Where we are going:Generation 2030 or
the Sustainable Generation
2020 is a tipping point. Not just because of the Covid-19 pandemic, hashtag revolutions and the specter of climate change, but also due to a raft of demographic and technological changes in developing markets that will reshape the world in the next decade. While the West ages, a surge of young people will be hitting the workforce in the developing world. These youths will be educated to a degree unprecedented in the history of their countries, especially young women. They will also be filling the world’s urban centers, part of a shift from the countryside that has accelerated exponentially since the last century.
At the same time, the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), created by the United Nations, have a target date of 2030. Moreover, we need to halve greenhouse gas emissions by this point to avoid a 2ºC increase in global temperatures, resulting in a climate catastrophe. So, there are only ten years left to ensure that this planet is a place we are proud to let “Generation 2030” inherit.
Therefore, in this publication we have decided to focus on three macro-topics, which will have an immense impact on our ability to create a sustainable future:
1. Technology: Making the Difference
Hundreds of millions of people will obtain connectivity for the first time over the next ten years. Harnessing this will allow impactful business models to increase their outreach, to the benefit of populations otherwise excluded from access to information, healthcare, education, finance and other essential services.
2. Creating Opportunity
From gender equality to income equality, this is a global topic. Business models that provide access to services and jobs for women, young people and other excluded populations will dramatically boost emerging economies. This in turn will catalyze development and significantly improve quality of life across generations to come.
3. Mastering Sustainability
As urban populations surge, particularly in emerging markets, finding ways to live together sustainably are crucial – investing in infrastructure and buildings that avoid emissions, or transitioning to green vehicles that reduce pollution. These solutions can also generate millions of green jobs. Limiting global warming and boosting economies at the same time is a win-win for the planet and for us.
We are at a critical moment for our planet and for the global economy, with the developing world at center-stage. This is the moment to harness new technology and new business models to transform economies while providing sustainable solutions to the challenges of our time.
Many of these business models have only risen to prominence in recent years, but their influence over the next decade could be profound for all of us.Yet this is also true of the investment that they need to develop. With ethical and consumer choices more entwined than ever, the rise in sustainable investing means that investors are choosing to align their money with their beliefs. By continuing to do so, we can turn this decade from trauma to transformation.
Head of Impact