The UN Climate Change conference starts in Glasgow next week. The COP26 as it is called, it is an important event where companies, technologists, policymakers, environmentalists and philanthropists will congregate and set the climate change agenda.
We are running out of time to do enough to arrest climate change and avoid its ill effects and we have seen only in the last couple of years the damage and destruction caused by unseasonal and excessive Cyclones and rainfall in many parts of world while we saw unbearable heat waves in many others.
The latest deluge in Uttarakhand and other parts of India and Nepal were another reminder that this threat is real. We are paying for this with loss of human lives, damage to wealth and the overall ecosystem.
As more people make more climate friendly choices, companies will soon have no option but to be sensitive to sustainability in their processes and products. Shifting consumer preferences is a strong way to push everyone to have an economic incentive to adopt sustainability.
India lost against Pakistan in cricket. Amongst the disappointment across India, a few people have been booked for celebrating Pakistan's victory. That's an act that cannot be excused but in this hyper polarized world, we forget that we can appreciate the effort put in by the competing team while still lamenting our loss and reflecting on what we could have done different.
Climate change is similar. We can appreciate the advances made through industrialization in the last two and the benefits and comforts that have accrued to us in the process. Advances in technology has made our life's longer and healthier and more comfortable. The side effects of that have been climate change. We are building our understanding and awareness of how to battle this and we need to reflect on what actions we need to change and what we need to take to protect our planet and our future. Decisions businesses take on products and processes and choices made by consumers shall go a long way in ensuring we meet our climate change goals.