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Earth’s ‘life support system’ is being destroyed by global business paradigm, UN expert warns

In a hard-hitting report to the Human Rights Council, Special Rapporteur David Boyd underscored that current business practices, particularly large coporations, pose a severe threat to the planet’s ecological integrity.

‘Colossal impacts’ of the ultrarich

Mr. Boyd emphasized the “colossal impacts” on natural resources, which are being consumed six times faster than the planet can sustain.

“Led by the ultrarich, with their private jets, yachts, massive mansions, space travel and hyperconsumptive lifestyles, humanity is exceeding Earth’s carrying capacity,” the report stated in stark language, singling out the ecological footprint of the world’s most developed nations.

“If everyone consumed like the average American, we would need another four Earths to supply the resources and absorb the wastes,” it added.

Profound consequences

“We are sabotaging Earth’s life support system, with profound consequences for human rights,” he warned.

We are sabotaging Earth’s life support system, with profound consequences for human rights
– David Boyd

He added that States have failed to adequately regulate, monitor, prevent and punish businesses for their abuses of the climate, environment and human rights.

“The situation is further exacerbated as States often encourage, enable and subsidize destructive business activities.”

The Human Rights Council-appointed independent expert highlighted some of the most destructive impacts of business enterprises on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

Among them are so-called “greenwashing”, the undermining of scientific fact, enabling corruption and the use of lawsuits to silence debate and intimidate critics. The impacts are documented in a policy brief supplementing Mr. Boyd’s report.

“All businesses are responsible for respecting human rights, including the right to a healthy environment,” he said, stressing States’ duty to protect human rights from actual and potential harm that businesses may cause, and their obligation to hold businesses accountable.

Stark inequalities between the rich and the poor.

A paradox

Mr. Boyd also highlighted a paradox confronting the international community.

He cited the imperative of reducing the ecological footprint to slow climate change while also acknowledging the necessity for increased energy and material use and availability in the Global South.

This, he asserted, is crucial for achieving a comfortable standard of living and ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights, calling on the developed world to spearhead efforts.

“Wealthy States must take the lead in reducing their footprints and financing sustainable and equitable growth in the global South.”

Prioritize benefits, not profits

The independent expert presented several

How Taking A Step Back Can Actually Move Your Business Forward

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The relentless pursuit of growth and success is often the primary focus for entrepreneurs and business leaders. However, paradoxically, it’s sometimes the act of stepping back that propels a business or an entrepreneur forward, allowing for rejuvenation, innovation, and a reinvigorated approach to achieving objectives.

It’s not surprising that many entrepreneurs are looking for ways to cut back. An estimated 48% of founders experience burnout, 32% suffer from depression, and 56% suffer from decision fatigue, according to research from Elevate. That could be partly due to long hours, with 62% of entrepreneurs working 50 or more hours per week and 57% working at least six days per week, based on a Gallup poll. Stepping back from long hours, constant decision-making, and the endless emotional turmoil of business ownership can help business owners gain perspective about what they really want out of their personal and professional lives.

The Power Of Perspective

Taking a step back from the day-to-day operations allows business leaders to gain a broader perspective. “It’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae of daily tasks, losing sight of the bigger picture and long-term strategy. By stepping back, leaders can assess their business from a new vantage point, identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement that may have been overlooked,” explains Courtnie Nein, co-founder of Good Life Companies.

“After making the difficult decision to step back as President of my business, I am able to be more mentally present to whatever happens in the moment. And I can provide customized financial planning strategies to families in my local community with a much more personalized approach.”

Prioritizing Personal Growth And Well-being

Deciding to step back from the hustle of entrepreneurship is often influenced by a founder’s desire to prioritize their personal growth and well-being. “This shift in focus is not just about personal health or happiness but about recognizing that the well-being of a leader is intrinsically linked to the health of the business,” says Nein. “Taking care of my family and pursuing my passion rejuvenated my energy and creativity, which I could then bring to my new role. Business leaders often overlook the importance of work-life balance and its impact on leadership effectiveness, which can lead to burnout, fatigue, stress, and even chronic health problems.”

Nein has rekindled her connection to her roots and relieved

Fake websites for real companies are scamming Canadian consumers and businesses

Avoiding online scams is nothing new for many Canadians, but companies and anti-fraud professionals are warning consumers to watch for fake listings on search engines that try to redirect people to fraudulent versions of familiar companies and brands.

These listings pose as existing businesses and involve new search results popping up, either directing consumers to a fake website that looks similar to the real thing, or providing phone numbers that don’t actually lead to the company in question.

Calgarian Reza Bacchus ran into this issue when trying to search for a new cowboy hat — specifically, a Stetson.

“I came across this StetsonHatCanada.com website … so I just clicked and purchased it, easy,” he said.

LISTEN | No Stetson, No Hat, No Canada — copycat websites dupe consumers:

Cost of Living7:32Fake websites that look real

Bacchus had been searching for stores that carry Stetson hats because he said they have limited availability in Canada. He had previously been unable to buy from the main Stetson website as it did not ship to Canada.

