By: Eric Wang
The discussion about sustainability has become a hot issue in the society and company management field. However, though it attracts much appreciation and applause for the movement, critics have emerged from society’s multilevel. A detailed analysis of them may help the movement innovate and redirect to head in the right direction.
One of the most well-known to the sustainability concept would be the increasing trend of opposition to globalization. Critics suggest that sustainability is simply an elite game that only adapts to the developed countries’ settings. Thus, it may not bring as many benefits as imagined worldwide since there are such huge discrepancies between each part. However, researchers have pointed out that more progressive policy making in environmental protection and trading would bring more incentive for sustainable growth for the larger society. Globalization would also be transformed into the positive factors that influence economic growth. Hence, the sustainability issue may not be treated as the inadequacy in the concept itself, but rather the lack of corresponded awareness and regulation practices.
Another common problem claimed by critics is that sustainability only focuses on a narrow-down scale of social issues, particularly environmental protection. They tend to describe the whole movement as focusing solely on creating a wonderland for people in higher social classes to recreate themselves. One of the powerful reactions to such a viewpoint may come from the recently disclosed sustainable development plan from Goldman Sachs, which is a world-leading financial corporation. The company launched programs including climate transition and sustainable growth and repayment to the communities, including healthcare, education, and inclusive financial services. The diversified concentrations would strongly oppose the ideas held by critics and set the company’s stage to operate on the broader sustainability goal.
Overall, pursuing sustainable development is just like any other newly initiated movement in the historical or modern society. The uncertainty or challenges would not be the excuse for escaping into the original point without any advancement. Thus, maintaining the belief in sustainable development and dynamically adjusting the direction would be the best choice in creating a more promising future for the public.
