Ⅰ. 20th Anniversary Events of theBlue Planet Prize

CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................................... 5
1.

Announcement of BPP Laureates Joint Paper.......................................................................................... 6
1-1 Background...................................................................................................................................... 6
1-2 London Preparatory Meeting by BPP Laureates.............................................................................. 7
1-3 Announcement of the Joint Paper by BPP Laureates....................................................................... 10

2.

Announcement of 2012 BPP Winners at Rio+20..................................................................................... 14
2-1 Press Announcement of 2012 BPP Winners..................................................................................... 15
2-2 Commemorative Lecture by BPP Laureates.................................................................................... 16

3.

Announcement of 2012 Survey Results at IUCN World Congress.......................................................... 17

4.

2012 Public Relations Overseas............................................................................................................... 19

Attachment-1 List of BPP Laureates' Authors and Executive Summary of the BPP Laureates Joint Paper...... 21

Introduction
The Blue Planet Prize was established in 1992 to recognize people for their contributions to solving global
environmental problems at a time when there were almost no such awards anywhere in the world. We at
the Asahi Glass Foundation are very gratified to arrive at the 20th anniversary of the award in 2012. We
are grateful for the unwavering support we have received from people around the world concerned about
the environment, who have recommended numerous outstanding candidates for the Blue Planet Prize. We
extend our most sincere gratitude to our many supporters around the world for their cooperation.
To commemorate its 20th anniversary, the Foundation took an initiative supporting the past Blue
Planet Prize laureates in producing a joint paper detailing proposals for the preservation of the global
environment. The paper was presented at international conferences during the year at UNEP, the Planet
Under Pressure conference, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), andthe IUCN World Conservation Congress, attracting the attention of government officials, environmental
experts, and the general public. These presentations also contributed to raising awareness about theFoundation.
Blue Planet Prize winners are, for both the Foundation and for the world, invaluable resources. We
at the Foundation acknowledge that one of our most significant missions is to provide these extraordinary
people with opportunities in which their achievements might be more fully recognized, and we will
dedicate ourselves to this mission.
For the same period as the Blue Planet Prize, the Foundation has conducted a unique survey
concerning the global environment called “Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of
Humankind.” The survey, now famed for its “The Environmental Doomsday Clock,” has also contributedby raising public consciousness of environmental problems. The survey also celebrated its 20th anniversary
by announcing its results overseas at IUCN World Congress for the first time.

51. Announcement of BPP Laureates Joint Paper
1-1 Background
The Blue Planet Prize was born of the deeply-felt principles of Hideaki Yamashita, chairman of the Asahi
Glass Foundation when it went through reform, who felt a profound desire to contribute as much as
possible to the welfare of humankind through the activities of the foundation. The Prize was establishedin 1992 as the world’s largest international environmental award, its objective “to recognize individuals
or organizations who have made significant contributions to the discovery, forecasting, evaluation, andresolution of global environmental problems, and to express the gratitude of the human race for theirachievements.”
The value of the award is in direct proportion to the accomplishments of the laureates. In the 20 years
since the award was established, the individual and organizational laureates have consisted of scientists andexperts who have played pioneering roles in environmental issues faced by mankind, as well as those whohave achieved prominence on a global scale through the implementation of solutions. These issues haveincluded global warming, depletion of the ozone layer, biodiversity loss, energy problems, environmental
hormones, sustainable societies, population problems, environmental law, government policy, and theeconomy. Through the awarding of the Prize, the Foundation has accumulated an immense intangible asset
in the accomplishments of the laureates. Upon reaching the 20th anniversary milestone, we wish to revisit
the origins of the award, to continue elevating its significance, and to return to society this intellectual asset
that we have been fortunate to accumulate.
The Foundation came to believe that this intangible asset could produce the most powerful effect if
all of the past laureates were to come together. For that reason, we began to contact the laureates from mid2010. Beginning in mid-2011, Secretary General Tetsuro Yasuda visited Dr. Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director
General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (1992 laureate, Switzerland, henceforth
IUCN), Dr. Camilla Toulmin, Director of International Institute for Environment and Development (1995,
UK, henceforth IIED), Dr. Russell Mittermeier, President of Conservation International (1997, USA,
hereforce CI), and Sir Bob Watson (2010, UK). Secretary General Yasuda consulted with the laureates,sought their opinions and advice, and requested their cooperation in bringing to life this intellectual asset.
In addition, he held discussions with representatives from the Stockholm Environment Institute, a renowned
environmental research organization in Sweden, and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research inGermany, who provided valuable advice about the direction in which the asset could be best utilized.
We were fortunate to receive encouragement from Sir Watson, who advised us that we would be
able to “distribute an appealing environmental declaration to the world, as the laureates are outstanding
environmental experts,” and provided suggestions on the production of a paper authored by the laureates.
In addition, the four laureates Yasuda visited in 2011 provided an extremely constructive suggestion, that “inorder to capitalize on the assets of the Blue Planet Prize, it would be best for the laureates to issue a joint
paper from a broad perspective,” and promised their active cooperation and support in its production and6release. Further, Sir Watson generously agreed to play a central role in the production of the paper, acting
as the point of contact for each laureates as they authored their portions and brought them together.

