Sustainability Trends for 2022

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Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast
 
Episode 86
 
Sustainability Trends for 2022
 
 
 
We now live in a world that is changing so rapidly that even the most sound minded person is certainly having trouble feeling some sense of security. And while that may be true, not all of the changes are necessarily bad.  
 
You have often heard me say that you’d better choose to live sustainably while it is still choice. Yet in order for us to get on track toward a sustainable future, we need systematic change, bold ideas, and radical rethinking of how we work and how we consume. But how are we going to get there when Americans clearly don’t like to be told what to do?   
 
If you want to find out then listen to this episode on sustainability trends for 2022.  
 
Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E 87 which is called Sustainability Trends for 2022.
 
Once gain I would like to remind everyone that if you would like to contact me with questions, comments, or even suggestions for topics you would like to hear about, feel free to contact me at adventuresinsustainableliving@gmail.com. Repeat.
 
So, let’s get right down to this weeks topic sustainability trends for 2022. 
 
I think it is fair to say that most of us these days feel some sort of insecurity about our future on this planet. And rightfully so.  A couple of years ago our lives started changing very rapidly without our choice. First it was the COVID 19 pandemic. Then just as the world was starting to recovery from the ripple effects of that, Russia invaded Ukraine. Within weeks, the global market and economy was turned up side down once again. We are seeing skyrocketing inflation that is not going away any time soon. We hear talk of oil and gas shortages, food shortages, and talks of climate change are becoming increasingly serious. 
 
So what are we to do about it? 
 
One of the hallmarks of American culture has always been staunch independence. This strong sense of independence is rooted in how our country was founded and how our culture evolved especially after the affects of WWI, the Great Depression, and WWII. Many people obviously exerted that ideal of independence by opposing vaccine mandates during the pandemic. 
 
On a personal note, I also was opposed to someone telling me I HAD to get a vaccine. It was only after I reviewed scientific data months into the pandemic that I made the personal decision to get vaccinated. But this was also directly related to having family members that worked in critical care units in human facilities that fed me first hand information from the front lines regarding the number of really young people that refused to get vaccinated and were dying because of it. And post pandemic data clearly reveals that the death rate from COVID was much higher in unvaccinated people. 
 
So my point here is that there comes a time when maybe we should set aside our attitude of “I can do anything I want because this is America” and embrace the fact that we now live in and are a part of a global community. It is quite obvious that we no longer stand alone. We live in a global economy that we can no longer escape. One country invades another, the global powers harshly punish the invader like a bully on the school play ground, and the rest of the world pays for it. 
 
This simply emphasizes the fact that in order for all of us to embrace a sustainable future, there must be mutual respect and cooperation that extends beyond our international boundaries. We are already seeing examples of this in the Middle East where countries that have historically been in a constant state of conflict with one another are now cooperating with each other for sources of water and electricity.
 
Likewise, I think as a culture we need to embrace similar ideas. From all of my reading and research over the last two years on sustainability topics, we are rapidly approaching a time when sustainable practices are going to be the norm whether you agree with it or not. Just like the changes that were forced on us with the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, as rapidly as our world is evolving, further changes are going to be forced on us whether you agree with it or not. Fortunately some of those changes are geared toward sustainability.  
 
But people are resistant to change. People in general, and I would say especially Americans, are staunchly opposed to being told what to do and being forced to change. Even though it is obvious that changes are needed. 
 
For example, 13 of the largest solar farms in the world are located in Mexico, India, China, Egypt, and the UAE. There are only two such farms in the United States and the size of these solar farms pale in comparison. I was talking with a coworker just yesterday who was complaining about talks of shutting down the three coal fired power plants in Arizona. She was saying “They just can’t do that”. I was saying “We just can’t keep pumping CO2 into the atmosphere.” And I also pointed out several examples of forwarding thinking European countries that started changing their policies and moving toward renewables 40 years ago. If we are so progressive why are we lagging so far behind the rest of the world? 
 
