Why is social sustainability important? 

Maybe you already work or volunteer in sustainability. If so, you might be interested to know that it’s often social issues which motivate people to take big action on climate change (more than environmental issues).

By understanding the social impacts of climate change, campaigns can connect more successfully. In addition, lessons from social sustainability can help you identify what support people need in order to be able to take action, and help you provide it for them

It isn't just not-for-profits who care about climate change, many traditional businesses do, and want to be able to demonstrate this. Lots of business owners want their company to be a force for good in the world.

A business which takes social sustainability seriously can learn how to improve the human impacts of its business choices as well as be supportive of employees who want to be greener.

Ultimately, good business is often about good people skills: working with people, working for people, understanding people’s needs, and that’s also what social sustainability is about.

Many people work in local and national government, and most of them aren’t politicians. Local governments across the world are working hard to help future-proof their communities. Housing, transport, and waste are three key things they often have responsibility for improving.

But how do you bring different people together around new solutions? This is a very big challenge.

Often, decisions are made before really seeking input from local communities. This can mean policies fall apart because people don’t participate in the ways expected. Understanding social sustainability can help governments improve the success of green policies.

Tackling climate change doesn’t just need new technologies. We need better social solutions that work in specific contexts.

To achieve this, it’s important people are studying and researching topics related to social sustainability. In addition, these are really interesting areas to get your teeth into with a lot of scope for making a contribution!

If you are currently doing a degree, you might be interested in exploring relevant topics to focus on for your dissertation. Or if you are an academic working in any area of climate change, you may find social sustainability has insights which are useful for your work.

I know quite a few people who have family or friends who feel overwhelmed about the state of the world, and the future we face. Naturally they want to help support them, but may not know where to start.

Conversely, if you encounter large differences with loved ones on this subject, you may want new ways to talk about climate change, for your own wellbeing!

Social sustainability can help us learn how to do both of these things in a thoughtful way.

We can also learn a lot from looking at how a supportive family operates – treating individuals fairly, celebrating everyone’s talents, and working to achieve positive outcomes for the whole group – to help work out how a greener society can operate. 

If social sustainability is one of the keys to addressing climate change, then local groups are the key to achieving social sustainability. This includes faith groups, schools, hobby groups, and many more. Many groups do want to act on climate change but don’t necessarily know how… this website aims to help you take group action!

Because individuals within local communities know these groups best, they are also the most likely to be successful in their efforts; no one else from ‘outside’ will understand all the dynamics as well as they do.

People who have family spread across the world, or who have lived in multiple locations, have an important perspective on climate change. The learning that comes from experiencing different cultures, as well as concern about potential impacts on family and friends across the globe, often brings a strong motivation to help achieve green change.

It can also be easier to see that ‘things could be done differently’ when you have experience of living in different places, and this is a really important contribution to social sustainability.