Future of Sustainability 2020: Has the disruption from COVID-19 accelerated the transition to a sustainable future, or made it more challenging?

This Forum for the Future

Future of Sustainability 2020: Has the disruption from COVID-19 accelerated the transition to a sustainable future, or made it more challenging?

This Forum for the Future webinar took place on 22 July 2020. We are in the midst of a historic moment that will shape society for decades to come. The COVID-19 crisis is having a devastating impact – both in terms of lives lost and economic disruption. The region’s informal, cash-based economies are particularly vulnerable. At Forum for the Future we believe this may also be a moment to re-imagine how we rebuild our economies.

We are therefore calling for business, governments, civil society and communities to seize this moment in helping to deliver a more just, sustainable and resilient world. Drawing on research and insights we gather annually to understand what is next for the fields of sustainability, impact investing and philanthropy, we will share a suite of futures trajectories we have been developing which help us understand possible ways forward as change-makers. We believe only one of these trajectories, which we are calling 'Transform', has the potential to create the just, resilient and sustainable systems we need. It is based on a mindset that recognizes the interdependent nature of the challenges we face today. The session included reflections from inspiring change-makers who are already driving towards this 'Transform' trajectory – aiming to shift our political, economic and social systems so that they work together in service of human and planetary health, justice and economic resilience. If there is ever a time to drive this transformative change, it is now.

Discussions addressed critical global economic issues: macroeconomic imbalances, currency instability, global governance (G20), and the international financial system.

Key participants

Discussions addressed critical global economic issues: macroeconomic imbalances, currency instability, global governance (G20), and the international financial system.

Key participants included Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Robert E. Diamond Jr., Christine Lagarde, George Osborne, Wolfgang Schäuble, Yu Yongding, and Robert B. Zoellick. The session was chaired by Martin Wolf, Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator for the Financial Times.

SDG Digital, a cornerstone initiative, recently concluded its digital track with a formal joint closing involving key leaders from ITU, the UN, and UNDP. This effort leverages digital innovation

SDG Digital, a cornerstone initiative, recently concluded its digital track with a formal joint closing involving key leaders from ITU, the UN, and UNDP. This effort leverages digital innovation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aligning with the UN General Assembly and the upcoming Summit of the Future.

The initiative showcased how digital technologies can build a more sustainable, inclusive, and responsible future. By convening diverse leaders from government, civil society, the private sector, youth, and academia, SDG Digital fostered exploration of the trends, risks, and opportunities presented by digital and emerging technologies.

For more information: https://www.itu.int/initiatives/sdgdigital2024/

A panel discussed the private sector's role in addressing the global refugee crisis.

Panelists included Stephen Kaufer, President and CEO of TripAdvisor; Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of MercyCorps;

A panel discussed the private sector's role in addressing the global refugee crisis.

Panelists included Stephen Kaufer, President and CEO of TripAdvisor; Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of MercyCorps; and Shamina Singh, Executive Vice President of Sustainability and President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth.

Chetan Singh Solanki discusses his work towards sustainability through his “Energy Swaraj” lifestyle, and the immediate actions we can take to combat climate change across the globe,

Chetan Singh Solanki discusses his work towards sustainability through his “Energy Swaraj” lifestyle, and the immediate actions we can take to combat climate change across the globe, drawing concepts from his book "Energy Swaraj—My Experiments with SOLAR Truth".

Educator, researcher and innovator Chetan Singh Solanki is currently on an Energy Swaraj Yatra, which includes fully living on a solar bus for 10 years. Having started in November 2020 in the wake of catastrophic climate change, and committing until 2030, the purpose is to create a public movement towards the adoption of the use of 100% solar energy. Solanki has been referred to as the “Solar Man of India” by some, while others call him the “Solar Gandhi.” Following Gandhian ideals, he coined the phrase ‘Energy Swaraj’, and to establish it globally, he founded the Energy Swaraj Foundation (ESF). Solanki has also led major solar projects at IIT Bombay, including his SoULS project, in which he provided clean, efficient, affordable and reliable energy for 7.5 million families.

Solanki has been the recipient of many awards and accolades, including but not limited to: the Prime Minister’s Innovation Award for his SoULS project, the first prize in the Solar Chulha Design Challenge by ONGC, and three Guinness World Records. He is the Chairman of the committee of the Central Board of Secondary Education and a member of the National Focus Group on Environmental Education. He is the author of 7 books, has published over 100 research papers internationally and has 4 U.S. patents to his credit.

For more information on Solanki and his Energy Swaraj Yatra, please visit https://energyswaraj.org/.

Get the book here: https://goo.gle/3F5v6Q0.

Moderated by Johnson Jose.