Calgary resident Reza Bacchus eventually got his Stetson hat by flying to Vancouver and buying it in a store. (Reza Bacchus)

Bacchus’ initial surprise at a Canadian website should have been a red flag. The website was a fake duplicate. He never received his hat despite spending about $100 US. After a month of waiting, customer service from the real Stetson company confirmed he was scammed.

“I got a disappointing but a friendly email [from Stetson.com]… they had received emails concerning this unauthorized website,” explained Bacchus, who eventually travelled to Vancouver to buy a Stetson hat at one of the few brick and mortar stores to carry them in Canada.

As for the money, he filed a chargeback claim with his credit card company and received his funds back after several months.

It’s difficult to determine exactly how many Canadians are affected by this specific scam, or how much money is lost. According to the RCMP, only 5 to 10 per cent of fraud cases are reported in Canada. In 2023, those reports accounted for $567 million in losses, but that could include everything from immigration fraud to cryptocurrency scams.

Reported fraud of all types has increased by $187 million since 2021 — and that’s with only a small minority of cases actually reported or tracked.

Travel agent Flight Centre faces dupe phone numbers

What you should consider when expanding a business abroad

Cathy Thorpe, CEO of home care provider Nurse Next Door, is planning to expand the Vancouver-based business to Europe. Every market has a unique set of expectations, she says: ‘You can’t just say, ‘that works in Canada, so we’re going to do it here.’ ‘Mariel Nelms

Vancouver-based home care provider Nurse Next Door boasts franchise locations across Canada, the U.S., Australia and the U.K. But as the company turns its attention towards the European Union, chief executive officer Cathy Thorpe says it will need to consider just how much to adapt its services to accommodate the unique cultural needs of its first non-English speaking markets.

When Ms. Thorpe was hired as the company’s chief executive officer 10 years ago, Nurse Next Door had about 40 locations; today it has more than 400, with 70 head office staff and a work force of 5,000 caregivers across its network.

“We help people get back to what they used to love doing, and that concept of really taking care of someone – not just their physical needs, but also their mental needs,” Ms. Thorpe says. “It’s not always the big things; you start out with someone who went for a walk every day, and now they can’t, so you bring someone in who can help them go for a walk, and it brings joy back into that person’s life.”

While the need for companionship, physical support and emotional well-being is universal, Ms. Thorpe says every market has a unique set of expectations, needs and approaches to aging based on its cultural and political frameworks. “You can’t just say, ‘that works in Canada, so we’re going to do it here,’” she says. “We’ve had to really adapt our operations in each country.”

You need to know that the factors that made you successful here in Canada will also hold true where you’re looking to export.

— Karen Greve Young, CEO, Futurpreneur

The U.S., for example, is the only country that requires each franchisee to be licensed, while the U.K.’s National Health Service provides the country’s elderly with many of the basic services that make up Nurse Next Door’s primary offerings elsewhere.

As the company looks to expand beyond the English-speaking world, Ms. Thorpe fears those cultural needs and nuances will only grow, requiring the company to adapt in ways that stray from its original brand promise.

Finding the

Bike Lanes Are Good for Business, but Store Owners Still Hate Them

Businesses hate bike lanes. Sure, they reduce pollution, slow the pace of climate change, cut traffic fatalities, and make cities healthier and more pleasant. But they also take away parking spaces, which makes it tougher for shoppers to load up their cars with piles of stuff. Freaked-out business owners have been fighting bike lanes coast to coast, in cities from San Diego to Cambridge, Massachusetts. They worry — not unreasonably — that anything that makes it harder for customers to get to their stops will eat into their already precarious margins.

“As someone whose family had a small business when I was growing up, I know how invested you get in it,” says Joseph Poirier, a senior researcher at the urban-planning consultancy Nelson Nygaard. “It’s your whole life. Anything you think could threaten that, even if the government and their consultants tell you it’s not going to be a problem, is very scary. It makes sense.”

It’s also wrong. Four decades’ worth of research proves it. I know this because I’ve read every study and report I could find that looked specifically at the economics of bike lanes since 1984 — 32 research articles, to be exact. The results show that making streets friendlier for bikes — and sidewalks friendlier for pedestrians — is actually good for business. The rise of “complete streets” and “road diets,” as urban planners call them, has been a huge boon to businesses in cities.

I won’t walk you through every study, because most of them actually use survey data. Do you think bike lanes discourage shopping? How much do you spend when you ride your bike here? Surveys aren’t the most reliable way to look at this question. People lie, they misremember, they get stuff wrong. And anecdotal experience tends to loom too large. One angry customer who complains about not being able to find parking trumps the 10 who rode their bikes to your shop and didn’t say boo.

More confoundingly, survey after survey has shown that business owners overestimate how many of their customers drive to their stores, versus walking or biking. In a study of the effects of street improvements on a shopping corridor in Los Angeles published in 2012, more than half of the store owners on the bike-laned part of the boulevard thought most of their customers drove. The actual number was 15%.

So what we need is financial