Walking the sustainability talk

IT CAN be said that the Russia-Ukraine war is the single biggest wake-up call in recent times for the world’s sustainability development agenda, chief of which involves climate initiatives in the race to net zero.

The rising geopolitical friction and resultant extreme uncertainty in the business climate have tested the public and private sectors’ mettle and depth of commitment to sustainability efforts. These challenges have come, among others, in the form of rising protectionism and sanctions which have upended the global supply chain and have wide implications for the environment, economy and society.

“Security, affordability (in volume and prices) and sustainability of the energy supply were challenged, driving the need to diversify the energy supply mix... this has somewhat accelerated the shift towards greener energy sources... as each country moved to secure its own needs,” said the Amundi Institute in a recent report, referring to the tensions in Eastern Europe.