While climate change is already impacting every region of the earth, this Earth Day I invite you to consider communities that may be even more impacted than your own, and what we can do to support them. 

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 3.3 to 3.6 billion people are vulnerable to significant environmental distress. Vulnerable communities worldwide continue to suffer outsized health, economic, and infrastructure losses from more frequent and intense extreme weather events. 

The Asia-Pacific region stands out as among the most susceptible areas to the effects of climate change. The latest UNDP Human Development Report covering the region issues a stark warning, asserting that climate change presents a significant “existential threat” and has the potential to unravel decades of progress.

Climate change is also threatening businesses across industries. From agriculture to transportation, utilities, and insurance, few companies will be spared the instability and disruptions caused by extreme weather. Business enterprises need to act with urgency and intention to drive sustainability within their business operations and across their value chains.

However, a recent research report on operationalizing sustainability that I co-authored, shows that, after years of “doing sustainability,” most enterprises might not have produced the desired outcomes. Many organisations appear to hit targets but miss the point as they approach sustainability as an accounting or reporting exercise rather than a transformation endeavour. Six in 10 executives say they have to make trade-offs between financial and sustainability outcomes. Case in point: according to the research, spending on sustainability reporting exceeds spending on sustainability innovation by an average of 41% in Asia Pacific.

As business leaders, we must end sustainability as we know it, to make way for a new model that delivers positive sustainable impacts and positive financial results. We need new to embed sustainability throughout the business and truly bake it into operations and infuse it in our decision-making. To do this, we must invest in a skilled and resilient workforce that can help us navigate these challenges and also help identify potential solutions. 

Recent research from IBM and Morning Consult confirms a growing skills gap in sustainability that poses a threat to the workforce across industries. 71% of business leaders surveyed anticipate their business will emphasize sustainability skills criteria in their hiring in the next two years, with 92% expecting to invest in sustainability training in the next year.

I’m excited to see new efforts across education, business, and government to help address these needs. A challenge of this magnitude requires collaboration across an ecosystem of experts to drive change. For example, IBM recently launched a first-of-its-kind roadmap of sustainability skills courses with contributions from AXA Climate School and The Burning Glass Institute. This free training is available through IBM SkillsBuild to help inspire future climate action. 

We know AI is having a transformational effect across businesses and education and also offers the potential to turbo-charge sustainability innovations in the near future. With AI-powered recommendations available for each learner, this interdisciplinary coursework connects topics such as ecology and biodiversity, with technology training in AI and data analytics. Connecting cutting edge technologies to ecology and climate change is a way to help equip the next generation of leaders with skills for the green economy.

Making available sustainability courses, we are helping student and adult learners gain a foundational understanding of sustainability and technology, including how technology supports and drives sustainability practices, together with hands-on learning, practical applications, and collaborative projects. 

Skills are crucial to the future of sustainability solutions but shouldn’t be the only way to combat climate change. I’m inspired by programs like the IBM Sustainability Accelerator that are scaling solutions to help communities exposed to environmental hazards, and creative collaborations with groups like NASA and the United Nations to aid this effort. 

As Earth Day approaches, I’m excited to see what’s next in this truly existential effort, and I invite you to help us cultivate a pipeline of future leaders at the intersection of technology and sustainability across industries.