‘SHIFT: Decisions for a Net Zero World’ calls for a radical overhaul of how we do business

The climate crisis is unlike any existential challenge humanity has faced before. It’s not limited to any particular function of our society or politics, but instead encompasses the entire gamut of our interactions with the natural environment. Addressing it requires a profound change in how we consume and produce things, based on a set of guiding principles that lay out a framework for the sustainability transition. Few had attempted to produce a true compendium of these principles, till the launch of a new book on the nuances of sustainable development, “SHIFT: Decisions for a Net Zero World”, co-authored by Namrata Rana, Director, Futurescape, and Utkarsh Majmudar, Member, Board of Governors, IIM Raipur, which unpacks the key factors affecting sustainable development performance and explores the choices corporates must make to go green.

The book is a mix of visionary hypotheses and hard-hitting case studies, drawing on the authors’ experiences as corporate observers and sustainability experts. However, what makes the book an accessible treatise is a focus on Agenda 2030, which gives policy recommendations contained in it a defined window of relevance. A clear and visible goal brings focus to deliberations on the impact of the forthcoming sustainability transition and enables empirical projections. Amidst a flood of data-driven insights and specific case studies, the book retains a larger view of the sustainability question, touching upon several intangible human factors that affect it, like the evolution of a strategic mindset, and the consequences of eroding trust in institutions.

Unlike faddish efforts to reduce ESG compliance to a series of Dos and Don’ts, the lessons Namrata Rana and Utkarsh Majmudar share are fortified by an annual study of India’s top 200 companies over the past 8 years. It provides a snapshot of the progress observed year-on-year, while yielding valuable insights on the impact of ESG compliance on market performance. The book pays attention to exigencies of climate financing too, and the confluence of business strategy and ESG priorities. Such an organizational perspective allows the authors to expand on associated changes the society will have to undergo, specifically the transition to greener jobs and mindful consumption.

In the interconnectedness of the solutions it offers lies the humane touch that ‘SHIFT: Decisions for a Net Zero World’ seeks to incorporate in our battle against climate change, even amidst technocratic evaluations of the problem at hand. The book consolidates divergent streams of thought on sustainability into a simplified prognosis of the impending transformation. Therein it melds practicality with bits of philosophy, as the authors weave together individual action points and business insights into a vision of a healthier, more prosperous world. And there really can be no greater incentive than that to make a shift.