Post-Jubilee Reports of the Club of Rome: In Search of a Conceptual Strategy for Humanity’s Foreseeable Future
https://doi.org/10.30727/0235-1188-2023-66-4-52-75
Abstract
The article analyzes the reports of the Club of Rome issued subsequent to its semicentennial celebration. The analysis uncovers the evolutionary trajectory of the Club’s conceptual frameworks, transitioning from the stark alarmism prevalent in the early 1970s to a grounded optimism characteristic of the early 21st century. The majority of its publications, in explicit or implicit form, essentially respond to a question of Hamletian scale that arose within the discussions of the “limits to growth” model: Is it possible, and if so, how, to overcome the antagonism between the continuous growth of the needs of an increasing humanity and the relatively limited natural-resource potential of the biosphere? The analysis introduces an analysis of world development scenarios by 2050, ranging from inertial extrapolation of current trends to radical transformations of global political, socio-economic, and cultural processes. The discourse reflects on the report authors’ contemplations regarding societal adaptability to undergo a “true human revolution,” entailing a fundamental reassessment of established economic models and advancement toward innovative global governance strategies. The paper scrutinizes the assertion that society’s “unlearnability” is one of the key obstacles to the sustainable development of civilization. Significant emphasis is placed on the imperative for a comprehensive transformation encompassing the global educational landscape and the cultivation of a novel (sustainable) mindset, one that appreciates the intricate interplay among economic, environmental, and sociocultural perspectives on the global dynamics of the “humanity – biosphere – civilization” system. Humanity, overcoming the turbulences of contemporary world development, possesses all the prerequisites for a constructive analysis and design of strategic perspectives of the foreseeable future.
About the Author
Viktor A. LosRussian Federation
Viktor A. Los – D.Sc. in Philosophy, Professor, Full Member of the Russian Ecological Academy.
Moscow
References
1. Álvarez Pereira C. (2021) Learning New Ways of Becoming Human. Winterthur: The Club of Rome.
2. Bardi U. & Álvarez Pereira C. (Eds.) (2022) Limits and Beyond: 50 Years on from The Limits to Growth, What Did We Learn and What’s Next? A Report to the Club of Rome. Exapt Press.
3. Berg C. (2020) Sustainable Action: Overcoming the Barriers. London: Routledge.
4. Botkin J.W., Elmandjra M., & Malitza M. (1979) No Limits to Learning: Bridging the Human Gap: The Report to the Club of Rome. Oxford, UK: Pergamon Club.
5. Chumakov A.N. & Stark L.P. (2019) The Club of Rome: Results of Half a Century of Activity. Vek globalizatsii. No. 4, pp. 40–49 (in Russian).
6. Dixson-Declève S. & McLeod A. (2021) 21st Century Wellbeing Economics: The Road to Recovery, Renewal & Resilience. Vol. 1 Europe. Winterthur: The Club of Rome.
7. King A. & Schneider B. (1991) The First Global Revolution: A Report by the Council of The Club of Rome. New York: Pantheon Books.
8. Korten D.C. (2021) Ecological Civilization: From Emergency to Emergence. Winterthur: The Club of Rome.
9. Kuenkel P. (2019) Stewarding Sustainability: An Emerging Theory and Practice of SDG Implementation. Cham: Springer.
10. Los V.A. (2022) In Search of a Promising Strategy for Civilization Development. On the 50th Anniversary of the Report to the Club of Rome “The Limits to Growth”. Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vol. 92, no. 4, pp. 350–359 (in Russian).
11. Meadows D.H., Meadows D.L., Randers J., &Behrens III W.W. (1972) The Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome’s Project on the Predicament of Mankind. New York: Universe Books.
12. Morozov A. (2018) The Club of Rome’s Prescriptions for Global Energy and Ecology. Energiya: ekonomika, tekhnika, ekologiya. No. 7, pp. 9–12 (in Russian).
13. Nazaretyan A.P. (2018) The Splendor and Misery of Biocentric Ecology: On the 50th Anniversary of the Club of Rome. Istoricheskaya psikhologiya i sotsiologiya istorii. No. 1, pp. 5–38 (in Russian).
14. Peccei A. (1979) The Human Quality. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
15. Preiser R., Swilling M., Nnoli-Edozien N., Ramphele M. (2020) Towards New Narratives of Hope for Fostering Transformative African Futures. Winterthur: The Club of Rome.
16. Randers J. (2012) 2052: A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years. Junction, VT: Chelsea Green.
17. Randers J., Rockström J., Stoknes P.E., Golüke U., Collste D., & Cornel S. (2018) Transformation is Feasible: How to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals within Planetary Boundaries. A Report to the Club of Rome. Stockholm: Stockholm Resilience Centre.
18. The Club of Rome (2019) Securing a New Deal for People, Nature and Climate. Winterthur: The Club of Rome.
19. von Weizsäcker E., Wijkman A. (2018) Come On! Capitalism, Short-termism, Population, and the Destruction of the Planet. New York: Springer.
20. Yanitsky O.N. (2018) Report to the Club of Rome. On the 50th Anniversary of Its Foundation: Pros and Cons. Vlast. No. 2, pp. 19–25 (in Russian).
Review
For citations:
Los V.A. Post-Jubilee Reports of the Club of Rome: In Search of a Conceptual Strategy for Humanity’s Foreseeable Future. Russian Journal of Philosophical Sciences. 2023;66(4):52-75. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30727/0235-1188-2023-66-4-52-75