CISL’s Annual Review 2023-24
19 December 2024 - This report sets out examples of how CISL has worked over the past year in pursuit of a sustainable economy.
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2024 has been a pivotal year for CISL and the sustainability movement more widely. New evidence shows the extent of wildlife destruction, global temperature increases have tipped 1.5 degrees creating devastation for communities and international negotiations on climate, biodiversity and plastics have largely failed to deliver.
Confidence in the sustainability movement has faltered, raising big questions about where we go from here. This year CISL has asked these questions of itself, recognising that “sustainability as usual” hasn’t worked and has no realistic prospect of doing so.
Starting the year by convening a Global Leadership Summit, CISL explored the implications of geopolitics, growth, AI and populism for global sustainability efforts. A fundamental conclusion was that we are too late for incremental change and more ambitious innovation as well as effective state action is needed to reshape ‘the rules of the game’ to drive private sector action. Over the last year, CISL’s work has been shaped by this agenda and imperative.
This report includes examples of how CISL has worked with businesses, financial institutions, civil society organisations and governments to advance thinking and accelerate action to design new systems, build new markets, transform whole sectors and systems, and foster innovation-driven solutions that align sustainability and competitiveness.
Highlights include; new thinking from CISL on the need to move beyond ESG to a focus on competitiveness and market reform; CISL’s work educating thousands of leaders globally to drive market shifts toward nature positive, net-zero products and business model models; convening senior business and finance leaders to raise the bar for leading practice and advocate for ambitious state action in the UK and EU; extended outreach in Africa through CISL’s reinvigorated Africa strategy; engagement in international fora including climate, nature and innovation summits; support for hundreds of sustainability startups globally and a new ground-breaking five year plan to decarbonise aviation, already influencing government and industry strategies.
Reflecting on 2024, Lindsay Hooper, CEO, CISL said:
“While there is much work ahead of us, what we have achieved this year is remarkable. And these achievements are not only down to the creativity, commitment and expertise of CISL’s own staff, but also to that of our Fellows and Senior Associates, our academic colleagues across Cambridge, the members of our leadership groups and Canopy ecosystem, our international network and collaborators, and the students, clients and funders who have trusted us with their time and resources.”