today. Concerned critics argue that the system was historically (and is today) driven by dynamics of institutionalized racism and slavery, a military industrial complex, a prison industrial complex, militarized policing, and what Paul Herman and Noam Chomsky called media âmanufacturingâ mass consent.4 The linear âtake, make, wasteâ model for industrial production has produced devastating environmental and social impacts, now exacerbated by population growth and emerging nations emulating âwesternâ lifestyles and levels of consumption. We have a vastly inequitable distribution of wealth, and inadequate access to basic resources like clean water and air, healthcare, education, social justice, and opportunity for billions of people. A window into these many seemingly unrelenting social and environmental conditions and crises (along with endnotes) is provided in the box on pages 19, 20 and 21, demonstrating clearly that the current system is not working for many.
Imagine for a moment that you are the captain of a space station. You have just learned that the life support system upon which humans, other animals, and all plants depend is severely threatened and failing at an alarming rate. The water system has been compromised with persistent organic pollutants, acidification, waste, plastic trash, and other pollutants. Climate control failures are impacting the primary food-production zones of the spaceship and flooding populated areas. Food production capability is severely jeopardized. Already, half of the population of the space station lives in compromised conditions, including hunger and malnutrition. One-third of women on the station experience violence or rape. The vast majority of emergency alert lights on your central control panel dashboard are flashing red, and when you dig deeper you find that the trend lines of almost every important metric are in sharp decline. The entire system upon which life depends is in âovershoot,â teetering on the edge of disequilibrium.
The social and environmental data listed below illustrate the critical state on our space station earth. Our emergency alert sirens should be blaring and red lights flashing with even three data points alone: there has been a 50% decline of vertebrate wildlife species since 1970 (expected to reach a 67% decline by 2020)5; 70% of the worldâs population experience at least a month of water scarcity per year;6 and Oxfamâs January 2017 report revealed that only eight men own more wealth than the poorest 3.6 billion people7 and â1% grabbed 82% of all wealth created in 2017.â8 These issues threaten us all. What is at stake is no less than the future of human experience on earth, as well as that of the wealth of beings and nature we share the planet with.
Social and environmental trouble signs
- Ecosystem collapse and loss of biodiversity: Human activity is propelling us toward the sixth mass extinction. The World Wildlife Fund Living Planet Report 20169 warns that we are now in an entirely new era, the Anthropocene, where âhuman activity now affects the Earthâs life support systemâ and that we have reached a saturation point. The report tolls the alarm bell that since 1970, populations of vertebrate species (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish) declined on average by 58% and are projected to reach 67% decline by 2020.10 A 2016 World Economic Forum report projects that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans.11
- Climate change: A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change details widespread evidence of substantial climate change impacts occurring on all continents and oceans and outlines future risks to vulnerable people, industries and ecosystems, âscientifically linking the changing climate with the destabilization of nation states.â12 13 See also NASAâs summary of global climate change effects.14 Four former administrative heads of the US Environmental Protection Agency, all of whom served Republican presidents, urge substantive steps to curb climate change, emphasizing that the window for averting severe environmental and social consequences is closing.15 16
- Unsustainable ecological footprint: Humanityâs consumption of ecological resources has outpaced the earthâs capacity to replenish them. Today we use the equivalent of 1.6 earths to support our resource use and waste output. âThe result is collapsing fisheries, diminishing forest cover, depletion of fresh water systems, and the buildup of carbon dioxide emissions, which creates problems like global climate change.â17 18
- Vulnerability: Half of the world is vulnerable. The 2013â14 State of the Future report highlights the factors contributing to social instability, as illustrated in the following quote:
The executive summary of the 2008 State of the Future stated: Half the world is vulnerable to social instability and violence due to rising food and energy prices, failing states, falling water tables, climate change, decreasing water-food-energy supply per person, desertification, and increasing migrations due to political, environmental, and economic conditions. Unfortunately, these fac...
