Are we going to be proactive or reactive?
The Generational Challenge
Climate change is truly the greatest challenge and opportunity of our generation. There isn’t an area of the world, a business or government that won’t be impacted. And how we collectively respond will determine the ultimate success in building a healthier, safer, more sustainable and resilient future for all.
In early 2020, as the global pandemic unfolded, Jacobs leadership asked me to reflect on and expand the company’s vision and direction in support of a greater social, humanitarian and resiliency service mission.
In many ways, the pandemic has acted as a foreshadowing of what we can expect on a global basis with climate change impacts increasingly straining social, environmental and economic conditions in communities around the world.
Creating a ‘Just Space’
My investigation led me to Kate Raworth, a senior research associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, who has developed an economic model for the 21st century around the notion of social and planetary boundaries and the environmental ceiling that must be respected to maintain a safe and socially just space in which humanity can thrive.
This “just space” is also echoed in the United Nation’s sixth Global Environment Outlook: Healthy Planet, Healthy People, which speaks to humanity’s transformational challenge, “Providing a decent life and well-being for nearly 10 billion people by 2050, without further compromising the ecological limits of our planet and its benefits, is one of the most serious challenges and responsibilities humanity has ever faced.”
The Generational Challenge
The events of the last two years have significantly raised the stakes on what is truly a generational challenge. Both the public and private sectors, driven by significant social pressures, economic and geopolitical challenges, regulatory changes and investor expectations have rapidly embraced the tenants of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) to address the global sustainability challenge – shifting our economic foundation from fossil fuel dependence to a net zero, clean energy economy, as quickly as possible, but no later than 2040-2050.
Critical to this global transformation is a holistic, all-hands-on-deck adoption of the principles of sustainable development, as clearly defined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Climate change, articulated in Goal 13, is a proven and documented threat multiplier to the 16 companion SDGs with the ability to greatly exacerbate poverty, hunger, illness and inequality.
"With our future in the balance, the planning, commitments, and sustainability steps we take today are critical to leading the world to a more climate-resilient existence for the generations to come."
– Jan Walstrom SVP, Office of Global Climate Response & ESG
A Proactive or Reactive Path – It’s Our Choice
Today, there are two scenarios before us that yield distinctly different outcomes, predicated on whether humanity can hold global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or whether we go to 4º C. If the world can show initial and sustained momentum with the 1.5º C scenario, then a host of proactive solutions and actions related to clean energy, decarbonization, sustainability and environmental stewardship will have heightened prominence and prioritization.
Alternatively, if the global use of fossil fuels and resulting carbon emissions continues unchecked, then the reactive solutions and actions in the second scenario will be aligned to disaster response, recovery and resilience, dealing with unrelenting sea level rise, wildfires, hurricanes, flooding and droughts — impacting all geographies.
At Jacobs, we’re fully committed to the 1.5º Celsius scenario, both in how we operate our business and in the climate action, decarbonization and sustainability solutions we implement in partnership with our clients. ■
Challenging today and reinventing tomorrow, our passion and commitment to take immediate action on climate change comes from our leadership and our 55,000 employees who, together, are pushing the limits of what’s possible by creating sustainable solutions that leave no one behind.
A Generational Challenge
Our collective focus on humanity and the planet we call home has never been more timely or relevant as governments, businesses and communities respond to demands for smart, sustainable and resilient solutions to address the climate change challenge.
Learning from our Thought Leaders
Find out how Jacobs is addressing climate change through the eyes of our thought leaders who are working with clients and stakeholders to co-create solutions that address this pressing and urgent global challenge. Read on.