ClubOfRome: "Limits to Growth is a study about the future of our planet. On behalf of the Club of Rome, Donnella Meadows, Dennis Meadows, Jorgen Randers and their team worked on systems analysis at Jay W. Forrester’s institute at MIT. They created a computing model which took into account the relations between various global developments and produced computer simulations for alternative scenarios. Part of the modelling were different amounts of possibly available resources, different levels of agricultural productivity, birth control or environmental protection.
12 million copies were distributed in 37 languages.
Most scenarios resulted in an ongoing growth of population and of the economy until to a turning point around 2030. Only drastic measures for environmental protection proved to be suitable to change this systems behaviour, and only under these circumstances, scenarios could be calculated in which both world population and wealth could remain at a constant level. However, so far the necessary political measures were not taken."
What was the message of "Limits to Growth"?
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ClubOfRome: "The recent failure of collective action to address international financial instability, climate change, unemployment and food insecurity seem to justify pessimism. But this failure has been the result of a piecemeal, fragmentary approach to both understanding and addressing the issues.
The root causes of the crises we are witnessing rest on outmoded theoretical concepts, values and institutions. The remedy lies in the formulation of a new theory appropriate to the radically different conditions of the 21st century, commitment to progressive values that integrate individual freedom and equitable cooperation to maximize the welfare and well-being of all, and establishment of more effective national and global institutions.
There is a growing understanding and an increasing consensus of the kind of world we want to live in. A global society which has moved beyond hunger and suppression, a world that manages to live off the resources which the finite planet and the infinite human ingenuity provide, an equitable society which lives sustainably and is a lot better off and happier than today. The vision of the Club of Rome is one of an enlightened world guided by values of cooperation.
The world in 2052 can be a much safer and resilient place than it is today. Humanity has the opportunities, the tools, the science, technology and the insight to overcome the systemic crisis and to move into a better world. Whether we manage to do so will depend on each one of us."
Shaping the future - Six global goals
"Six global goals as essential for the transition towards a sustainable, equitable and „happier“ world:
1. Societal values, which are essential for a sustainable and equitable society, are fully reflected in all economic decisions.
2. The economies of the world reflect the value of natural and social capital, markets operate in a fair and transparent manner and deliver the goods and services required for a sustainable society.
3. A more equitable distribution of income both within and between countries.
4. Access to meaningful work, which provides enough income to lead a decent life, is guaranteed and recognized as an essential human right. Job generation has become a top priority for all investments, costs for unemployment are considered in decision-making.
5. Ecology is seen as a binding constraint for all forms of human activity and is therefore managed in a manner which reflects its biophysical and economic value. Never should the world be in overshoot.
6. Appropriate governance systems at a local, national and global level, which can manage the transition into an equitable and sustainable global world, are established."
Synopsis (pdf)