Club of Rome
Encyclopedia
The Club of Rome is a global think tank
that deals with a variety of international political issues. Founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei
in Rome
, Italy
, the CoR describes itself as "a group of world citizens, sharing a common concern for the future of humanity." It consists of current and former Heads of State, UN bureaucrats, high-level politicians and government officials, diplomats, scientists, economists, and business leaders from around the globe. It raised considerable public attention in 1972 with its report The Limits to Growth. The club states that its mission is "to act as a global catalyst for change through the identification and analysis of the crucial problems facing humanity and the communication of such problems to the most important public and private decision makers as well as to the general public." Since 1 July 2008, the organization has its headquarters in Winterthur
, Switzerland.
, an Italian industrialist, and Alexander King
, a Scottish scientist
. It was formed when a small international group of people from the fields of academia, civil society, diplomacy, and industry, met at a villa in Rome
, Italy
, hence the name.
Hasan Özbekhan
, Erich Jantsch
and Alexander Christakis
were responsible for conceptualizing the original prospectus of the Club of Rome titled "The Predicament of Mankind."
The Club of Rome raised considerable public attention with its report Limits to Growth
, which has sold 12 million copies in more than 30 translations, making it the best-selling environmental book in world history. Published in 1972 and presented for the first time at the International Students' Committee (ISC) annual Management Symposium in St. Gallen, Switzerland, it predicted that economic growth
could not continue indefinitely because of the limited availability of natural resources, particularly oil
. The 1973 oil crisis
increased public concern about this problem. However, even before Limits to Growth was published, Eduard Pestel and Mihajlo Mesarovic of Case Western Reserve University
had begun work on a far more elaborate model (it distinguished ten world regions and involved 200,000 equations compared with 1000 in the Meadows model). The research had the full support of the Club and the final publication, Mankind at the Turning Point was accepted as the official Second Report to the Club of Rome in 1974. In addition to providing a more refined regional breakdown, Pestel and Mesarovic had succeeded in integrating social as well as technical data. The Second Report revised the predictions of the original Limits to Growth and gave a more optimistic prognosis for the future of the environment, noting that many of the factors were within human control and therefore that environmental and economic catastrophe were preventable or avoidable, hence the title.
In 1993, the Club published The First Global Revolution. According to this book, divided nations require common enemies to unite them, "either a real one or else one invented for the purpose." Because of the sudden absence of traditional enemies, "new enemies must be identified." "In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill....All these dangers are caused by human intervention, and it is only through changed attitudes and behavior that they can be overcome. The real enemy then, is humanity itself."
As of August 2008, the Club has two Co-Presidents, Dr. Ashok Khosla of India and Dr. Eberhard von Koerber of Germany, and two Vice-Presidents, Professor Heitor Gurgulino de Souza of Brazil and Dr. Anders Wijkman
of Sweden. The Secretary-General is Martin Lees of Scotland. As of 1 January 2008 he has been responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Club at its headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland. Other active members include: Benjamin Bassin, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
, Juan Luis Cebrian, Orio Giarini, Talat Halman, Fernando Henrique Cardoso
, Javier Solana
, Mugur Isărescu
, Kamal Hossain, Esko Kalimo, Ashok Khosla, Martin Lees, Roberto Peccei
, Maria Ramirez Ribes, Victor A. Sadovnichy, Keith Suter
, Majid Tehranian, Raoul Weiler
, and Mikhail Gorbachev
.
The Annual Meeting of 2005 took place in Norfolk, Virginia
, at Old Dominion University
. It was held for the first time with members of the young think tank tt30
.
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
that deals with a variety of international political issues. Founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei
Accademia dei Lincei
The Accademia dei Lincei, , is an Italian science academy, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy....
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the CoR describes itself as "a group of world citizens, sharing a common concern for the future of humanity." It consists of current and former Heads of State, UN bureaucrats, high-level politicians and government officials, diplomats, scientists, economists, and business leaders from around the globe. It raised considerable public attention in 1972 with its report The Limits to Growth. The club states that its mission is "to act as a global catalyst for change through the identification and analysis of the crucial problems facing humanity and the communication of such problems to the most important public and private decision makers as well as to the general public." Since 1 July 2008, the organization has its headquarters in Winterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
, Switzerland.
