Prof. Dr. Ir. Andre Nijhof, Professor of Sustainable Business & Stewardship:
THE CONSUMER IS ONE OF THE LAST PASSENGERS ON THE SUSTAINABILITY TRAIN! In clear terms, Prof. Dr. Ir. Andre Nijhof of Nyenrode Business University addresses ten statements on climate, sustainability and energy transition. His opinions are based on the latest facts and insights. He leaves little to be desired from the widely-held assumptions in international politics. China is not the big culprit. Politicians are not decisive in creating a more sustainable society. It is entrepreneurs, civil servants and professionals who are leading the way with innovations that will keep the earth habitable in the long term.
THESES BY OELE STEENKS, ANSWERS BY ANDRE NIJHOF
Theorem
1
The realization that sustainability is needed to pass the planet on to a next generation seems to have been accepted in the western world by a majority of the population. The Glasgow Climate Agreement has an impact on the average Western citizen. Right or wrong?
AN: "Right, although the question is what we mean by 'supported.' The majority is convinced that climate change is a big problem and that something needs to be done about it. But that doesn't mean that they're going to take action themselves. Moreover, it is not primarily the climate agreement, but climate change that has an impact on the average Western citizen. In order to do something about that, a climate agreement has been drawn up. But we should not confuse the solution and the problem. The problem is climate change and part of the solution is agreements like the Glasgow Convention."
2
Theorem
There are numerous countries where survival defines daily practice, such as in the Sahel states, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Myanmar, Venezuela, former USSR states. Part of the problem is climate related. The Western world is not paying enough attention to national abuses in the pursuit of sustainability. AN: "I agree, although I see sustainability in a broader context than climate change. Social inequality is also a big problem in these countries, with a small group that has a lot of possessions and a large group that has hardly any prospects for the future. This causes tensions that, in turn, fuel authoritarianism to keep those tensions in check. The Sustainable Development Goals are therefore deliberately set as a global agenda in which no theme can be left behind. Dov Seidman, among others, aptly indicates this in his book "How" with the statement "Our world has gone from connected, to interconnected, to interdependent." And that interdependence means that we need to look more systemically at how we can change the rules of the game so that sustainable results become the logical outcome. In our book "Changing the Game," we go into that in more detail, and I'm pleasantly surprised how all kinds of companies, governments and other organizations are leveraging that systemic way of thinking to accelerate sustainable transitions."
Theorem
3
In recent international tensions between Russia and the United States on the one hand and NATO allies on the other hand, classic military elements such as air force, land force and navy are back in full force. These cold war elements take away the urgency for climate goals from major power players like the U.S., Russia and China.
AN: "Disagree. The urgency of climate goals remains undiminished as, for example, the forest fires in Siberia and California last year are not extinguished by such developments. But the statement does indicate that the governance agenda is much more complex than just making policy on the sustainability themes. So in my view, these kinds of developments do not come in place of sustainability, but on top of it."
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