Designing a Sustainable Financial System: Development Goals and Socio-Ecological Responsibility

This edited collection brings together leading theoretical and applied research with the intent to design a sustainable global financial future. The contributors argue that our world cannot move toward sustainability, address climate change, reverse environmental degradation, and improve human well-being without aligning the financial system with sustainable development goals like those outlined by the United Nations. Such a system would: a) be environmentally and socially responsible; b) align with planetary boundaries; c) manage natural resources sustainably; d) avoid doing more harm than good; and e) be resilient and adaptable to changing conditions. The overarching theme in this collection of chapters is a response to the worldwide, supranational sustainable finance discussions about how we can transition to a new socio-ecological system where finance, human well-being, and planetary health are recognized as being highly intertwined.

Thomas Walker is Full Professor in the Department of Finance, Associate Dean, Research and Research Programs, and Co-Director of the David O’Brien Centre for Sustainable Enterprise at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University, Canada. Prior to his academic career, he worked in the German consulting and industrial sector at firms such as Mercedes Benz, Utility Consultants International, and Telenet.

Stéfanie D. Kibsey coordinates the Sustainable Investment Professional Certification program at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University, Canada, and she previously worked at the David O’Brien Centre for Sustainable Enterprise and La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. She specializes in connecting sustainability with finance.

Rohan Crichton is a faculty member at McGill University, Canada. He is also completing his Ph.D. in management at Concordia University, Canada. Rohan brings to both roles almost twenty years of work and consulting experience garnered from such organizations as, the United Nations, the Public Service of Canada, VSO International, and Bell Canada.