Formation
The Club of Rome was founded in April 1968 by Aurelio PecceiAurelio Peccei
Aurelio Peccei was an Italian scholar and industrialist, best known as the founder and first president of the Club of Rome.- Early life :...
, an Italian industrialist, and Alexander King
Alexander King (scientist)
Alexander King CMG, CBE was a scientist and pioneer of the sustainable development movement who co-founded the Club of Rome in 1968 with the Italian industrialist Aurelio Peccei....
, a Scottish scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
. It was formed when a small international group of people from the fields of academia, civil society, diplomacy, and industry, met at a villa in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, hence the name.
Hasan Özbekhan
Hasan Özbekhan
Dr. Hasan Özbekhan was a Turkish American systems scientist, cyberneticist, philosopher and planner who was Professor Emeritus of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania...
, Erich Jantsch
Erich Jantsch
Erich Jantsch was an Austrian astrophysicist.In the mid-1960s his increasing concern regarding the future led him to study forecasting techniques...
and Alexander Christakis
Alexander Christakis
Alexander Christakis is a Greek American social scientist, systems scientist and cyberneticist, former faculty member of several Universities, organizational consultant and member of the Club of Rome, known for his "study and design of social systems".- Biography :Christakis came to the United...
were responsible for conceptualizing the original prospectus of the Club of Rome titled "The Predicament of Mankind."
The Club of Rome raised considerable public attention with its report Limits to Growth
Limits to Growth
The Limits to Growth is a 1972 book modeling the consequences of a rapidly growing world population and finite resource supplies, commissioned by the Club of Rome. Its authors were Donella H. Meadows, Dennis L. Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III. The book used the World3 model to...
, which has sold 12 million copies in more than 30 translations, making it the best-selling environmental book in world history. Published in 1972 and presented for the first time at the International Students' Committee (ISC) annual Management Symposium in St. Gallen, Switzerland, it predicted that economic growth
Economic growth
In economics, economic growth is defined as the increasing capacity of the economy to satisfy the wants of goods and services of the members of society. Economic growth is enabled by increases in productivity, which lowers the inputs for a given amount of output. Lowered costs increase demand...
could not continue indefinitely because of the limited availability of natural resources, particularly oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
. The 1973 oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
increased public concern about this problem. However, even before Limits to Growth was published, Eduard Pestel and Mihajlo Mesarovic of Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
had begun work on a far more elaborate model (it distinguished ten world regions and involved 200,000 equations compared with 1000 in the Meadows model). The research had the full support of the Club and the final publication, Mankind at the Turning Point was accepted as the official Second Report to the Club of Rome in 1974. In addition to providing a more refined regional breakdown, Pestel and Mesarovic had succeeded in integrating social as well as technical data. The Second Report revised the predictions of the original Limits to Growth and gave a more optimistic prognosis for the future of the environment, noting that many of the factors were within human control and therefore that environmental and economic catastrophe were preventable or avoidable, hence the title.
In 1993, the Club published The First Global Revolution. According to this book, divided nations require common enemies to unite them, "either a real one or else one invented for the purpose." Because of the sudden absence of traditional enemies, "new enemies must be identified." "In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill....All these dangers are caused by human intervention, and it is only through changed attitudes and behavior that they can be overcome. The real enemy then, is humanity itself."
Organization
According to its website, the Club of Rome is composed of "scientists, economists, businessmen, international high civil servants, heads of state and former heads of state from all five continents who are convinced that the future of humankind is not determined once and for all and that each human being can contribute to the improvement of our societies."As of August 2008, the Club has two Co-Presidents, Dr. Ashok Khosla of India and Dr. Eberhard von Koerber of Germany, and two Vice-Presidents, Professor Heitor Gurgulino de Souza of Brazil and Dr. Anders Wijkman
Anders Wijkman
Anders Ivar Sven Wijkman is a Swedish politician and Member of the European Parliament. As a member of the European Parliament, he focusses on issues related to climate change, environment, development cooperation and humanitarian affairs.He is a member of the Christian Democrats, part of the...
of Sweden. The Secretary-General is Martin Lees of Scotland. As of 1 January 2008 he has been responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Club at its headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland. Other active members include: Benjamin Bassin, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
, Juan Luis Cebrian, Orio Giarini, Talat Halman, Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso – also known by his initials FHC – was the 34th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil for two terms from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2002. He is an accomplished sociologist, professor and politician...
