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It has been two years since the course was set to a better world via the Paris Agreement, the establishment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Financing for Development conference in Addis Ababa. Taken together, these three conferences and agreements represent a much-needed holistic paradigm shift, a fundamental change in the way we approach the task of creating a better world. A global movement started a journey. And the beginning of this journey resulted in many public and UN initiatives. But there has been an enormous movement throughout the business world as well, resulting in many sectoral, national and international coalitions, ambitions, objectives and plans to achieve the Goals and put a hold on climate change. Assessments and measurement tools have also been put into place to get a clear picture of where we are now and what still needs to be achieved.While this movement is getting into gear, and many businesses are exploring how to do business in a way that actually agrees with people, planet and a sustainable economy, the world is experiencing gigantic risks on multiple levels. We are being faced with the impact of climate change in a dramatic way. We are experiencing hurricanes, floods, droughts, and storms like we have never seen before with enormous consequences for people, planet and economy. Considering that in the previous decade the world’s economy suffered an estimated loss of 2.7 trillion dollars because of natural disasters, this decade will no doubt show an exponential increase, and inaction on climate change comes with the huge comprehensive cost of 24 trillion dollars. To add to the risks, we live in what we could define as a vacuum in political leadership and short term orientated political systems. The ‘social contract’ between politics, government and society as a whole is becoming increasingly damaged. This is a huge threat to long-term planning and tight connections between all parties in society. It also threatens the restoration of our environmental needs and the achievement of our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), implying that the focus should be on the next generation(s) rather than the next election.THE RISK OF COMPLACENCY For business, and capital, there is a major role to play. A role more impactful, crucial and meaningful than ever before. Imagine the power that business has as 50 of the largest economies are in fact corporations, operating throughout the entire planet. And consider the investment potential of private capital which is a much larger percentage than public investment potential by now. For instance the percentage of total capital flows of donor countries’ ODAs into emerging markets has decreased from over 50 per cent to less than 10 per cent, while private capital flows have increased and grown. Having started our journey, and taking into account the growing instability in the world, this might cause another risk. There is the risk of business becoming too proud of itself for being part of the solution rather than the problem, while in fact business is not growing these solutions at the speed it needs to and the scale it must if they are to really contribute to the achievement of climate action, our Goals and the new meaning of capital.MARGA HOEK, FOUNDER, BUSINESS FOR GOODTHE TRILLION DOLLAR SHIFTACHIEVING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS;BUSINESS FOR GOOD IS GOOD BUSINESS“THERE IS THE RISK OF BUSINESS BECOMING TOO PROUD OF ITSELF FOR BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION RATHER THAN THE PROBLEM”078 GLOBAL VOICES