Environment at the Crossroads

Description

Environment at the Crossroads, the theme of the 2009 Gulbenkian Conference, addresses the most urgent crisis confronting the world today, in its four essential aspects: * How deeply is the current economic malaise rooted in failing systems? Do we have the global capacity to provide ecological services, or the institutional capacity to reduce poverty and promote stability and peace? * How critical is the state of the global environment? What are the implications of new scientific insights into the decline of biodiversity, the possible breakdown of major ecosystems, and the likelihood of dramatic changes caused by ecological tipping points? * How can we reshape the economic system in order to renew the social fabric and move towards a more environmentally friendly way of life? * How can we develop new policies to mobilise creativity and ingenuity? What institutions are needed to tackle global problems, to encourage co-operation and promote long-term synergies and strategic goals? Drawing on a range of disciplines, the authors explore the issues within a wide framework encompassing social, ethical and scientific issues.