"The economy is only as strong as the environment it relies on. A sustainable economy is one that can utilize the goods and services that nature provides without depleting resources."
When I completed and blogged about the LinkedIn Learning Path: Career Essentials in Generative AI by Microsoft and LinkedIn, I came to realize that there was so much information I’ll like to share on Gen AI & Machine Learning! This resulted in a very long post, and I had to pick & choose what to include & exclude.
Hence this time round I decided to break it down and blog about individual courses instead of the entire learning path. Sustainability is something I’ve been looking to learn more about and here’s what I gathered from the 1st course: Sustainability Foundations: Core Concepts in the LinkedIn Learning Path: Career Essentials in Sustainable Tech by Microsoft and LinkedIn.
Dimensions of Sustainability
| a. Environment | Nature ecosystem which supports the economy |
| b. Economy | Production & consumption of goods & services |
| c. Society | Create robust systems of equity & opportunity across generations |
"Glocal is shorthand for a key sustainability concept, blending global and local. Think globally, act locally."
Shifting 3 key paradigms towards achieving sustainability:
1. FROM: A linear take-make-waste cycle from nature to trash
TO: Circular economy based on 3 principles
a. Eliminate waste & pollution (initial design)
b. Keep products in use for as long as possible
c. Regenerate our natural systems e.g. regenerative agriculture
2. FROM: Static thinking (seeing things as they are right now)
TO: Dynamic thinking (Anticipate & adapt to change)
3. FROM: Reductionist thinking (Understand complex systems by breaking them down into individual parts)
TO: Systems thinking (Understand how parts of a whole system interact & influence each other)
a. Complexity (Sustainability problems are multifaceted)
b. Feedback Loops (Outputs of a system influence its inputs)
c. Resilience (Flexible solutions that adapt to changing conditions and unforeseen challenges)
Key concepts on envirnomental sustainability
| a. Net zero | Amount of greenhouse gases emitted is balanced by the amount removed |
| b. Carbon removal | Human activities that take CO2 out of the atmosphere via trees planting & technology |
| c. Carbon offset | Pay someone else to not emit greenhouse gas, so that you can |
| d. Nature positive | UN Global Biodiversity Framework calling for an increase in the health, abundance, diversity, and resilience of species and ecosystems globally |
| e. TCFD Physical Risk | Nature events that damage assets and disrupt operations |
| f. TCFD Transition Risk | Policies & regulations e.g. increased cost due to carbon tax in countries with high carbon intensity grids |
| g. Scenario Analysis | Exploration of different scenarios to develop robust strategies for the future |
"Environmental resilience is about understanding our vulnerabilities and designing proactive strategies, not just to survive, but to thrive amidst challenges."
Carbon Accounting: Greenhouse-Gas Protocol
a. Scope 1 Emission: Direct emissions produced by the company’s own activities
b. Scope 2 Emission: Indirect emissions that result from the energy a company consumes from external sources
c. Scope 3 Emission: Indirect emissions from company’s entire supply chain & its customers, estimated based on spend-based data
This course really opened my eyes and mind to the complexity of sustainability. Which goes beyond the classic 3 Rs of Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. I’m excited to continue learning more, and see how I could apply these newly learnt concepts on sustainability to my next role.
