In the speech she gave before Wall Street – the world’s first stock exchange – Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-president of the Club of Rome, warned the world’s great financiers present that the current rules of the game of the economy must be changed and to finance the disaster of humanity. “I am convinced – she told them – that there will be no stocks, bonds or financial assets, nor business or competitiveness, on a dead planet. We have no choice but to redesign our systems towards development that promotes well-being for all on a common planet. And that requires a global redistribution of wealth to finance the great change that is needed.”
The co-president of the Club of Rome is very brave in her approaches. “People, planet and prosperity – she stated – come first, before power and profits.”
This week, Sandrine Dixson-Declève was the new guest of the SOS-sustainability interview series organized by ‘La Vanguardia’ and which was broadcast yesterday in streaming from the website of this newspaper. In response to questions from Enric Sierra, deputy director of ‘La Vanguardia’, the co-president of the Club of Rome outlined the new approaches of this institution contained in the book ‘A Land for All’, which has just been translated into Spanish in Argentina and will soon arrive in Spain.
This book is, in a certain way, an update of the historic manifesto “The Limits to Growth” that the Club of Rome made in 1972 and in which it already warned of all the current problems that humanity suffers. His warning, however, was not taken too seriously by world leaders and now we pay the consequences.
The Club of Rome, as is known, is a prestigious center of international reflection, founded in 1968 in the city from which it took its name, which brings together a hundred scientists, economists, former politicians and industrialists from 52 countries concerned about complex problems facing the world.
Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-president of the club along with Mamphela Ramphele, is a teacher, writer and environmental communicator. She was one of the promoters of the Planetary Emergency Plan and one of the authors of ‘An Earth for All’, in which the Club of Rome proposes a series of measures, from now until 2050, to transform the system and guarantee the survival of The humanity.
In the aforementioned book, among other topics, we analyze what type of models are needed to have a more equitable Earth, based on the science of planetary limits by scientist Johann Rockstrom. “We have already surpassed – said the co-president of the Club of Rome – six of the nine planetary limits of the Earth. But we still have time to reduce inequalities, improve people’s lives and correct the planet’s imbalances.”
At the Club of Rome they have calculated that it would be necessary to invest between 2% and 4% of world income to finance the great change that humanity needs to fight climate change, the problems it causes and social inequalities.
“If we do not implement key changes to ensure less inequality and poverty, the empowerment of women and their participation in the economy, and access to education everywhere, in addition to changes in the food and energy systems, we will not achieve good be for everyone. The challenge – explained Sandrine Dixson-Declève – is to abandon a scenario of growth through solidarity and equity. The only way to build resilience to future shocks is to invest in a planet for all. This is what we believe as scientists and as economists.”
“We cannot continue to perpetuate – he noted – a system that allows profits and productivity to take precedence over real well-being and life satisfaction. There is a deep rejection of this approach by those who earn the most in today’s society, such as the oil and gas sector, with million-dollar profits. The investments they make seek only short-term profit instead of investing in a better future. That’s why it’s so important to think about how we convince investors and companies to change their practices. I think very few will do it willingly. That is why we have to implement policies, regulations, and also incorporate other indicators in addition to GDP, so that we stop focusing only on productivity as the only measure of well-being. We already know that productivity does not automatically translate into well-being only for a few.”
Sandrine Dixson-Declève, in response to questions from Enric Sierra, noted that “there are some subtle changes that we are starting to see and that we have to hold on to.” One is the new debate on wealth taxation in several OECD countries. Another is that of the patriotic millionaires of the United States. Warren Buffett, for example, admits that it is not normal for his housekeeper to pay more taxes than he does.
The data provided by the Club of Rome’s research are eloquent. In the United States alone, since 1978, director salaries have grown by 1,400%.
“I cannot believe,” exclaimed the co-president of said institution, “that these billionaires, who are CEOs, need all that money. Employee salaries, on the other hand, have grown by 18% in that period. Wealth remains in the hands of a few who are also most responsible for polluting emissions and greenhouse gases. That’s the key. We have to organize ourselves within these limits. That means doing business differently. And it means that the richest will have to think about redistribution. “The current inequality is unsustainable.”
“The power – he lamented – is in the multinationals, who do not want the world to change. Oil and gas companies were betting on renewable energy and now, however, they have backed down. But the interesting thing is that we are seeing, at Exxon, Shell and other large companies, how shareholders demand accountability. They are beginning to tell them: we cannot continue like this.”
“Citizens – he noted – believe that climate change is one of the most urgent issues. Polls say they are willing to pay for climate impacts and for us to really stop the imbalance. What does that mean in practice? That means that, economically, we need to support citizens in a just transition. We need to communicate to them, as leaders and economists, as scientists, that we can grow differently, develop with our social and environmental values ??at the same time, and above all show them how to do it.”
“Those in power are realizing that they are losing that power and they are not happy. And that is where we have to be, as a community of experts, economists and scientists, more forceful in demanding a change in society, to ensure that we truly survive. We must make companies responsible, put the right policies in place, pay their taxes, redistribute wealth, abandon the extractive economy and start redistributing wealth globally, including materials and natural resources, for benefit. of the citizens, not only of the multinationals and the powerful.”
“We must change the narrative of climate change – concluded the co-president of the Club of Rome – and focus it on solutions with courage. As I have already said, the scenario of the great change towards the future only costs us an annual global GDP of 2% to 4%. It is the equivalent, and I would even say less, of the defense budget of many countries. But we must bear in mind that the greatest risk to long-term security is climate change.”
“We must therefore mobilize to reduce our climate impact and greenhouse gases year after year, with an adequate redistribution of wealth, as well as implement resistance and adaptation strategies so that people can live under the harsh climate.” Global warming effects. This is the decade of action, before 2030. We have to be very ambitious, and all countries work together.” In this sense, he pointed out that the COPs must stop being a fair and become a platform for effective action.
