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In a world whose predicaments are far beyond the capacity of individual countries to solve, The Club of Rome has decided to adopt a global perspective, to seek a deeper understanding of interactions within the tangle of contemporary problems, to suggest effective solutions and to take a longer term perspective in studies than governments do. How? With the contributions of its members about main Global Issues and - as we hope - your texts and proposals.
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Environment
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Environment is one of the main concerns of the Club of Rome expressed in its first Report "Limits to Growth" in 1972, one of its main focuses.
[Click here to download a short version in rtf-format.]
Mostly man-made damage to nature has expanded to such an extent that it might put at stake the very survival of Humankind. Despite the fact that we still know very little about many environmental issues such as the greenhouse effect and the holes in the ozone layer, it is the responsibility of each government, but also of each individual, to act in order to eradicate the macro-pollutions which are affecting water, air and earth and endangering the health of human beings. Environment is an important facet of the global issues we have to face, interlinked with energy, population explosion in some countries, poverty and underdevelopment. Our concern is to increase general awareness as much as prevention.
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Demography
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The population explosion has been spectacular for the last century: the world population has more than trebled since 1900 and doubled since 1950. The impact of this demographic growth has had tremendous consequences on environment, employment, health, food and water availibility... here are contradictory trends: in some countries an increasing ageing population as in Europe, or Japan; while in the poorest countries, such as in Africa, there is a population explosion, which means providing education, housing, jobs, etc. For all the young people arriving on the market.
This theme, Demography, was one ot the main issues of Limits to Growth rapport.
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Development
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After 40 years of development policies, starvation, malnutrition and poverty still exist in a number of developing countries or in large parts of them. Moreover poverty is now expanding in the so-called rich countries of the North. Why? It is unacceptable and the Club f Rome has made a number of proposals to put an end to this intolerable situation which is the source of suffering, immigration, riminality, drug trafficking. It is also acting in liaison with Non Gouvernemental Organizations (NGOs), Governments, International Institutions of both the North and the South to contribute to improving the present situation.
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Values
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During the last decades, we have observed a strong rejection of traditional values and points of reference. Man cannot live by bread alone. There is an increasing need to look for a system of values, common or compatible, respecting the different cultures and ethos. This should constitute a global basis which will allow the various people of the world to coexist together in the emerging global society.
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Governance
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Is this world ungovernable ? Why are governments not able to solve the most important issues such as unemployement, environmental pollution, corruption, criminality, terrorism?
The Club of Rome has been studying this very important issue for several years and there are a number of causes which have to be attacked: increasing complexity of the problems, interdependance between the countries, the need for a multidisciplinary approach, the lack of leadership and long term vision, but also the uncertainty which is the trademark of the present time.
What should be the role of the civil society in governance?
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Work in the Future
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New technologies have created a real revolution in reducing the amount of human work thanks to robots, computers, telecommunication and now the combination of these different items which we call Multimedia. Another aspect of this new situation is due to the globalization of the economy and the effect of delocalization. The Club of Rome is studying what is the future of work, how the amount of available work will be distributed. Therefore how human life, so long based on work, will be organised in the future, what will be the activities of human beings, in terms of work, occupations, services for the community, training, leisure, etc.
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Information Society
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Communication has many different meanings. Real communication means dialogue, negotiations far removed from any manipulation. In the information society it is essential to give communication its full significance. It is both an important facet of the world problematique and an instrument which can contribute to a better awareness of the public and a better functionning of democracy.
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New Technologies
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The speed of development of new technologies in the field of computers and telecommunications, biotechnologies, new materials, space, is almost unbelievable. The Club of Rome has been doing a lot of research to understand the new situation so created. These technologies represent significant progress for the good of humankind, but the negative impact of these technologies in some cases should not be neglected. What will be the consequences on Governance, the management of corporations, values, education, but also on the individual psychology and behaviour and on societies?
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Education
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Systems of education are less and less adapted to the new issues, to the new emerging global society we are presently involved in. New priorities force us to redefine the role of education, which should be conceived as a permanent learning process. Transmission of knowledge is no longer sufficient, and new objectives such as developing one's own potential and creativity, or the capacity of adaptation to change are becoming essential in a rapidly changing world.
The Club of Rome considers that education is both part of the global problematique and also an essential tool to become an effective actor in control of one's own life and within society. If there are "Limits to Growth", there are "No Limits to Learning" (titles of two Reports to the Club of Rome).
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The New Global Society
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The world is changing rapidly. The globalization of the economy, the fact that we live from now on in an information society, the complexity and the uncertainty which are the common trademarks of the present world lead us to take into consideration a number of these new factors. We have to understand these new data in order to have a better understanding of other cultures, other languages, other modes of reasoning.
The Club of Rome, taking advantage of its hundred members coming from 52 countries on the five continents - and its 30 National Associations -, with different professional backgrounds, different philosophies and experiences is particularly ready to discuss this new gobal society and to encourage individuals to be actors and not victims of this new world.
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World Economic and Financial Order
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The globalization of the economy and of the information has changed the general picture we were accustomed to. There are no regulations, no ethics, and we have to learn how we wish to live with this globalization, which favours the rich over the poor and affects so many facets of individual and collective existence.
The Club of Rome is discussing a number of the issues that provoke this international disorder, such as in international finance, so as to contribute to creating greater harmony and to place man in the center of these global issues.
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