Now I am happy to say that the younger generations, both in the U.S. and abroad, are actually the ones driving much needed changes. I always get some mild entertainment over the fact that we love to place names on everything. For example, all the generational names we have: the Baby Boomers, Generation X, now it’s the Millennials, and Gen Z. And one generation complains about the others much like the day shift staff complains about the night shift and vice versa. But personally I applaud any generation that drives changes toward sustainability and that is exactly what Millennials and Gen Z folks are doing. And that is one of the trends we will see in 2022. 
 
Consumers Want Real Change and Leadership
 
All you have to do is look at people such as Greta Thunberg and many other young people around the world are willing to step outside the democratic process and insist on changes. Because of such people, in 2022 we are going to see much more political pressure when it comes to sustainability. This conversation has finally made its way into the political arena in many countries. There is finally a tremendous groundswell of public awareness about these issues. 
 
Consumers are now realizing that their personal choices can make changes but the real power lies in the hands of corporations. While there is a lot of power in conscious consumerism, big business will not change unless there are legislative changes. Additionally I think people are starting to realize that we must take steps to limit climate change and people are now much less tolerate of weak climate policies and much more willing to speak out.  And I think that is going to happen. People are willing to speak out and want people in leadership positions that are willing to do the same. So, the present day consumer truly wants real change and strong leadership to stand behind those changes.  
 
Consumers Will Embrace Sustainable Changes
 
And along that same line of thought, I think one of the next biggest trends is that the average consumer will embrace sustainable changes in their daily lives. It is at the point that we hear about the affects of climate change almost everyday. Along with strong leadership, I think we are going to start seeing a shift where people want to be waste free, ditch single use plastics, and shift to a climate friendly lifestyle which will require changes in how we eat, shop, travel, and even invest our money. I think these kinds of shifts are going to have a massive societal impact. 
 
Climate Change Has to Be on the Agenda
 
And speaking of climate change, that is something that has to go back on the agenda. Our former president withdrew the United States from the Paris agreement but that has now changed.  The U.S. has now returned to that agreement which has now added a little more momentum to that movement. The latest COP26 saw a greater commitment of businesses and organization that were willing to take significant actions to reduce emissions and fight climate change.
 
The COP is known as the Conference of the Parties, which is a meeting of the 197 nations that have agreed to discuss and work on the impact of climate change. COP26 just means it is the 26th meeting. And the latest meeting revealed a greater commitment to urgent action that is needed to manage the long term risk to the planet. And it is interesting to note that some of the main drivers behind all of this is growing concern from citizens. 
 
Companies will be required by law to be transparent about their climate risks. 
 
 
Now, it should be quite obvious at this point that our consumer choices drive the market place. In fact, a lot of big business have used that as an excuse to not make environmentally friendly changes to their business practices. They like to sit back and say “Well, we are just giving you what you want.”  That being said, we are going to start seeing a change in that attitude. Due to a huge elevation in consumer awareness, more and more people want big businesses to be transparent about their climate and environmental impact. And this is where as individuals the heightened expression of our concerns gets translated into legislation. We are going to start seeing that. 
 
In fact, it has already started. More states and cites around the world are requiring businesses to be accountable for their energy use, emissions, water usage, waste production, and societal impact. There will come a time when any business with a track record of poor environmental and social impact will be completely shut down. This will in effect show the world that insufficient environmental action is not a joke any more. 
 
Fortunately, due to increased pressure from the people, accountability, credibility, and transparency is the future of business. And that is a trend that we are going to see. And thanks to the awareness of the younger generations on our planet that is truly going to become a reality. Consumers are staring to scrutinize companies, their business practices, and their impact on the plant and making their purchase choices accordingly. Consequently, businesses are going to be forced to change or suffer the consequences. 
 
Climate Positivity Replaces Net-Zero
 
And staying with the trend momentarily about environmental impact, if you follow sustainability practices at all, you have undoubtedly heard about the net-zero movement. This is a movement to reach zero carbon emissions. In other words, whatever it is we are doing on this planet, whether that is agriculture, construction work, transportation, and even travel,  we are producing no carbon emissions. However, the trend we will start to see is climate positivity replacing net zero. 
 
But to explain this we have to answer the question of what happens to all the carbon that is presently in the atmosphere.  Well, scientific data supports the reality that once carbon is in the atmosphere, it stays there from somewhere between 300 and 1,000 years. Now the media frequently claims that the world is facing “committed warming”, which simply means that even if we reach net zero, continued warming is going to be the trend. 
 
