Barrett-Sales-Trends-T01-The-Moral-Case-for-Decarbonising-Sales-Operations

Sales trend 1 of the Barrett 12 Sales Trends Report for 2022 is the moral case for decarbonising sales operations.

This is a condensed version of Sales Trend 1, to read the original version you can download the report for free.

I became consciously aware of climate change and its physical, economic, and moral impacts in 1989, even though scientists had been talking about this since the 1970s. Since then, I’ve been actively informing myself about climate science and the changes required to create a sustainable future for all with my first act of climate awareness being a switch to using cloth shopping bags. My family, my company, and my team have been steadily working towards decarbonising our homes, our lifestyles, and our business operations with solar power being one of the biggest shifts we took in 2014.

We’ve been doing lots of other things since to drive down our consumption, reduce the use of plastics and paper and minimising waste, recycle and reuse where we can, as well as make buying-selling and other business decisions based on our impact on the climate and our environment. We’ve signed up to and joined relevant pro-climate action businesses and community groups, and built networks with others committed to creating clean, renewable, sustainable, and viable economies and societies. Our biggest investment yet was in 2013 with the development of Sales Essentials Online, our sales education platform, transforming all our training materials into online resources and hence avoiding printing over 3 tons (and counting) of paper. Recently we applied to become a member of the UN Global Compact.

So, I write this piece with mixed emotions. On one hand, I am buoyed by all the amazing people, innovations, solutions, and opportunities that are already available in abundance for us to tackle the biggest crisis facing humanity and the planet. On the other hand, I am deeply concerned, waking up every day with a feeling of angst and rage at the lack of leadership and strategies, the lack of risk management and harm reduction, and the lack of any coordinated action, courage, and conviction to decarbonise our economies by 2030-35 in Australia, and other parts of the world.

Australian philosopher and Hughes Professor of Philosophy at the University of Adelaide, Garrett Cullity said in his essay ‘The Moral Case for Climate Action’ 9 September 2020 for the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia:

In ordinary moral thought, failing to take precautions against inflicting serious harm under conditions of uncertainty is criticised as negligent or reckless.

Given the reality of climate change, there will eventually have to be economic disruption to deal with it. This gives us a choice. The disruption could be delayed until it is forced on future Australians, producing the need for massive and costly change later; or it can be introduced earlier, more incrementally, and in a way that is more easily absorbed.’

Those most responsible for climate change are relatively few compared to the vast numbers of people who will be harmfully affected. Indeed, climate change will, in one way or another, impact all life on Earth.

Simply put – There is NO Planet B.

Every single living thing is affected by whatever actions we take on climate action and decarbonising our human systems– for good or for bad. We have until 2035 to rescue the planet from irreversible climate catastrophe.

We have a duty of care to all concerned to think deeply about the consequences of our decisions on others and the planet.

Sales and client facing teams are the front-line ambassadors of our organisations and can raise awareness of our interconnectedness as a foundation for empathy, compassion, decency, and ethics, which in turn informs our moral cognition – our capacity to ‘do the right thing’.

The moral case for decarbonising sales operations is about doing the right thing for all the right reasons, for our sake and the greater good.

Taking climate action is a moral imperative

Garrett Cullity, in his essay ‘The Moral Case for Climate Action’ explains that the Moral Case for taking climate action comes from five different arguments:

  1. An Argument from Harm – excess mortality and lost disability-adjusted life years; if we do nothing there are similar effects for a millennium
  2. An Argument from Risk – uncertainty and failing to take precautions against serious harm
  3. An Argument from Burden-Sharing – Failing to contribute an equitable share of the burden of producing a public good is free-riding and morally wrong especially if others carry unequal (bigger) burdens; So when did Australia become a nation of shirkers? We need to pay it forward
  4. An Argument from National Protection – the impact on future generations; we have a duty of care to ensure a viable future for all creatures
  5. An Argument from National Prudence – better to act earlier with incremental changes rather than massive costly changes later

Kicking the climate change action can down the road and leaving it until it’s too late is not an option anymore which is why many organisations and governments are driving for affirmative climate and seeing the opportunities.

This is the kind of moral leadership and stewardship we need now and for generations to come. 

 

Related topics

12 Sales Trends for 2022 – Decarbonising Sales Operations

12 Sales Trends for 2022 – The event

A year ago

Dear prospects, salespeople are not mind readers

Five years ago

12 Sales Trends for 2017 – Going from ordinary to extraordinary

 

References:

https://climatejustice.co/articles/the-moral-case-for-climate-action/

https://www.bcsda.org.au/

https://theconversation.com/making-the-moral-case-on-climate-change-ahead-of-paris-summit-50888

What does net zero emissions mean?

https://climatejustice.co/articles/the-moral-case-for-climate-action/

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/09/when-it-comes-to-emissions-the-too-small-to-matter-argument-is-absurd-reckless-and-morally-bankrupt

https://theconversation.com/against-the-odds-south-australia-is-a-renewable-energy-powerhouse-how-on-earth-did-they-do-it-153789

https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/green-energy-powering-south-australia-to-become-global-player-20210901-p58o16

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonquilhackenberg/2021/05/24/six-considerations-as-you-decarbonise-your-business/?sh=2e1ff95353fa

https://www.wbcsd.org/Overview/Panorama/Articles/Decarbonization-will-improve-our-economic-futures

https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/risk/deloitte-au-risk-decarbonisation-extracting-value-from-decarbonisation-05032020.pdf