1-2 London Preparatory Meeting by BPP Laureates
The Foundation grew convinced that the most effective use of this intangible asset that it had accumulated
over 20 years would be the transmission to the world of a policy proposal toward the resolution ofenvironmental problems, in the form of a joint paper by past laureates. The Foundation held multiple
consultations with laureates about the details of the paper, including its contents and presentation. Twentyone laureates agreed to participate.
There were multiple candidates for the presentation venue of the joint paper. They included the
Rio+20 Conference that was to be held the following June, as well as the IUCN World Conservation
Congress to be held in South Korea that same September. In the end, it was decided to first present the
paper at the 12th Special Session of UNEP Governing Council, consistent with Sir Watson’s proposal.
Being mindful of the upcoming Rio+20 Conference where world leaders would discuss theconstruction of a sustainable society, the paper adopted as its overall theme, policies towards a sustainable
society. In the summer of 2011, the laureates began authoring contributions from each of their expert
perspectives.
After six months dedicated effort to authoring the paper by the laureates, a meeting was held forthree days beginning February 8th, 2012, in order to bring the chapters together into a joint paper. IIED,
with its headquarters in London, generously oversaw the necessary human and equipment related logistics
for the venue and the meeting.

7

Fifteen laureates attended the meeting, and held discussions over three days towards the completionof the paper. They included inaugural Blue Planet Prize Laureate Dr. Syukuro Manabe (1992, USA); Dr.
Camilla Toulmin of IIED; Dr. Will Turner, Vice President of CI; Dr. Julia Marton-Lefèvre, General Directorof IUCN; Dr. Simon Stuart, Chair of the Species Survival Commission of IUCN; Professor Paul Ehrlich(1999, USA); Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt (2000, Sweden); Lord Robert May of Oxford (2001, UK); Professor
Harold Mooney (2002, USA); Dr. Gordon Hisashi Sato (2005, USA); Dr. Emil Salim (2006, Indonesia);
Professor José Goldemberg (2008, Brazil); Lord Nicholas Stern of Brentford (2009, UK); Sir Bob Watson;
and Mr. Bunker Roy, Founder of Barefoot College (2011, India).

BPP Laureates Gathered in London
Dr. Toulmin, Dr. Stuart, Dr. Turner(IIED)(IUCN)(CI)
Lord May, Prof. Mooney, Dr.Robèrt

Sir Watson, Prof. Ehrlich

Dr. Salim, Dr. Sato

Prof. Goldemberg, Lord Stern

Prof. Goldemberg,
Dr. Manabe
Dr. Marton-Lefevre(IUCN)

Mr. Roy, Dr. Salim

8

To capitalize on this rare meeting of world-renowned scientists and experts in London, a press
conference was held on February 10th, the final day of the meeting, with the help of the public relations
department of IIED. The Asahi Glass Foundation Secretary General Yasuda moderated the conference andbegan by introducing the organization and the Blue Planet Prize, after which Sir Watson and Dr. Toulmin
launched into an explanation of the key messages of the joint paper.
The press conference date was decided upon with very short notice. Nonetheless, environmental
journalists from highly respected publications like The Guardian and the London bureau of the Yomiuri
Shimbun were in attendance, and asked insightful questions. The laureates took turns providing detailed
responses based on their expertise, which resulted in a profound and lively exchange between the laureatesand environmental journalists on the construction of a sustainable society.

