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It is becoming ever more clear that the major global trends which are having the greatest impact on the world around us are not only increasingly intertwined, but are also becoming broader in their impact, affecting a greater number of regions and citizens.Global hunger is on the increase, for the first time in over a decade. According to the annual United Nations report on world food security and nutrition, this increase is primarily due to climate-related shocks and the growth in the number of violent conflicts. The report also points to concern at the number of overweight children and obese adults, with changes in dietary habits and economic slowdowns cited as some of the drivers of these trends. The authors of the report state that the world will not ‘end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030 unless we address all the factors that undermine food security and nutrition. Securing peaceful and inclusive societies is a necessary condition to that end’.The impact of climate change has thus far been most keenly felt by the citizens in the developing world. HARRY VERHAAR, HEAD OF GLOBAL PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, PHILIPS LIGHTINGTHE AGE OF SUSTAINALISM: THE NEW SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH MODEL FOR AN INCLUSIVE 21ST CENTURY“IT IS VITAL THAT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DO NOT FOLLOW THE SAME DESTRUCTIVE PHASES THAT THE RICHER NATIONS OF THE WORLD HAVE BEEN THROUGH ”However, this year’s intense and destructive hurricanes, which tore through the Caribbean and then hit the southern USA, suggest that even the wealthiest country on the planet is not immune to the consequences of a changing climate.It should be clear that we cannot continue to look at the challenges facing the world in isolation. It may be comforting to do so, as focusing on a single issue can provide for greater clarity and easier communication. But this approach has the danger of simply storing up trouble for future generations.Our focus on measuring global success through GDP growth has trapped us in a linear view of society – focused on extracting, consuming and emitting resources from energy to water, materials and food. We need to become much smarter, more resource-efficient and change from a linear approach to a circular society, in which a long-term quality of life becomes the most important metric. This would ensure that while economic competitiveness remains important, our society would have at its core the health and well-being of all our citizens.018 INDUSTRY INTRODUCTION