Achieving Sustainability: The Ultimate Human Challenge

This chapter introduces the topic, the goal, and the content of the book. The first part sets the scene. It describes the context and reason for developing a PhD thesis and writing a book on achieving sustainability including personal and professional experiences. It defines the challenges facing us, particularly climate change and other environmental crises, as well as the interventions needed. The approach and the research underpinning the book are explained, including an overview of the broad spectrum of references obtained from academic, personal, and other sources. The second part of the introduction outlines the content of the individual chapters. Each examines a specific aspect of sustainability and its applicability, starting with defining the essence of the construct and the challenges related to the current political and economic paradigm. Profound societal changes in history are examined as well as current practical initiatives and barriers to implementing sustainability.

This chapter outlines the wide and multi-faceted field of sustainability, its origin, definition, interpretations, and key global implementation initiatives. Defining the field is essential to provide a common understanding of the construct and allow for a deeper level of inquiry into the essence of sustainability. This offers an opportunity to pinpoint key themes and issues which make the subsequent discussions of development models, utopian thinking, case stories, and barriers in the following chapters more relevant as I return to these critical themes throughout the book. There is no shared understanding of what sustainability is or means, and many people believe it deals with environmental problems in general and with climate change in particular. However, this only covers a fraction of the broad spectrum of its reach. Education in sustainability has been lacking and is still not an inherent ingredient in the educational framework. A lack, that has left the field open to varied interpretations many of which have added to the resistance to implement the principles and aims of sustainability. The objective of the second chapter is, therefore, to address the original definition of both sustainability and sustainable development, define the context of their emergence, and chart the first official initiatives that were taken to further the sustainability agenda globally.

This chapter discusses the concept of development within the current economic framework. It deals with the pros and cons related to the economic growth trajectory founded on neoliberalism and capitalism that has advanced many nations globally, especially the rich nations, while the darker and destructive impacts have increased to the detriment of especially the poorer countries. This darker side that has led to crises related to climate, biosphere, and resources, subsequently causing a humanitarian crisis is examined. The chapter compares the current development model with the sustainable development model. Even though the word development figures in both models they are fundamentally different. The chapter defines these differences, and points to emerging symptoms that indicate a shift away from neoliberal capitalism brought about by the pandemic, and talks about the reasons behind this. The chapter discusses the role of the state as it is the entity solely responsible for the well-being, safety, and progress of its citizens. As such, it is the most vital  factor in implementing sustainability. The chapter closes by looking at future perspectives and other factors to assess the possibility of implementing sustainable development in the current framework.

This chapter examines alternatives to the current growth model and delves into utopian thought and constructs. It offers a look into history, from Plato’s the ‘just’ man and the ‘just’ society to the present time’s small intentional community, and ecovillage ideals and examines the impact of both utopian and dystopian thinking on societies. Utopia is relevant in this context due to the fact that sustainable development is a radically different societal model to the one currently in place. Utopian ideas are radical, and whilst conventional theories of development may have the same aim to improve the lives of citizens, it’s from utopian theories that we can learn about the nature of radical models, and how they have succeeded or failed in impacting societies over time. Linking this to the sustainability construct and the attempts at translating it into practical application, utopia provides contexts and knowledge to learn from, including the barriers that are preventing it from being realised. The chapter looks at real-world utopian experiments, where some have failed, and some still exist, which provides additional practical knowledge. The enquiry into utopia spans the period from the time of Plato to the present.

This chapter discusses implementation initiatives and assesses the overall achievements and learning harvested from both top-down and bottom-up global undertakings to implement sustainability since 1987. A great deal of research has been focused on the development of a variety of application methodologies in the form of principles, models, methods, indicators, monitors, and assessment tools. As the world was waking up and starting to understand the seriousness of the emerging problems and challenges, the sustainability discourse became a topic on many corporate, business, and political agendas. Scientific and other academic research into sustainability and new technologies started to flourish. Many organisations, research institutions, NGOs, and pioneering individuals worldwide worked with the concept and developed frameworks and tools that could be used for sustainable development activities. The chapter examines these endeavours, covering some key implementation tools that grew from academic research and from business sectors. Numerous models have seen the light of day since the Rio Summit in 1992, and new models are continually being added to the list. The chapter will document some of the most critical models as well as examples of assessments and standards to give an idea of the broad spectrum of implementation attempts and the complexity that they contain.

This chapter presents the narratives of the three cases: the Danish island of Samsø, Brahma Kumaris, an international faith community, and Novozymes, a Danish multinational company specialising in the production of enzymes. The chapter is an updated version of the case studies in the thesis. The descriptions of the cases are based on data gained from the interviews I held with the leading teams. The main focus is on the specific process, that each case engaged in, including the successes and the barriers encountered. The three cases are very different. The diversity comprises culture, identity, focus, vision, context, size, and the reasons for engaging in sustainability implementation. The chapter demonstrates sustainable development in action and what was and can be achieved in the current framework, regardless of whether the undertaking is an island, a faith community, a corporation, or similar entities. It is due to initiatives such as these that the sustainability agenda has made progress since 1987. The positive perspective the chapter offers is the knowledge that necessary changes can be made despite barriers, adversity, and difficulties, provided the motivation and determination are present.

The chapter expands the discussion of the realisation of sustainability. The first part addresses barriers to sustainable development that are innate in our current societies, covering political, economic, technological as well as cultural aspects. The second part discusses the barriers that emerged from the case studies in the previous chapter. Some are clearly defined and visible Others are subtle, indirect, and complex. An observation from my research was that the closer I examined the sustainability construct in the context of the existing societal framework the more I uncovered barriers against its realisation. The barriers appear to be as interlinked and as interdependent as the sustainability construct itself. Some are broad, difficult obstacles, and some are practical and basic, easy to understand and address. The difficulty closing the gap between theory and the practical application does not seem to be due to a lack of scientific research or technological inventions and know-how, but due to the magnitude and amount of resistance, found everywhere in our society. Some of the barriers are universal and encompass aspects of our cultural and traditional make-up. Some are specific, such as those experienced and recorded in the case stories. The chapter discusses each group of barriers as well as views on overcoming them.

This chapter highlights the challenging process of creating a state of global sustainability. It outlines the potential frameworks and factors needed and draws a trajectory for the future based on the sum of the diverse parts. In doing so, the chapter summarizes the key ingredients in the challenge to achieving sustainability and concludes with final reflections on its realisability. Questions relating to barriers and processes are addressed from the perspectives of the current state of sustainable development. Utopian theories and historical examples, as well as the practical experiences from the three cases are addressed. New influences are added, including recent global events and calls for action, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the IPCC 6th Assessment Report from 2021/2022 as well as the agreements made at COP 26. The aspect of inner sustainability comprising the emotional, psychological, and spiritual dimensions, is examined as it plays a key role in the change of direction, as well as in building resilience to meet the new challenges as they arise.