Climate Action Planning for Leaders: Don’t Do Less Bad—Enable More Good

• Manufacturing and architecture, engineering, and construction leaders need to be front and center in the global effort to create a more sustainable future.
• The green bond market hit $600 billion in 2020 and is rapidly growing.
• As digital transformation accelerates, companies can leverage technology to design and build more sustainably.

People have an inherent bias to focus on negativity and crises—an evolutionary trait that historically improved human chances of survival. So what is the state of the world today? An ongoing global pandemic. Wildfires, hurricanes, floods, drought—a worsening outlook for the global climate. A widening socioeconomic rift with 1% of the population amassing half of the world’s wealth. This sounds like a dystopian novel, but it’s the state of the world in 2021.

Or is it? If humans try to negate those evolutionary biases, a different picture begins emerging: World leaders meeting to fulfill climate pledges. Wage increases for the lowest-paid workers in America. The rise of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and impact investing. An explosion in low-carbon innovation. When people objectively look at the state of the world, there is a concerted effort to collectively address societal challenges.

Business leaders are recognizing the need to take action, as well, expanding their view of corporate responsibilities, leveraging technology and sustainable financing strategies to change course. And they are making decisions that will benefit their bottom lines at the same time as helping to create a better future.

---

Read the full article on Redshift, an Autodesk publication dedicated to designers, engineers, builders, and makers that explores the future, shares inspiring stories of innovation, and offers advice to help businesses succeed.