More chaos needed to solve global problems, says top green business guru

John Elkington told London Climate Week that 'the pain has to build somewhat further'

The Lower Manhattan skyline is obscured by hazy skies caused by forest fires in Canada. But things have to het worse before real solutions and leaders emerge according to John Elkington. Getty

One of the world's leading authorities on corporate social responsibility and sustainable development has told an event at London Climate Week that more chaos was needed before solutions to global problems can emerge.

In his book 'Green Swans', John Elkington wrote that “once there is enough chaos the opportunity for new, future-fit leaders to breakthrough can grow significantly.”

Responding to a question from The National at the panel discussion at Chatham House about whether there is currently enough chaos in the world for such a breakthrough to happen, Mr Elkington said there was not “because normal people and their leaders are not yet prepared to sacrifice sovereignty or do things that are currently unimaginable.”

“So, I'm afraid the pain has to build somewhat further,” he added.

Mr Elkington also said he believed the war in Ukraine was comparable to the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, in that it was a precursor for a major event.

“Beyond that conflict, there is an even bigger one coming towards us,” Mr Elkington said.

“So when we think about changing trade regimes, or whatever it is, I think we have to be aware that the world is not necessarily going in ways that we would like it to go.”

However, Mr Elkington said he does not consider himself a pessimist – and that transforming global economics would be a large silver lining.

“We have all grown up in a macroeconomic and geopolitical system that is inherited from our parents and grandparents, and was put together in the wake of the Second World War because people then had no option, they felt, but to sacrifice a certain amount of sovereignty and create trade regimes that worked to some degree for all.

“I think those regimes are now decomposing and I think that process will accelerate.”

Uncompetitive capitalism

Dorothy Grace Guerrero, Head of Policy for Global Justice Now agreed that transforming the current state of capitalism was essential.

“The kind of capitalism we have now is no longer the competitive type,” she told the Chatham House meeting.

“What we have at the moment is actually monopoly corporations. From the time we wake up, most of the things that we need are actually controlled, owned and dictated by less and less numbers of corporations, be it food, energy or transportation and even data. These are all getting more and more controlled by less and less number (of corporations).

“So, we need to understand that to be able to understand what kind of world we are living in and how we make policies that will address those questions.”

Experts said that if consumption is the problem, then changing consumer behaviour would be crucial, rather than just accusing producing countries of various environmental and climate change bad practices.

“The current metrics on sustainable trade have often been observing production-based accountability metrics, and therefore often blaming producing countries like Indonesia for what they produce, even if what is produced that is consumed in Singapore, Japan or China,” said Dr Thiago Kanashiro Uehara, a research fellow in the environment and society programme at Chatham House.

“So, there is a bonus for those consuming deforestation in Indonesia and we blame Indonesia for that.”

'Buy out the polluters'

Looking forward from what some on the panel referred to as the current 'poly-crisis', Mr Elkington said he felt a radical change was approaching, but there were many hurdles to overcome and that such a change would not be easy.

“I'm actually quite optimistic,” he said.

“I actually think there are moments in our collective history where an old order melts down. And it's only then that if you're really wanting to do major things, system changes, that that suddenly becomes possible. But you have to have a clear blueprint, and you have to have the political will to make that happen.

“We're going to have to think about something absolutely inconceivable at the moment.

“And that is just go back to slavery, where the UK government bought out the property rights to slaves over two years and spent the 40 per cent of GDP to do it. We're going to have to buy out to some degree, the fossil fuel polluters and we're going to have to criminalise the rest.

“It's not something we're going to do in short order, but I think we're going to have to do it.”