The sustainable world

“Sustainable” is a word that has been used a lot lately.

I have been talking for years that social changes have more influence (or may have it) on the performance of companies than variations in different economic magnitudes.

Today, and more specifically in the European Union, there are four social factors that are determining business activity:

• Population aging
• Migratory movements
• Equality between women and men
• The fight against climate change

The EU has among its priority objectives to be an increasingly green and decarbonized territory. All the new laws that are created go in this direction, and sectors such as the automotive industry or electricity generation and distribution are experiencing a big revolution.

And of course, more and more companies are joining the cause. Regardless of their activity, they all make use, at some point, of the word “sustainable”. If you happen to do something that is not sustainable, you take it wrong.

Problem: the planet is much bigger than Europe. And the EU, furthermore, does not always function as a single entity, rather each country tends to go its own way.

For this reason, and due to its technological delay compared to other nations such as the United States, China or other Asian countries, it has less and less weight in the world.

And, furthermore, in many countries in Africa, Asia or Latin America, people have other priorities. Basically, to eat something every day.

It is very difficult to fight against climate change if a significant reduction in the poverty suffered by a significant part of the world population is not achieved first.

Reducing poverty would have another positive effect: it would reduce the large migratory flows of people seeking a better life in a place other than their own.

But I do not see in any government of a “rich” country that the fight against poverty is one of its priorities.

Any action that contributes to less pollution and that we can do individually in our lives will have a positive effect, but it will be clearly insufficient to face the climate emergency that we are suffering.