Press Conference in London

After three long days of discussions, the joint paper began to take shape. In addition to the joint paper
itself, the working group decided to include individual papers. With the approval of the laureates who wereunable to attend the meeting, Sir Watson generously agreed to finalize the editing of the paper.
To conclude the meetings in London, a gathering was held for the laureates in the evening. Althoughmany of them were already acquainted through international meetings, it was the first time that they had all
been brought together as Blue Planet Prize winners, creating a strong sense of affinity among them. With
the joint paper nearing completion, many of them expressed the desire for similar meetings to be held in
the future to bring the laureates together and to allow for a forum to discuss solutions to environmental
problems.
The Foundation extends its deep gratitude to all the laureates who gave their warm understanding
and dedicated efforts in producing the joint paper.

91-3 Announcement of the Joint Paper by BPP Laureates
Announcement at UNEP, Nairobi

The 12th Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council was held
on February 20, 2012, at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Sir Watson presented in a resounding voice the joint paper,“Environmental and Development Challenges: The Imperative toAct,” in front of officials who had gathered from around the world.
“The policies currently being pursued risk destroying the ecosystem,
which is indispensable for people to live a healthy, fulfilling, andhuman life,” he said. “To solve these problems, what is needed is nottechnological development but solutions through human wisdom,”
he continued forcefully. “What allows for optimism is that there
remains room for policymakers in each country to courageously and

UNEP Notice of BPP Joint Paper

constructively address these problems.” He
was greeted with a sea of applause from aroom full of participants.
The joint paper advocates a transformation in the governing system, which,instead of utilizing GDP as a measure of
wealth, would review the role of government
subsidies and would place humanity andconsideration for the environment at its core.
In particular, the paper advocates the following seven points to governments of the world1:•		 Replace GDP as a measure of economic activity and substitute measures of the five forms of capital:
built, financial, natural, human and social, i.e., a measure of wealth that integrates economic,
		 environmental and social
dimensions.
•		 Eliminate subsidies in sectors
such as energy, transportation
and agriculture that create
environmental and social costs,
which currently go unpaid.
•		 Tackle overconsumption, andaddress population pressure byempowering women, improving
education and making
contraception accessible to all.

Announcement of Joint Paper at UNEP, Nairobi

10
		 1 Please see Attachment 1 for a list of the laureate authors as well as the Executive Summary of the joint paper. The paper
is available in its entirety on the Asahi Glass Foundation website, www.af-info.or.jp•		 Transform decision making processes to empower marginalizedgroups, and integrate economic, social and environmental
policies instead of having them compete.
•		 Conserve and value biodiversity and ecosystem services,and create markets for them that can form the basis of green
economies.
•		 Invest in knowledge — both in creating and in sharing it —through research and training that will enable governments,
business, and society at large to understand and move towards asustainable future.
The presentation of the joint paper at a United Nations
venue, with the participation of countless government officials,

BPP Laureates Joint Paper

policymakers, environmental experts, and journalists from around the world was a highly significant
event in terms of broadening awareness and deepening international understanding of the Asahi GlassFoundation and the Blue Planet Prize.
Preceding the presentation of the joint paper at UNEP headquarters, the Foundation issued apress release. Titled, “Top scientists urge end to policy and governance failures to tackle social andenvironmental crises” it targeted media outlets around the world as well as environmental non-profit
organizations, and was made possible with the support of the public relations departments at UNEP,
IIED, and CI. The press release introduced the following comment on the joint paper by Achim Steiner,
Executive Director of UNEP and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.
“The paper by the Blue Planet Prize laureates will challenge
governments and society as a whole to act to limit human-induced
climate change, the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of
ecosystem services in order to ensure food, water energy andhuman security. I would like to thank Professor Watson andcolleagues for eloquently articulating their vision on how key
development challenges can be addressed, emphasizing solutions;the policies, technologies and behaviour changes required to growgreen economies, generate jobs and lift people out of poverty
without pushing the world through planetary boundaries.”
The Guardian
Reporting the Joint Paper

11A panel discussion on the joint paper
was held at UNEP as a side-event with Sir Bob
Watson, Dr. Camilla Toulmin, and Dr. Cyriaque
Sendashonga of the IUCN as presenters. While
there were some concerns about attendance
given the high number of programs scheduledduring the same timeframe, the panel discussion
attracted nearly a full audience due to the highname recognition of the prizewinners and the
Presenters, Dr. Sendashonga, Dr. Toulmin, Sir Watson

high level of interest in the paper.

