Perils and progress: Redefining our roles

The human society today faces unprecedented challenges, because while overall economic output in the world as a whole has gone up to levels that, perhaps, a 100 years ago no one would have dreamt of, so also have disparities in income and wealth between and across different societies. Simultaneously, major damage has occurred to the earth's ecosystems and natural resources.

The human society today faces unprecedented challenges, because while overall economic output in the world as a whole has gone up to levels that, perhaps, a 100 years ago no one would have dreamt of, so also have disparities in income and wealth between and across different societies. Simultaneously, major damage has occurred to the earth's ecosystems and natural resources.

Several years ago well-known economist Kenneth Boulding said: "It is doubtful whether 200 years ago the richest country had a per capita real income more than five times that of the poorest... Today the difference between per capita income for the richest countries and for the poorest is of the order of 1 to 50 rather than 1 to 5..." Today, if anything, the disparities that Boulding referred to have only become worse.

The problem of environmental degradation and unsustainable use of natural resources is most crucially exemplified by the problem of climate change, which is likely to affect every corner of the globe at a level that raises major concerns. However, climate change cannot be seen in isolation of a much larger problem, which relates essentially to an unsustainable path of development, and which has been pursued almost uniformly since industrialisation began.

Hence, a solution that would provide a transition towards sustainability for the human race requires the involvement of every section of society and every single stakeholder. It is in this respect that an unprecedented level of coordination would become essential involving civil society, governments and business. The roles that would need to be defined for each of these stakeholders and the initiatives that they need to take, therefore, require clear definition.

If we take the example of civil society, it is now critical that NGOs and those who voice concerns on behalf of the public would need to not only identify the problem, but also come up with viable and practical solutions.

In doing so, research organisations and academia would have to provide the necessary intellectual inputs to civil society, which would ensure that problems and their causes, as well as, solutions that are suggested are robust and relevant.

In the case of government, some difficult choices would have to be made. Again, if in general the world has to move towards more efficient and lower use of natural resources, the economic implications of such a path would need to be fully assessed as also the technological feasibility of doing so.

As far as business is concerned, the most important reason why coordinated action with civil society and government is essential, lies in the fact that the world, for instance, is destined to move to a low carbon future. Business needs to understand and internalise this reality in defining corporate decisions.