However, the best available scientific evidence shows that is not really the case. Global warming is likely to more or less stop once we reach net zero emissions. What this means is that humanity has to power to choose their climate future. And the scientific community has reported on this finding since 2008. 
 
Obviously from these findings even if we reach net zero, CO2 concentrations may remain the same for some time and then actually begin to fall. But that may take centuries. So, I think what we are going to see is an effort to remove emissions from the atmosphere. So, a trend not toward net zero but what is called climate positive or carbon negativity. This is where instead of balancing what we produce we will see efforts to take away more than we emit. And perhaps this is the only way we are going to ensure a safe and productive climate for future generations. 
 
Cities Make Bold Changes in How They Power Themselves
 
I think another trend we are going to start seeing is that more and more cities are going to start leading the way in making significant changes. And these changes may in fact be rather radical. But what you have to understand is that we are at the point where there are no non-radical solutions left. 
 
For example:
 
Barcelona has turned one third of its streets in the center of the city into forest and places to play. Additionally, there are plans to turn a large shopping center into a mixture of wetlands, woodland, and meadows. 
 
The city of Portland, Oregon has 92,000 acres of green space and 74 miles of hiking and running trails. There are additional cities such as Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Berlin that are making it much easier for people to cycle to work or use public transportation. 
 
Cities such as Monhegan, Maine: Mackinac Island, Michigan: Halibut Cove, Alaska: Fire Island, New York, Amsterdam, Birmingham, U.K., Brussels, Oslo, and the list goes on and on of the number of cities that have car free zones or have even banned the use of cars in the cities. 
 
I truly think people are starting to realize the value of having a natural environment. Not only that, but we are realizing the value of local food and energy.  
 
Reconnecting with nature is on the rise
 
And along this same trend, I also see that the number of people wanting to reconnect with nature is on the rise. People are starting to appreciate the value of the natural world just simply as a place to spend some time to reconnect with yourself. And with this increased awareness, people will also fight to improve and protect the natural world for the simple and valuable resource that it is.  
 
And along this same line, Annette and I have a place on our property where we allow private camping. It is up on the hill, away from the cabins, there is an unobstructed view of the mountains and it is very private. People have to make a reservation and we limit access to and from this location. That said, the feed back that we repeatedly get from people is just how difficult it is to find a nice, quiet, peaceful place to go camping and get away from the city. 
 
Based on this experience, I think this trend is on the rise. People simply want to get away from all the noise and have a place to go to and just appreciate the value of the natural world.
 
A Move Toward Alternative Protein Sources 
 
Another trend that I see is that people are starting to look more seriously at alternative protein sources. I truly think that over the next decade we are going to see a strong transition to more of a plant based diet as well as a whole new range of alternatives. But why is that?
 
We now know that our agricultures activities account for at least 25% of our greenhouse gas emissions. If you include our tremendous food waste that goes to the landfill which rots and emits methane, our greenhouse gas production is closer to 30%, solely related to how and what we eat. Not only that, but agricultural activity continues to be by far the leading cause of deforestation, habitat destruction, and loss of biodiversity. 
 
Obviously that needs to change and it is completely within our ability to do so. I talked a little bit about this is E50 on edible insects. But in my opinion, opting for a plant-based burger instead of a meat based burger is simply not enough to reduce our carbon emissions as related to agriculture. We truly need to change our perception of how and what we eat. 
 
Now I am not saying that insects are the solution. But they do provide an interesting way to look at alternative sources of protein. I actually believe that the true answer lies in diversity because diversity means resilience and resilience means food security. With over 2,000 different types of edible insects, if we exclude such a thing as a source of protein then we are missing the point. 
 
Better watch out. Before you know it insects could become the new sushi. 
 
Stronger Transition to a Circular Economy
 
One thing that I also see is an increased trend toward a circular economy. Businesses are starting to realize the value of reusing, recycling and repurposing materials instead of depending on virgin materials for products. It is becoming increasingly obvious that we no longer live in a world of unlimited resources. Some big businesses are taking that to heart and manufacturing products from recycled materials with the end goal of recycling that material once again at the end of that product life cycle. One gleaming example of this is the US clothing company Patagonia. This company also gives 1% for the planet, meaning 1% of their earnings goes toward non-profits that work toward saving our planet.  
 