S i r Wa t s o n s e r v e d a s t h emoderator of the discussion, while
Dr. Toulmin and Dr. Sendashonga
alternated in providing an overview
of the joint paper. With the Executive
Summary of the joint paper in hand,attendees continuously voiced theiropinions and asked questions, resulting
in an enthusiastic exchange of opinions
Panel Discussion on the Joint Paper at UNEP

between the laureates and the attendees.

Announcement at Planet Under Pressure, London

The Foundation also secured the opportunity to presenta joint paper at the international conference, “Planet Under
Pressure: New Knowledge Towards Solutions,” which took placefrom March 26th to 29th, 2012, in London. This conference
was held with the support of organizations like UNESCO andthe International Council for Science. More than 3,000 worldrenowned scientists gathered at the conference, including membersof the American Association for the Advancement of Science andNobel Prize laureates, who discussed global environmental problems from various perspectives.
Part of the reason the Foundation participated was that the conference presented an excellent
opportunity to continue transmitting the joint paper to the world. As a sponsor of the opening reception, theFoundation’s name was displayed on the conference web site and its materials were distributed on-site. The
12

conference presented a rare public
relations opportunity abroad for theFoundation.
At the opening address, Sir
Watson presented the joint paper toa large audience. The presentation of
the joint paper at a large conference
attended by several thousand worldrenowned scientists, following thepresentation at UNEP, significantly
contributed to the international

Sir Watson Announcing the Joint Paper
at Planet Under Pressure

publicity efforts of the Asahi Glass Foundation and the Blue Planet Prize.

13

2. Announcement of 2012 BPP Winners at Rio+20

14

2-1 Press Announcement of 2012 BPP Winners
The establishment of the Blue Planet Prize and the winners of the founding year were announced at theUnited Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Rio Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro in1992. Therefore, the Foundation felt that it would be most fitting to commemorate its 20th anniversary byannouncing the 2012 winners and hosting a symposium on the joint paper by BPP laureates at the Rio+20
Conference.
The press announcement of the 2012 Blue Planet Prize winners was held on June 17th at the event
center of the Japan Pavilion at the Rio+20 Conference. The three 2012 winners, Professor William E. Rees,
Dr. Mathis Wackernagel, and Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy attended the press announcement. This marked thefirst time that all prizewinners themselves attended the announcement.
With a large screen placed in the front of the conference room and banners commemorating the 20th
anniversary of the Blue Planet Prize on each side of the stage, the press announcement took place in a
beautiful setting.
The press announcement was moderated by the Asahi GlassFoundation Secretary General Yasuda. Foundation Chairman Tetsuji
Tanaka began theannouncement with
opening remarks
Japan Pavilion

introducing the Asahi
Glass Foundation and

the Blue Planet Prize. He was followed by Dr. Yoshihiro
Hayashi, Chairman of the Prize’s Selection Committee,
who announced the winners and explained the rationale
for their selection. After introducing all the winners,

Press Announcement at Rio+20

Dr. Hayashi invited each of them to the podium and shook their hands, tocongratulatory applause and cheers.
The three winners eachgave acceptance remarks. The
winners were unanimous in
expressing their great pleasure injoining the list of highly-esteemed
laureates, adding a new page to the 20-year history of the Blue
Planet Prize.
This was followed by a question and answer session.
Each winner responded through the prism of their expert perspective to the numerous questions that were
presented by the audience, resulting in a prolific exchange of opinions that was fitting for the announcementof the winners.
15

The news of the announcement was widely covered by numerous
television, newspaper, magazine, and online media outlets, centering
primarily around the Brazilian press, resulting in the largest overseas press
coverage since the inception of the Blue Planet Prize.

Articles Reporting
the Conference

2012 winners and Chairman Tanaka

2-2 Commemorative Lecture by BPP Laureates
The press announcement was followed by a symposium on
the theme of the joint paper, with Professor Goldemberg,
Sir Watson, Dr. Mittermeier, and Dr. Cyriaque Sendashonga
serving as presenters. After Foundation Secretary General
Yasuda introduced the four, each of the laureates
individually gave a presentation.

Commemorative Lecture at Rio+20

The presentations were followed by aquestion and answer period, in which the panelists
carefully responded to questions from their expert
perspectives, resulting in an active exchange of

Q&A after Lecture

opinions with the audience.

