If there is one word that has defined the last decade, it is sustainability and yet, as this year comes to an end, it has taken on a paler shade.
In the United States, “green” has become synonymous with political polarization. In Europe, it’s often associated with over-regulation.
In India, the topic seems to be “stuck in neutral,” as the country continues to question who will finance the energy transition from coal to renewables.
Meanwhile in China, sustainability is moving “full speed ahead,” with a global dominance in the production of batteries and photovoltaic panels — technologies that, in turn, raise concerns about their environmental footprint at the end of their life cycle.
At the same time, diplomatic and financial efforts are focused on wars and geopolitical crises, turning them into the top priority for governments and the media. It’s as if the planet could patiently wait for peace agreements — as if natural ecosystems adjust to the timing of political egos.
The question inevitably arises: is the “green” of sustainability fading — doomed to become just another story that belongs to history?
Let’s hope not!
Today, not even the "eco-skeptics" can deny that climate change emerged after the Industrial Revolution, driven by the explosive growth of the global population.
The evidence continues to mount: terrestrial ecosystems are at risk of collapse, and marine life faces an imminent threat. Whether these damages are reversible or not, we will find out in the coming years — in a future that is no longer distant, but knocking at our door.
However, diversity policies, endless acronyms and “carbon” regulation have frustrated companies, which are still searching for the right metrics and incentives.
Even so, progress is real: from regenerative agriculture to blue economy, marine biotechnology (algae for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries), and clean energy production — there are solid advances across multiple sectors.
And now, a new tool joins us: artificial Intelligence, with the potential to accelerate the transition toward new business models.
But we need more narratives that show that profit cannot — and should not — be left out of this equation. Sustainability and profitability do not compete — they multiply!
It is time to reinforce a simple truth: there is no sustainability without profit and there will be no profit in the future without sustainability.
In other words, the “green” of sustainability and the “green” of capital need to be the exact same color — not different shades.
And so comes one last question, perhaps the most important of all: how long will we continue as mere spectators, blaming the inertia of governments, pointing fingers at the lack of leadership and the lobbying of financial interests?
The end of the year is always a time for reflection, and maybe this time we should think not only about what happened in 2025, but about who we choose to be in the future that begins now.
Because — in sustainability, as in everything that truly matters — either we are part of the problem, or we are part of the solution.
Filipe Rosa, NoGAP Ventures, CEO