Come on! The New Fundamental Club of Rome Report, Book Presentation and Discussion with Club of Rome Honorary President Prof. Dr. Ernst-Ulrich von Weizsäcker

The human footprint is increasing fast and will – if not reversed – eventually lead to a collapse of the global economy. So say the authors of the new book Come On! which proposes an overhaul in the way that governments, businesses, financial systems, innovators and families interact with our planet.

Now, in cooperation with more than 30 members from the Club of Rome, authors Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker and Anders Wijkman, suggest possible solutions to the global ecological and social crises. At the core is the suggestion to develop a new Enlightenment for a „Full World”: we can no longer depend on a societal model that was developed for a world of less than one billion people.

Measuring our success on GDP growth has proven inadequate to the task and it also masks a growth in inequality between rich and poor. New indicators such as a Genuine Progress Indicator could more accurately measure economic welfare.

The present model of development is seriously flawed. Profit maximization – under the principle of shareholder value first – and saving the planet are inherently in conflict. The new Enlightenment must be characterized by a vastly improved balance between humans and nature, between markets and the law, between private consumption and public goods, between short-term and long- term thinking, between social justice and incentives for excellence.

“Come on” comprises many practical examples, success stories and opportunities for the “Full World”. A move towards a circular economy can help over-come mineral scarcity, significantly lower carbon emissions and increase the number of jobs. Regenerative agriculture will help stop soil erosion, enhance yields and build carbon in the soil. Efforts have to be made to rein in the financial sector by increasing capital reserves and control of money creation. Some insights can come from the Hopi tradition in North America, which developed sustainable agriculture and maintained a stable population size while avoiding wars.