Mr. Shunichi Samejima,
Senior Executive Directorof Asahi Glass Foundation

Presenters, Dr. Sendashonga (IUCN),
Dr. Mittermeier (CI), Prof. Goldemberg, Sir Watson

16

Reception Party after the Press Announcement

3. Announcement of 2012 Survey Results at IUCN World Congress17

In 1992, the same year that the Asahi Glass Foundation established the Blue Planet Prize, it initiated asurvey titled “Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind,” targeting
environmental experts around the world. It was the Foundation’s hope that the survey would elevateawareness of the Prize and enhance public awareness of the environment. The survey has gone out eachyear since then, and like the Blue Planet Prize, has also reached the milestone of its 20th anniversary.
In Japan, the survey results are announced every September at a press conference. The survey has
gained a high level of recognition through coverage by multiple media outlets, principally because of
the question, continuously surveyed over the past 20 years, concerning the respondents’ level of anxiety
about the global environment, as indicated by the time they set on “The Environmental Doomsday
Clock.” However, awareness abroad about the Foundation’s survey activities was limited to a segment ofenvironmental experts.
Serendipitously, Dr. Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of the IUCN, suggested that the resultsof the questionnaire be announced at the press conference of the 23rd IUCN World Conservation Congressin 2012 in Jeju, South Korea, This conference is held every four years at different locations aroundthe world. The IUCN, with its headquarters in Switzerland, counts among its members nation states,
government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. Ten thousand scientists and environmental
experts collaborate at the IUCN, which is the world’s largest environmental conservation organization.
The press announcement was held at
the Media Center of the IUCN World Congress
International Convention Center on September
10th. The Asahi Glass Foundation Chairman
Tetsuji Tanaka gave opening remarks and abrief explanation of the Foundation and theQuestionnaire. Secretary General Tetsuro Yasuda
then presented the highlights of the 2012 survey.
He was followed by Professor Akio Morishima,
Press Announcement at Jeju

Special Research Advisor at the Institute for

Global Environmental Strategies, who has supervised the survey since its inception with comments on
this years’ survey results. After the press announcement, the presenters from the Foundation responded toquestions from attendees at the Media Lounge next to the Media Center, and exchanged opinions.

Q&A at the Media Lounge

18

Survey Report Distributed at Jeju

4. 2012 Public Relations Overseas
In 2012, the 20th anniversary year of the Blue Planet Prizeand the Questionnaire on Environmental Problems, theFoundation established as one of its objectives increased
international recognition of the Foundation itself and its
activities. To achieve this goal, we set up booths in theevent spaces designated for nongovernmentalorganizations during the Planet Under Pressure
conference in London in March and the Rio+20
Conference in June. We also set a booth

Planet Under
Pressure

displaying our activities at Pontifical Catholic
University (PUC) of Rio de Janeiro where
IIED held its environmental conference, andthe IUCN World Congress in September. This
marked the first time that the Foundation had
exhibited overseas since the Rio Summit in 1992.

Pontifical Catholic
University of
Rio de Janeiro

Rio+20

Our booth offered a multitude of banners, posters, andbrochures about past publications, including: “Questionnaire on
Environmental Problems—A 20-Year Summary,” (produced tocommemorate the 20th anniversary of the survey); the joint paper
presented at UNEP; various newsletters; “A Better Future forPlanet Earth,”(which is

IUCN
World
Congressa book produced every
five years containing
commemorative lectures
given by Blue Planet
Prize winners); and other
Documents Distributed at the Boothrecent publications like19

“Conditions for Survival.” These materials were distributed to conference participants with accompanying
explanations about the Foundation’s activities. “The Environmental Doomsday Clock,” on the questionnaire
attracted a high level of interest among those visited the booth.
The number of visitors and their expertise varied
according to the event. At the Planet Under Pressure
conference in London in March, many attendees who
visited the booth were affiliated with universities, research
institutions, government agencies, international organizations
like UNESCO, the World Bank, and the WHO, andnongovernmental organizations from around the world. They
expressed a high level of interest in the Foundation’s activities,

Posters Distributed at the Boothand promised their cooperation with the Questionnaire.
On the other hand, as the Rio+20 conference and the IUCN World Congress were open to the public,
the booths were visited by many elementary and middle school students as well as ordinary citizens alongwith environmental experts from around the world. “The Environmental
Doomsday Clock” poster, which incorporated the Hello Kitty character,was extremely popular with the children, making a modest contribution
to increasing their awareness of the environment.
Exhibiting a booth at an international conference allowed theFoundation to directly explain its activities to visitors from around theworld, increasing recognition of the organization by building humanrelationships, and laying a foundation to capture more such opportunities
in the future.
©1976, 2013 SANRIO CO., LTD. APPROVAL No. G540324

