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Keeping on this path would come at a tremendous cost to the
natural environment, ultimately leading to social and economic
downturns. As growing numbers of people live in cities, problems
would be particularly likely to accumulate here. Cities are hotspots
of material consumption, waste generation and pollution. In 1950,
30% of the world’s population was urban; in 2018, 55% was; the
UN expects the figure to reach 68% by 2050.
Although these messages are hardly uplifting, doomsday thinking
will not help us. It is our responsibility to do everything we can to
safeguard liveability on planet Earth now and in the future. One of
our biggest challenges is to do that in a manner that benefits the
wellbeing of all people, the environment and the economy. Often
sharing their scepticism, people ask me: are you optimistic that
we can change course in time? To be honest, I am, if we manage
to put our shoulders to the wheel.
Since the 1970s, I have been actively engaged in combatting the
staggering environmental problems that humanity faces. I have
contributed to the cause in various capacities through my work in
the environmental movement, academia, industries, and between
2007 and 2010, serving as the Netherlands’ Minister of Housing,
Spatial Planning and the Environment. I have since also become
a change-maker, working on implementing the circular economy
in different industries and regions. My optimism draws from my
experiences in each of these roles. I have met thousands of people
who are aware of environmental threats. These individuals want to
adapt and actually help their neighbourhood, company, region and/
or country too. Society’s collective environmental consciousness
is rising rapidly, which has led to an unprecedentedly strong call
for action. It is not just a small number of environmentalists like
me anymore; a broad movement within civil society, industry and
the research world is actively engaging in shaping an eco-friendly
future. Furthermore, we have developed so much knowledge and
expertise during the last 50 years that we have sufficient technical
means to solve the problems.