Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book considers the 80/20 Rule, or Pareto Principle, which says that in many cases 20 percent of effort, delivers 80 percent of results and, conversely, 80 percent of effort only manages to deliver 20 percent. By identifying and focusing on the 'good' 20 percent and stripping out the ineffective 80 percent, the chapter accelerates progress towards ultimate goal of sustainability. Leaving the cynicism aside, the cartoon neatly parodies the tendency of sustainability professionals to focus their energies on making changes with negligible practical impact. Sustainability is undoubtedly the single biggest challenge for the human race. A different threat to tackling climate change and other global challenges is green self-indulgence.