Taking A Long Term View On Sustainability

One of the more welcome outcomes from the pandemic has been a reinvigorated and better conversation about the environment. 

There were some immediate quick wins in the Spring of 2020. Cleaner air became evident in atmospheric readings and satellite images. People literally took to the streets as traffic all but vanished. Planes were grounded. We could hear birdsong. Wild animals populated some streets. It was as if Nature itself breathed a sigh of relief. 

By early April, with shutdowns widespread around the world, daily global carbon emissions were down by 17% compared to the previous year. These were short-term gains, however. Although welcome they needed to prompt a wider conversation about the long-term consequences of changes in our behaviour. 

A report from the European Environment Agency in November 2020 summed up the nature of this conversation and its key talking points. These included the most relevant issues such as energy use, pollution and air quality as well as less obvious consequences of the shift, including its uneven impact on people depending on their age, class, income, location, gender and race... 

For further insights, check out the full article in InMagazines July Issue by Guenaelle Watson, Managing Director of 360 Workplace.