Current worldwide trends are not sustainable. The Club of Rome’s warnings published in the book Limits to Growth are still valid. Remedies that are acceptable for the great majority tend to make things worse. We seem to be in a philosophical crisis. Pope Francis says it clearly: our common home is in deadly danger. Analyzing the philosophical crisis, the book comes to the conclusion that the world may need a “new enlightenment”; one that is not based solely on doctrine, but instead addresses a balance between humans and nature, as well as a balance between markets and the state, and the short versus long term. To do this we need to leave behind working in ”silos” in favor of a more systemic approach that will require us to rethink the organization of science and education.
However, we have to act now; the world cannot wait until 7.6 billion people have struggled to reach a new enlightenment.
This book is full of optimistic case studies and policy proposals that will lead us back to a trajectory of sustainability. But it is also necessary to address the taboo topic of population increase. Countries with a stable population fare immensely better than those with continued increase.
Finally, we are presenting an optimistic book from the Club of Rome.
Table of Content
Preface
Acknowledgments
Executive Summary
Part One – C’mon! Don’t tell me the current trends are sustainable!
1.1 Introduction: The World in Disarray
1.2 Limits to Growth – how relevant was its message?
1.3 Planetary Boundaries
1.4 The Anthropocene
1.5 The Climate Challenge
1.6 Other disasters ahead
1.7 Unsustainable population growth – and urbanisation
1.8 Unsustainable agriculture and food system
1.9 Trade versus environment
1.10 The 2030 Agenda – the devil is in implementation
1.11 Do we like disruptions? The case of the digital revolution
1.12 From Empty World to Full World
Part Two – C’mon! Don’t stick to outdated philosophies!
2.1 Laudato Sí: The Pope raises His voice
2.2 Change the Story, Change the Future
2.3 1991: „The First Global Revolution“
2.4 Capitalism got arrogant
2.5 The failure of the market doctrine
2.6 Philosophical errors of the market doctrine 2
2.8 Gaps between Theory, Education and Social Reality
2.9 Tolerance and long-term perspectives
2.10 We may need a New Enlightenment
Part Three Come On! Join us on an exciting journey towards a sustainable world!
3.1 A regenerative economy
3.2 Development Alternatives
3.3 The Blue Economy
3.4 Decentralized energy
3.5 Some agricultural success stories
3.6 Regenerative urbanization: Ecopolis
3.7 Climate: Some good news, but bigger challenges
3.8 Circular economy requires a new economic logic
3.9 Five-fold resource productivity
3.10 Healthy disruption
3.11 Reform of the financial sector
3.12 Reform of the economic set-up
3.13 Benign investment
3.14 Measuring well-being rather than GDP
3.15 Civil Society, Social Capital and Collective Leadership
3.16 Global Governance
3.17 National level action: China and Bhutan
3.18 Education for a sustainable civilization
Conclusion: We invite readers to ‘come on’
Index
Blurbs
About the author
Ernst von Weizsäcker, Emmendingen, GermanyAnders Wijkman, Stockholm, Sweden
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