Some examples from the real world demonstrating lethargy in responding to climate change

There is no question that sustainability is an important goal for most individuals and organizations. But are they putting their money (and spending habits) where their mouth is, to turn a phrase? In some cases, yes. We are seeing progress. But there are some major areas where progress is lethargic, if at all. In this article, we’ll take a look at a few examples. For our individual members, you might feel you can’t have much impact in some of these areas, but in the area of buying habits, consumers can drive change quickly by bargaining with their wallets. For governments and other organizations, will an increased regulatory environment or shareholder pressure drive faster change? The jury is still out.

The next edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) is scheduled for November 11–22 in Baku, Azerbaijan. These conferences are important forums for governments and influencers from around the globe to make their opinions known and to generate meaningful agreements across a range of sustainability targets, which presumably the stakeholders will work to quickly implement. And while November seems like a long way off, there is a great deal of work going on in the background to prepare for the conference.