Can You Do Well by Doing Good?

Amid warnings of a grim future for our planet and societies, there’s always a glimmer of hope— if we’re willing to see it.

by Can Atacık

Consider this: on a planet with finite resources, the human population has exploded, surpassing 9 billion—a fourfold increase in just over 50 years. Compare that to 5,000 years ago, when the global population was estimated at 15 million—roughly the size of Istanbul today. According to the observatory Earth Overshoot Day, humans have consumed all the resources the planet can regenerate annually. Our environmental footprint, driven by the smartest species on Earth—humans—has grown exponentially. Global per capita meat consumption has more than doubled in the last 50 years, massively contributing to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, per capita carbon emissions, negligible just a century ago, have climbed to alarming levels.

Then there’s the inequality. While global wealth keeps growing, so do the gaps between the haves and have-nots. Nearly 10% of the world’s population still lacks access to clean water, and around 650 million people live on less than $1.25 a day.

And yet, there is reason for optimism. A growing movement of so-called “impact investors” believes that the same ingenuity responsible for humanity’s excesses can be harnessed to address them. By directing capital into ventures that combine profit with positive social and environmental outcomes, impact investing seeks to reverse global crises while creating new opportunities for growth. This shift represents a strategic response to pressing global challenges, mobilizing resources to generate sustainable, systemic change.

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Explore Can Atacık’s insights in the first issue of Centre Mag.