I have this in mind when I think about what happened with the EU CSDDD this week:
(This is a twist on the famous 2012 image by Tom Toro originally published in The New Yorker. Thank you Tom, and see here for more on this).
By now, you will have heard about …
… the news from Brussels (the sustainability Omnibus that was held hostage by the far right),
… the lobbying from the U.S. (the U.S. views the EU CSDDD as imposing significant economic and regulatory burdens on U.S. companies),
… the extent of the lobbying from ExxonMobil, and
… the letter from TotalEnergies and Siemens CEOs on behalf of 46 CEOs (requesting that the EU abolish the EU CSDDD to demonstrate their seriousness about restoring competitiveness in Europe).
It’s tempting to be angry 😠 with politicians, with CEOs, with senior leaders.
And I completely understand if you feel angry right now. (No judgment here — do what you need to do to process that anger (safely!) — this weekend if you feel it!)
But really, this is not about individuals. This is about systems.
We are in short-term systems that drive individuals to behave in ways that are fundamentally at odds with respect for people and planet. 🌿
I have a rubber band image now in my head 🌀.
We are trying to change a system. The more you pull, the more it will resist. And at one point, it will try and snap back into place.
Maybe instead of pulling, we need to work more from inside. To fragilise the rubber itself, and replace it with something else. Something more beautiful, more compelling. 🌸
We need to make the costs of short-termism visible and shift culture and mindsets.
We need to redefine success and align incentives accordingly.
We need to build coalitions for change, and embed the change structurally.
So, let’s recognise that this is hard 💪.
We are changing systems, and resistance is unavoidable. Stay strong, stay grounded. The beautiful system ahead needs you so.
Anna
