Sustainability Issues That Jumped From The Bench To The Game, And One That Is About To

I remember back when stand-up comics joked about ‘recycled’ loo paper being brown. When vegans were weedy weirdo’s rather than cage fighters. When global warming sounded like a good idea on a cold day.

In a focus-group two decades ago a lady corrected me that ‘biodiversity’ was actually ‘biological washing powder’.  And even change-makers were convinced we’d never be able to talk about either flying or meat-consumption in relation to climate change.

Today, so many of those issues have gone from invisible issues, or the butt of jokes, to everyday reality. Globally, over 70% of people now recognise the Sustainable Development Goals. If the leaks are to be believed, then reducing flying and meat consumption will be a formal part of the United Nations IPCC WG3 report on how to tackle climate change.

For decades I’ve watched, and been part of making, issues that were once considered ‘alternative’ become so mainstream it’s easy to forget they were ever considered niche.