Renewable Energy Becomes Increasingly Affordable 
 
Another trend that I see, and one of my favorite topics to discuss, is that renewable energy is becoming increasingly affordable. Long gone are the days when fossil fuels are the least expensive source of energy. 
 
Since 2010 the cost of solar energy has gone down by 80%. In fact it was this huge reduction in the cost of renewables that finally prompt me to install a full solar array at the cabin and is also the reason why I am going to expand my solar capability later this year. 
 
It is encouraging to see more and more countries are installing enormous solar farms. What most people do not realize is that the amount of potential solar energy that hits the Earth’s surface in one hour is equal to the annual energy consumption of everyone on the planet. Just 20 days of sunshine can create the same amount of energy as all the Earth’s coal, oil, and natural gas combined. I truly fail to understand why we do not make great strides to take advantage of this. It would transform our economy, create a significant number of jobs, and be a huge step toward reversing climate change. 
 
Countries such as Germany had enough forethought and planning to start down this road over 40 years ago. This countries’s green initiatives have more than proven that the greening of the economy is not only possible and but sustainable. Presently Germany uses renewables to approximately 51% of their energy and the renewable energy market provides about 275,000 jobs. 
 
Other Trends
 
Now there are numerous other trends that I see and I just want to mention a few here. I think electric vehicles are going to slowly become mainstream. In fact, the Toyota company has an electric cross over vehicle that is set to debut in 2023. I think as the public increases pressure on industry and agriculture, we are going to see more big business making ethical investments that protect the environment. A bio-friendly economy is slowly going to take shape as more and more people realize that we no longer live in a world with unlimited resources.  I truly think that in the next few years, sustainability is going to become the new normal. 
 
Progress
 
As you can see from these trends, we are actually making progress.  Of the 2,000 largest public companies in the world, 622 of them have net zero strategies in place. Additionally, over 450 financial firms have pledged $130 trillion in private capital to reach net zero by 2050. Big US companies such as PepsiCo, Microsoft, and Ecolab have made tremendous strides toward becoming net zero. Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Finland have plans in place to phase out the use of coal by 2050. The Danish prime minister has announced plans to make domestic flights fossil fuel-free by 2030. A proposed bill in the state of New York would require big business to increase transparency of their supply chains and their social impact. Asia’s richest business man has signed an agreement with one Indian state to invest $80 billion in green projects. 
 
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Challenges
 
This is all good news but we still have challenges ahead. Our transportation industry and our electricity generation accounts for 52% of our greenhouse gas production. Despite plans in place by several countries to phase out coal, on a global scale the coal industry is still booming. States such as California, are now considering changing their net metering rules which would significantly prolong the private return on investment for the installation of solar panels.  
 
So, as you can see, not everyone is on board yet with the changes that need to be made. In fact, I was talking with a co worker the other day about the potential closure of the three coal fired energy plants in Arizona. Her husband of course works in one of those plants. Her stance was “They just can’t do that.” My stance of course is that we just can’t keep pumping CO2 into the atmosphere.  
 
In the end, I truly think we are at the point where there are no more non-radical solutions. Sustainability has to become mainstream and we are all going to have to take action and make changes.  
 
I want to close this episode with a couple of quotes from some well known people.  
 
Albert Einstein once said, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
 
And that is exactly what we need to do today. We need to question everything we are doing. We need to re-examine the way in which we live day to day and take action to change that. Greta Thunberg said “When we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then the hope will come.”  
 
And according to NASA
 
“The effects of human-caused global warming are happening now, are irreversible on the timescale of people alive today, and will worsen in the decades to come.”
 
It is quite obvious that the climate is changing. So should we. 
 
 
This is your host Patrick signing off until next week. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future. 
 
 
 
 
  
Resources
 
 
Six Sustainability Trends on the Rise
 
The Six Biggest Sustainability Trends for 2022
 
10 Sustainability Trends to Watch in 2022
 
Will Global Warming Stop as Soon as Zero Emissions is Reached? 
Patrick