Sustainability: Critical Reflections on an Apparently Common-Sensical Term

Abstract

In March 20223, the sixth synthesis report penned by the International Panel of Climate Change (Lee et al. 2023) was released. As earlier, the assessments are dire reading and yet again witness of trends going into the wrong direction on almost all important accounts; increase in CO2 emissions, underperforming attempts at cutbacks, rising temperatures on a global scale, missed targets, unpaid compensations, and more. Key politicians and decision-makers from Biden and Xi to Lula and Lagarde publicly lament lack of progress and issue new promises to implement decisive steps to change course. The numbers are clear. Apparently, we have to do something. We have to act, and act now, before it is too late. There is no second Earth – or, as the likes of Bezos and Musk would put it, at least not for all of us. So, what are we waiting for?