, Javier Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
, Mugur Isărescu
Mugur Isarescu
Mugur Isărescu is the Governor of the National Bank of Romania. From 22 December 1999 to 28 November 2000 he served as Prime Minister. He is a member of the Romanian Academy....
, Kamal Hossain, Esko Kalimo, Ashok Khosla, Martin Lees, Roberto Peccei
Roberto Peccei
Roberto Daniele Peccei is Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of California Los Angeles, a position he has held since October, 2000...
, Maria Ramirez Ribes, Victor A. Sadovnichy, Keith Suter
Keith Suter
Dr Keith Suter is a consultant on strategic planning, Christian, and a futurist. He is a weekly guest on radio station 2GB in Sydney to discuss international affairs with host Brian Wilshire.This and other commentaries are published daily on Keith's blog...
, Majid Tehranian, Raoul Weiler
Raoul Weiler
Raoul Weiler is President of the EU-Chapter of The Club of Rome.He spent several years as a post doctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC in the U.S. and at the Centre de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, France...
, and Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
.
The Annual Meeting of 2005 took place in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, at Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
. It was held for the first time with members of the young think tank tt30
Tt30
tt30 is a young think tank, an offshoot of the Club of Rome, composed of around 30 men and women ages 25-35.-Origins:tt30 was formed in 2001 as an offshoot of the Club of Rome...
.
National associations
There are national CoR associations in many nations, including a number of European nations, USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Asian nations. These associations analyze national problems in terms of the same factors and give advice nationally to decision-makers.Current Activities
In 2009, the organization established a three-year program on "A New Path for World Development". In a flyer describing the project, it declared "The global issues which were the focus of the 1972 Report, “Limits to Growth” are even more severe and urgent today." The project has five issue areas: Environment and Resources, Globalization, International Development, Social Transformation, and Peace and Security.Notable members
- Hans-Peter DürrHans-Peter DürrHans-Peter Dürr is a German physicist. In addition to nuclear and quantum physics, elementary particles and gravitation, epistemology, and philosophy, he has advocated responsible scientific and energy policies.-Biography:...
- Mikhail GorbachevMikhail GorbachevMikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
- Mugur IsărescuMugur IsarescuMugur Isărescu is the Governor of the National Bank of Romania. From 22 December 1999 to 28 November 2000 he served as Prime Minister. He is a member of the Romanian Academy....
- Erich JantschErich JantschErich Jantsch was an Austrian astrophysicist.In the mid-1960s his increasing concern regarding the future led him to study forecasting techniques...
, author of Technological Forecasting (†) - Derrick de KerckhoveDerrick de KerckhoveDerrick de Kerckhove is the author of The Skin of Culture and Connected Intelligence and Professor in the Department of French at the University of Toronto, Canada...
- Alexander KingAlexander King (scientist)Alexander King CMG, CBE was a scientist and pioneer of the sustainable development movement who co-founded the Club of Rome in 1968 with the Italian industrialist Aurelio Peccei....
(†) - Max KohnstammMax KohnstammMax Kohnstamm was a Dutch historian and diplomat.Max Kohnstamm is the son of Philip Kohnstamm, a physicist, philosopher and pedagogue of Jewish-German origin...
(NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
), former Secretary General of the ECSCEuropean Coal and Steel CommunityThe European Coal and Steel Community was a six-nation international organisation serving to unify Western Europe during the Cold War and create the foundation for the modern-day developments of the European Union...
(†) - David KortenDavid KortenDavid C. Korten is an American economist, author, and former Professor of the Harvard Business School, political activist and prominent critic of corporate globalization, "by training and inclination a student of psychology and behavioral systems". His best-known publication is When Corporations...
- Dennis MeadowsDennis MeadowsDennis L. Meadows is an American scientist and Emeritus Professor of Systems Management, and former director of the Institute for Policy and Social Science Research at the University of New Hampshire...
- Donella MeadowsDonella MeadowsDonella H. "Dana" Meadows was a pioneering American environmental scientist, teacher and writer. She is best known as lead author of the influential book The Limits to Growth, which made headlines around the world.- Life :Born in Elgin, Illinois, Meadows was educated in science, receiving a B.A...
