COMMENT: A few weeks into 2020 and we have had a wave of challenges set out for us as individuals, organisations and, I hope, as leaders.
Mark Carney, outgoing head of the Bank of England, has called for more action on climate change, the 23rd UK CEO Survey denoted economic uncertainty and the rise of sustainability as the big issues for business, a new government is talking “beyond Brexit” and Microsoft is pushing steps to climate negative, which has set a new benchmark for all. And let’s not forget Davos 2020 and its talk of “prophets of doom” and “real zero”.
But where are the innovators and the organisations that are willing to lead? Where are the commitments that go beyond “worthy things” to tangibles? We need plans and actions that commit and aligned approaches to those two headline challenges – economic uncertainty and sustainability. The development sector has made worthy commitments but talking is not enough.
So how can we as a sector not be blinkered to the opportunity? How can we commit to steps to not only meet, but identify and deliver opportunities from these challenges?
2019 defined the challenges we now face. Delivering sustainable enviro-economic growth and taking on the climate challenge could now potentially change perceptions and move the sector from villain to hero.
“What have you done so far?” was the question I was recently asked when discussing my role as chair for the UK Business Council for Sustainable Development as we entered our 21st year. My answer was, “Not enough, obviously”.
As a sector we need to make an investment shift, we need to approach these challenges and come up with solutions that deliver against both the climate challenge and sustainable growth.
Shouldn’t we change the language of crisis and emergency and instead focus on change? This is about continued investment, innovation and the ability to commit over the long term; we have the track record, we are missing just one key element – the element of being leaders for sustainable development
If we are to look “beyond Brexit”, be sustainable and address uncertainty, then shouldn’t we, as a sector, be leading the approach to “mainstream” climate challenge? Isn’t it at the core of what our world-leading sector represents?
Shouldn’t we change the language of crisis and emergency and instead focus on change? This is about continued investment, innovation and the ability to commit over the long term; we have the track record, we are missing just one key element – the element of being leaders for sustainable development.
For 2020, I commit to taking on the challenge but – and this is critical – not alone.
It has started well, with the UKBCSD Ignite event earlier this month, at which we hosted more than 70 of our leading cross-industry figures. The event represented 200 years of industry experience, investors, developers, occupiers, agents, planners, policy-makers and critically – the one missing element from the current debate in meeting 2020’s challenges – we had industry leaders too.
I need you to join me in aligning our efforts to commit to addressing the gap in leadership on meeting these challenges. We already have the innovators, the investors and the organisational knowledge to lead a tangible response but we need a shared plan with leadership to commit to how we measure success – without a plan, no one ever delivers.
I have read so much on what we are not doing, rather than what we are doing. So let’s commit to aligning our CSR, ESG and SDG approaches. Let’s unlock our innovation, our potential, our skills and the leadership our sector holds in partnership.
Jason Longhurst is chairman of the UK Business Council for Sustainable Development
