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.
