Thoughts on Hawaii, Climate Change, and Sustainability

“‘Nowhere is immune;’ Maui’s devastating fires that have killed at least 53 people and destroyed a historic tourist town are fueled by climate change,” is the headline in the August 9, 2023, online issue of Fortune Magazine.

“Climate change not only increases the fire risk by driving up temperatures but also makes stronger hurricanes more likely. In turn, those storms could fuel stronger wind events like the one behind the Maui fires,” according to the article.

 This past summer, we witnessed unusually damaging fires in Hawaii, Spain, Greece, Canada, Italy, and Turkey. 

Lahaina, the city destroyed by the fires in Hawaii, dates to 300 AD. The city has endured its share of storms and fires over the centuries but, until now, has never been destroyed by one.  

Many of us are extremely saddened by this event, and well we should be. However, we must also realize that in the past ten years, we have witnessed what I call a "sustainability shift," which can help slow down the ravishes of climate change. 

So it will lift our spirits if we revisit the sustainability shift of the past ten years to better understand what has been accomplished and where sustainability is headed in the next ten years:

Sustainability has become significant in the U.S. and around the world, as evidenced by these facts:  

- The share of S&P 500 companies that publish sustainability reports has risen from 20% to 90%.

- The proportion of U.S. adults prioritizing environmental protection has increased from 40% to 60%.

- Renewable energy sources surpassed coal in power generation in the U.S. in 2019, reflecting a shift away from fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases.

- Coal mining output in the U.S. has dropped by 27% in the past decade while recycling and composting has grown by 33%.

- Renewable energy sources have multiplied their power generation by twenty-six times since 2009, avoiding two billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2019 alone.

- The U.S. solar industry has doubled its workforce in the past ten years. Today, the job with the highest demand in the country is for solar panel installers. 

These steps are helping us slow down climate change. But let’s be honest. They also indicate that sustainability is not only imperative, but is also an economic opportunity, which is also very good.

Sustainability is where the jobs are. In the next ten years, we will see sustainability become one of the leading drivers of the U.S. economy." 

This means that embracing the sustainability shift is not only beneficial for the planet, but also for the bottom line.

-Steve