Global Program on Sustainability (2024)

FAQs

What is the sustainability program? ›

Sustainability programs exist to help companies minimize their negative impacts, both environmentally and socially, while improving their economic success.

About the Program

The Global Program on Sustainability (GPS) promotes the use of high-quality data and analysis on natural capital, ecosystem services, and sustainability to better inform decisions made by governments, the private sector, and financial institutions.

Starting with an overarching look at the topic, the main sustainability challenges that are affecting the environment are: Climate change. Pollution. Loss of biodiversity.

Answer and Explanation: The subject of global sustainability refers to the world's resources and how long they will last for our use. This includes all types of resources, like human resources, natural resources, technology systems, fossil fuels, food sources and the like.

The term sustainability is used to broadly indicate initiatives and actions aimed at the preservation of a particular resources. However, it refers to four distinct areas: human, social, economic and environmental – known as the four pillars of sustainability.

Sustainability and ESG (environmental, social and governance) are initiatives that have become imperative in business with the threat of climate change and climate risk. The main difference between these two frameworks for business is ESG is a measured assessment of sustainability using benchmarks and metrics.

There are many examples of ways researchers and manufacturers are trialling solutions to reduce or eliminate environmental impact. For example, there is a move towards using bamboo rather than single-use plastics in packaging.

Sustainable operations entail total quality management, sustainability, environmental stewardship, and process safety.

What is the biggest problem in sustainability? ›

Our increasing and inefficient use of resources has knock-on effects including climate change, loss of biodiversity, pollution, poor health and poverty. These issues are interlinked and in turn often exacerbate each other.

Cutting emissions, lowering energy usage, sourcing products from fair-trade organizations, and ensuring their physical waste is disposed of properly and with a smaller carbon footprint would qualify as moves toward sustainability.

It's a glocal challenge. Large scale deforestation in one region contributes to global climate change by releasing greenhouse gases, but it can also affect rainfall patterns more directly, leading to local droughts and food insecurity in different regions around the world.

To play an effective role in the battle against climate change, companies need to be able to report information using globally accepted sustainability standards. Existing sustainability frameworks, methodologies and metrics need to be consolidated to help accelerate progress toward a more sustainable future.

To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations. Learn more about sustainability and how EPA incorporates it into its work in the National Research Council's report, Sustainability and the U.S. EPA.

Section navigation. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to transform our world. They are a call to action to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity.

“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Sustainable living practices not only help reduce pollution but also conserve natural resources like water and energy. Businesses and people that care about sustainability are also less likely to encroach upon the natural habitats of wild animals, thus helping protect the biodiversity of our planet.