Unveiling Sustainability's Shadows Through PESTEL Analysis

This study employs the PESTEL framework to critically examine the dark side of sustainability, focusing on systemic paradoxes and negative externalities in sustainability initiatives. Using a qualitative approach, it synthesizes secondary data from case studies and literature reviews in technology, construction, and agriculture to assess sustainability complexities. The analysis reveals that political incoherence, economic disparities, social resistance, rapid technological shifts, environmental trade-offs, and fragmented legal frameworks create unintended consequences, limiting the effectiveness of sustainability efforts. By offering the first comprehensive PESTEL-based analysis of sustainability paradoxes, this research underscores the necessity of structured risk identification to enhance decision-making and refine sustainable development strategies. It emphasizes the social implications for corporations, policymakers, and academia, advocating for community-driven initiatives, adaptive legal frameworks, and international collaboration to address inequities, particularly between developed and developing nations, in transitioning to low-carbon economies.