Nobel Laureate Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus has urged the global community towards building circular economy as a means to tackle the climate change challenges.
He made these remarks during the plenary session of at the ‘One Planet Summit’ in France which was organised marking the second anniversary of the adoption of the historic Paris climate agreement.
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a wide array of public and private sector leaders at the conference.
He said, "An important methodology to achieve zero net carbon is social business. You asked us to talk about business not as usual. Social business is indeed business not as usual. It takes personal profit off the table. It is non--dividend company.”
He shared the examples of Grameen Shakti; how social business can have tangible impact in tackling climate issues effectively and sustainably.
Collectively Bangladesh has 4 million home with solar home systems now and out of the total number, 2 million are installed by Grameen Shakti. Government’s renewable energy agency, IDCOL, has been assisting to finance the solar energy outreach in Bangladesh, he added.
Professor Yunus also discussed about the massive wastes our modern civilizations is generating. One such waste is plastic which he said is killing us.
He highlighted a recycling initiative he is taking as social business in Vietnam with support from WWF to clean up Mekong river from plastic waste. He emphasized that we needed to recycle automobile tires too.
According to a statement, he mentioned that it was strange that less than 7 percent of tires are re-used. The rest create pollution.
He is initiating a recycling project of tired tires too. Another issue, food waste is also a big challenge that is creating pressure on the planet.
By recycling waste vegetables to bring them back into food chain can save huge natural resources. Already a big social business company Bon et Bien has been operating in France.
Professor Yunus said, “it is entrepreneurship and social businesses which will go a long way in saving the world . We should be preparing ourselves for creating circular economy. Nothing should go out of the use.” Professor Yunus also participated in a high level panel with global energy experts during the One Planet Summit.
The summit was co-hosted by the Secretary General of UN and the President of World Bank group.