- Mihajlo D. MesarovicMihajlo D. MesarovicMihajlo D. Mesarovic , is a Yugoslavian scientist, who is a professor of Systems Engineering and Mathematics at Case Western Reserve University...
- George P. MitchellGeorge P. MitchellGeorge Phydias Mitchell is an American businessman, real estate developer and philanthropist from Texas.-Biography:He was born to Greek immigrant parents in the port city of Galveston, Texas. Mitchell earned a degree from Texas A&M University with an emphasis in geology and petroleum engineering...
- Aurelio PecceiAurelio PecceiAurelio Peccei was an Italian scholar and industrialist, best known as the founder and first president of the Club of Rome.- Early life :...
(†) - Jean Saint-Geours, Ministry of Finance in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- Hugo Thiemann, Director of the Battelle Memorial InstituteBattelle Memorial InstituteBattelle Memorial Institute is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Ohio and is exempt from taxation under Section 501 of the...
in GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... - Pierre Elliott Trudeau (†)
- Robert Uffen (†)
- Frederic VesterFrederic VesterFrederic Vester was a German biochemist, and an expert in the field of ecology.- Biography :Vester was born in Saarbrücken, and studied chemistry at the universities of Mainz, Paris and Hamburg. From 1955 to 1957 he was postdoctoral fellow at Yale University and Cambridge...
(†) - Ivo SlausIvo ŠlausIvo Šlaus is a nuclear and particle physicist, member of the Board of Trustees of the World Academy of Art & Science , director of the Academy's South East European Division and Chairman of the Editorial Board of Cadmus Journal...
See also
The British science magazine New Scientist reported on 19 November 2008 a study by the research organisation CSIRO in Australia found "changes in industrial production, food production and pollution are all in line with the Club of Rome's predictions".- Futures studies
- Harlan ClevelandHarlan ClevelandHarlan Cleveland was an American diplomat, educator, and author. He served as Lyndon Johnson's U.S. Ambassador to NATO, 1965–1969, and earlier as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, 1961-1965...
- DIKWDIKWThe "DIKW Hierarchy", also known variously as the "Wisdom Hierarchy", the "Knowledge Hierarchy", the "Information Hierarchy", and the "Knowledge Pyramid", refers loosely to a class of models for representing purported structural and/or functional relationships between data, information, knowledge,... - The Limits to Growth
- Authors: Donella H. MeadowsDonella MeadowsDonella H. "Dana" Meadows was a pioneering American environmental scientist, teacher and writer. She is best known as lead author of the influential book The Limits to Growth, which made headlines around the world.- Life :Born in Elgin, Illinois, Meadows was educated in science, receiving a B.A...
, Dennis L. MeadowsDennis MeadowsDennis L. Meadows is an American scientist and Emeritus Professor of Systems Management, and former director of the Institute for Policy and Social Science Research at the University of New Hampshire...
, Jørgen RandersJørgen RandersJørgen Randers is a Norwegian academic and practitioner in the field of future studies.Randers is currently professor of climate strategy at the BI Norwegian Business School, where his work is concentrated on climate issues, scenario planning and system dynamics...
, and W.W. Behrens, Jr.
- Authors: Donella H. Meadows
- Peak OilPeak oilPeak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
- The Revenge of GaiaThe Revenge of GaiaThe Revenge of Gaia: Why the Earth is Fighting Back – and How we Can Still Save Humanity is a book by James Lovelock.- External links :* The Revenge of Gaia * , edited extract from The Guardian, 24 March 2006...
- SurvivalismSurvivalismSurvivalism is a movement of individuals or groups who are actively preparing for future possible disruptions in local, regional, national, or international social or political order...
External links
- Club of Rome - official website
- Club of Rome Reports and Bifurcations, a 40-year overview 17 March 2010 / Draft
- Analysis of "Limits to Growth" by Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 1999
- http://www.csiro.au/resources/SEEDPaper19.html - Turner G. 2008. A Comparison of The Limits to Growth with Thirty Years of Reality. Socio-Economics and the Environment in Discussion (SEED). CSIRO Working Paper Series Number 2008-09. June 2008. ISSN 1834-5638. 52 pp.
- The Green Agenda of Club of Rome