The virus has made it clear: the future is now | Umweltbundesamt

The virus has made it clear: the future is now

Blogpost by Dr. Sabin Bieri,  Prof. Dr. Thomas Breu, Dr. Andreas Heinimann and Prof. Dr. Peter Messerli 

Accelerated by a virus, we have suddenly found ourselves in a possible future. The existen-tial threat appears as if through a magnifying glass, allowing us to perceive the state of the world with increased clarity. With astonishment, we have seen political taboos and unques-tioned assumptions falling by the wayside, allowing our institutions to take action. All of a sudden, the tried and tested arguments of interest-driven politics – economic constraints, technological barriers, unchanging behavioural patterns, individual responsibility – no long-er seem to be guiding the decision-making. Behind this is a growing awareness that the cur-rent socio-political range of actions will be insufficient to cope with future crises, which are just as threatening, but of a completely different nature.

While the world is under pressure to emerge from the coronavirus crisis as intact as possi-ble, the virus has catapulted us to a crossroads. Can we rise to the challenge of the corona-virus phenomenon with answers from yesterday? Or will we look for the answers of tomor-row which also fulfil the various challenges surrounding sustainable development? On the basis of four areas of action, the figure illustrates that established filters of perception are unable to provide any prospects for resolving future problems. Whether it is the economy, the environment, global justice or the role of science: conventional interpretations of prob-lems and corresponding reflexive solutions aligned to short-term effects have become obso-lete. The virally-conveyed clarity shows us the fragility of the achievements of civilisation. However, it is also capable of pointing to new concepts for a forward-looking design capabil-ity (refer to the figure).

What, however, does the insight that yesterday's answers are unsuitable for tomorrow's most pressing questions mean in terms of the increasing gap between the knowledge sur-rounding upcoming challenges and the capacity to take political action?

In this context, the Agenda 2030 provides us with a compass. The design principles derived from this for a less precarious and more just future are outlined in the Global Sustainability Report of the UN : In our highly networked world, human well-being and an intact environ-ment depend on the ability to take action across sectors and national borders, and with a view to future problems. Turning the clock back on globalisation is not a realistic option. On the contrary, we must address the many links between the 17 sustainability objectives. We need to shape the contradictions and synergies between sectors such as healthcare, the economy, food and energy systems, so that the urgently needed transformation towards a more resilient world can be initiated.

We shall gain the capacity to act by combining political will with the existing knowledge. This can succeed if we overcome the sectoral fragmentation of the stakeholders driving change in the world of politics, the economy and society, and we have the courage to act on the basis of knowledge which is also incomplete. After all: we know enough, and the corona-virus crisis has shown how new alliances of decision making can emerge. The future is now.

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Authors:

• Dr. sabin Bieri, Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern is Associate Director and Member of the Executive Board of the Centre for Sustainable Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern. She is responsible for research on the social dimension of sustainability. She heads a team from four countries that conducts research on three continents on rural labour markets and the consequences of export-oriented agriculture for the local population (www.fate-unibe.ch).
• Thomas Breu is Professor and Director of the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern and Managing Director of the International Graduate School North-South (IGS). Since 2018, he has chaired the Commission for Research Partnerships (KFPE) with developing countries of the Swiss Academies.
• Andreas Heinimann is Associate Director for Regional Collaboration at the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Bern. As such, he is responsible for the strategic guidance of CDE’s five regional offices in the global South. He is also an internationally renowned land system scientist, collaborates with organizations like NASA, and was lead author of a chapter in the recent IPBES Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
• Peter Messerli is professor for sustainable development at the University of Bern, Switzerland, and the director of the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE). He is the co-chair of Future Earth’s Global Land Programme (GLP) and was the co-chair of the group of 15 independent scientists drafting the UN Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR).