Malta Sustainability Forum will provide answers to how to implement positive change

This month’s first-ever Malta Sustainability Forum is set to be a dynamic day-long event that gives active citizens the chance to learn how to implement positive change in their lives, homes and organisations. FuturePlanet’s Carl Pratt will be one of the international speakers and will talk about how community is key to saving the planet.

“Everyone has the power to make a difference. I support and empower change-makers in big organisations to create an impact. It is the same at work as it is at home. We all have the potential to make a difference, and inspire and support those around us to do the same," he said.

A community of action, FuturePlanet is an organisation with a mission to accelerate our transition to an inclusive sustainable future. The FuturePlanet community acts on this mission through convening community, supporting changemakers, catalysing connections and fostering collaboration.

"Anxiety, anger and a call to action for climate change are strongly felt these days, especially among young people. There are many sides to this issue and much to be understood, but what is overwhelmingly clear is that this cannot be a one-person job. It isn’t even an issue to leave in the hands of experts or assume that only huge organisations should implement change. As a single entity or individual, you are as important for change as a company with 1000 employees; everyone has a role to play."

The mantra of his organisation echoes the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals; a list built on the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’, it includes goals such as no poverty, zero hunger and sustainable cities and communities.

“What we need is to be focused, to scale up what will have the highest positive impact on climate, biodiversity and the environment. We also need to make sure that we spend our energy on supporting each other, on collaboration and being inclusive. We all need to get to a better more sustainable future together," Pratt said.

Pratt has worked in over 19 industries, from marketing to music and even mining, with brands like Virgin, Vodafone, Sony and Diageo. He now helps leaders and teams achieve their sustainability goals.

“We empower people to feel good about supporting each other and collaborating to make the world a better place. I aspire to make it fun and rewarding for people to come together and feel a sense of purpose. I believe that climate change is the greatest opportunity that we have ever had for global collaboration and co-operation and that, when we achieve our goals, we will all feel a resounding sense of happiness and wellbeing.”

We now have 11 years to make the necessary changes to the way we live in order to keep global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius. This is the figure cited on the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and limiting temperature rise to be below 1.5 degrees Celsius is a goal of the Paris Climate Agreement.

“If we go above 1.5 degrees, life on earth will start to become very strained for many people; we face the potential for massive disruption to our food systems, and the basic life and biosystems that make up much of the planet," Pratt said.

It is about the principle of collaboration, unity and community to accelerate our transition to an inclusive sustainable future that Pratt will be talking about during the first-ever Malta Sustainability Forum, which is organised through the collaboration of APS Bank, PwC, Cool Car Pooling, GasanMamo and Go.

“In a world where we are all affected by the consequences and can all take action to avoid them, let’s start by making very small daily actions that, when joined up, will make a massive difference to the world.”