It’s easy for sustainability professionals — or anyone else for that matter — to fall into a sense of climate despair. So much work lies ahead if humankind has a hope of maintaining some stability and resilience despite warming temperatures and extreme weather.

Data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests the globe is on its way to about 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming if emissions aren’t reduced 40 percent from 2010 levels by 2030. Although corporate climate commitments have gone mainstream, global emissions are still on the rise — despite the pause during last year’s initial COVID-19 lockdowns. Amid that daunting outlook, it’s up to industry and political leaders to help change policies and business practices for a more sustainable future.

The challenge is staying the course amid for the long term, while acting decisively to start turning the tide over the short term.

During VERGE 21 last week, Project InsideOut Founder Renée Lertzman — an expert on turning eco-anxiety into constructive action — suggested that "toxic positivity" isn’t necessarily the right way for leaders to inspire teams working on climate solutions.

Her remarks came during a keynote conversation that also included Michiel Bakker, vice president of global workplace programs at Google, and that focused on breaking the cycle of hope and despair when observing the climate crisis.

  • Role of leadership in guiding conversations
  • Taking action
  • Including diverse perspectives

Read the full article about leadership on a sustainable future by Angely Mercado at GreenBiz.