We have been developing sustainability policy for over 50 years, but the results are still disappointing. “At this rate, we’ll never achieve our goals,” concludes Ingrid Visseren-Hamakers, professor of Environmental Governance and Politics at Radboud University. “We have to fundamentally change the structure of our society. And the good news is that this realisation is more widely supported than ever before.” A sustainable society is about more than climate change. Poverty, hunger, healthcare and education are also important aspects. And these are only a few of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that are required for a sustainable society. The goals were set by the United Nations in 2015, with the aim of achieving them by 2030. “And everyone's support is needed to achieve these goals,” says Visseren. “We are faced with enormous challenges and fundamental changes. We are good at causing or exacerbating problems, but making choices focused on sustainability and a better world requires a different way of thinking and acting.” Sustainability as the norm What does that better world look like? “It will be very different,” Visseren replies. “Today, sustainability is still an exception. There are many initiatives – from circular and local production to sustainable vacations – but we’re held back by the system in which we live, which doesn’t support sustainable practices. The government subsidises non-sustainable food and energy production, and in our current economic system, growth has a higher priority than the well-being of people and nature.” In a sustainable society, sustainability is the norm. And that means fundamental change. For example, we will obtain energy from different sources and we will eat different food. “It is really a systemic change, and that is exciting because it has never been done before.” To achieve that sustainable society, we not only need environmental scientists, but also economists, political scientists and public administration experts. “We now place far too much responsibility on the individual. Why do consumers have to read labels for three hours to find out whether a product contains palm oil? When we buy a product, we should be able to assume that it is a sustainable product.” The burden of environmental policy must also be distributed fairly. “It must be a social transformation that leaves no one behind, because otherwise you will have no support. We cannot continue to shift the consequences of our environmental policy and our consumption pattern to our fellow citizens and to other countries.” We can succeed tomorrow Together with societal partners, Visseren and her scientific colleagues are brainstorming about how the transformation to a sustainable society can be achieved on smaller and larger scales. “We often talk about governance, about how various stakeholders can contribute, who bears which responsibilities, and about smart collaboration. How can the various parties – such as government, business and local citizens – strengthen each other instead of oppose each other? That is a huge puzzle that is constantly changing.” Obviously this is a big issue, but the answer is simple. “It is a matter of making different choices. And if we all decided to make different choices tomorrow, then the sustainable society will be here tomorrow.” Take food, for example. We are already producing enough food for the future world population, but according to Visseren it is the wrong type of food. Meat is an obvious example: it is an inefficient source of protein and causes enormous environmental problems in addition to animal suffering. And we shift some of the environmental burden to other counties by importing large amounts of soy from South America for animal feed. In addition, a lot of food is wasted: it is not only lost during transport, but also in our refrigerators. “It's a bit of a lame joke,” laughs Visseren, “but food waste is low-hanging fruit. The food is already there. We just have to eat it instead of letting it go to waste.” According to Visseren, sustainable food will not be more expensive. “What we do need to do is eat differently, with less animal-based food and more vegetable products. What does a can of beans costs, 80 cents? That is not only more sustainable, but also healthier.” Priorities “Furthermore, I expect that more products will be developed that are easier to repair or to recycle. And perhaps we will again start to consume less. That has somewhat faded into the background, but it is desperately needed.” Incidentally, she hastens to say, that is a typical Northern answer. “If you move the discussion to Kenya, for example, then other priorities will apply. The Sustainable Development Goals show that sustainable development is a global issue.” Visseren is determined to succeed. “We live in exciting times because the support for change has never been so great. We have to do something, and now we can do something. The seed for change has been sown.” You have a part to play Our society is facing major challenges. Radboud University wants to contribute to a healthy, free world with equal chances for everyone. With ‘Je bent nodig’ (You have a part to play), Radboud University aims to reach people who want to contribute to that goal. At Jebentnodig.nl you’ll find more articles and a link to our job opportunities. Do you want to be kept updated of our articles? Register at Radboud Recharge. Image from Pawel Cserwinski via Unsplash.