The Future of Sustainability

By J. McManus​

You’ve probably heard about climate change. Global warming, carbon emissions and greenhouse gas emissions: the world gets warmer by the day. How much of the work put in against climate change do you actually believe in? The issue with making the world more sustainable is not a lack of visibility of the cause, nor the absence of a solution, but rather the failure to effectively implement many of these tactics. Many skeptics do not even believe that there is a temperature issue in the world since they have not measured it or actively noticed it every day despite overwhelming amounts of scientific data backing up its existence. The future of the world lies in the hands of the younger generation. However, how will anything be resolved if there is no unanimous acknowledgement of the dire consequences of tomorrow due to the lack of action today?

Currently, there are several potential outcomes for what the times ahead will hold. In an idealistic world, immediate and efficient action will be taken by the global population to avoid further temperature rises. In this reality, everyone becomes climate-sensitive and decisions are based on their sustainability impacts rather than their immediate economic gain. In the pessimistic scenario we are currently arriving at, there will be irreversible damages not only in relation to temperature but also greenhouse gas influences on the environment. Our children and their future children will inherit our tragic legacy and will be subject to their horrors on a daily basis with limited resources. Another option includes a partial solution such as carbon sequestration in localized areas for the rich who can afford the technology required for this, while the poor suffer. In these last two options, social justice will continue to be directly affected by financial inequality, for money will be used to protect those who pay for a better quality of living, their businesses and their lifestyle, promoting an utter lack of self-awareness and further expanding the gap in social disparity.
​
Simply put, the future is unknown, and the power is in the hands of those who have influence to change the view of the masses and shed light and perspective upon the consequences for our successors. Will we be remembered as a revolutionary generation who saved the world, or the generation who condemned it?