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Attachment -1

Environment and Development Challenges:
The Imperative to Act― Executive Summary－

20 February 2012

The Blue Planet Prize Laureates

21

The Blue Planet prize laureates who contributed to the paper are (in no special order):● Professor Sir Bob Watson, Chief Scientific Adviser of the UK Department for Environment, Foodand Rural Affairs (Defra)● Lord (Robert) May of Oxford, former Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government and Presidentof Royal Society of London● Professor Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University● Professor Harold Mooney, Stanford University● Dr. Gordon Hisashi Sato, President, Manzanar Project Corporation● Professor José Goldemberg, secretary for the environment of the State of São Paulo, Brazil andBrazil’s interim Secretary of Environment during the Rio Earth Summit in 1992
● Dr. Emil Salim, former Environment Minister of the Republic of Indonesia● Dr. Camilla Toulmin, Director of the International Institute for Environment and Development● Mr. Bunker Roy, Founder of Barefoot College● Dr. Syukuro Manabe, Senior Scientist, Princeton University● Dr. Julia Marton-Lefevre, Director-General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature● Dr. Simon Stuart, Chair of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for theConservation of Nature● Dr. Will Turner, Vice President of Conservation Priorities and Outreach, Conservation International● Professor Karl-Henrik Robèrt, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Founder of The Natural Step
● Dr. James Hansen, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Lord (Nicholas) Stern of Brentford,
Professor, The London of Economics● Dr. Amory Lovins, Chair and Chief Scientist, Rocky Mountain Institute● Dr. Gene Likens, Director of the Carey Institute of Ecosystem Studies● Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and Director-General of the World
Health Organization, now Special Envoy on Climate Change for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
● Dr. Susan Solomon, Senior Scientist, Aeronomy Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration● Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

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Key Messages• We have a dream – a world without poverty – a world that is equitable – a world that respects humanrights – a world with increased and improved ethical behavior regarding poverty and natural resources a world that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable, where challenges such as climatechange, loss of biodiversity and social inequity have been successfully addressed. This is an achievabledream, but the current system is deeply flawed and our current pathway will not realise it.
• Population size and growth and related consumption patterns are critical elements in the manyenvironmental degradation and social problems we currently face. The population issue should beurgently addressed by education and empowerment of women, including in the work-force and in rights,
ownership and inheritance; health care of children and the elderly; and making modern contraception
accessible to all.
• There is an urgent need to break the link between production and consumption on the one hand andenvironmental destruction on the other. This might necessitate a drop in material living standards for atime sufficient to allow us to overcome world poverty. Indefinite material growth on a planet with finite
and often fragile natural resources will eventually be unsustainable. Unsustainable growth is promoted
by environmentally-damaging subsidies in areas such as energy, transportation and agriculture andshould be eliminated; external environmental and social costs should be internalized; and the market andnon-market values of ecosystem goods and services should be taken into account in decision-making.
• The immense environmental, social and economic risks we face as a world from our current path will
be much harder to manage if we are unable to measure key aspects of the problem. For example,
governments should recognise the serious limitations of GDP as a measure of economic activity andcomplement it with measures of the five forms of capital: built, financial, natural, human and social, i.e.,a measure of wealth that integrates economic, environmental and social dimensions. Green taxes and theelimination of subsidies should ensure that natural resources are available to directly protect poor people
rather than deploying subsidies that often only benefit the better off.
• The present energy system, which is heavily dependent on fossil fuels, underlies many of the problems
we face today: exhaustion of easily accessible physical resources, security of access to fuels, anddegradation of health and environmental conditions. Universal access to clean energy services is vitalfor the poor, and a transition to a low carbon economy will require rapid technological development inefficient energy use, the development of environmentally sound low-carbon renewable energy sources
and carbon capture and storage. The longer we wait to transition to a low carbon economy the more weare locked into a high carbon energy system with consequent environmental damage to ecological andsocio-economic systems, including infrastructure.

23• GHG emissions are one of the greatest threats to our future prosperity. World emissions (flows) arecurrently around 50 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) per annum and are growing
rapidly. As the terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems are unable to absorb all of the world’s annual
emissions, concentrations (stocks) of GHG emissions in the atmosphere have increased, to around445ppm of CO2e today and increasing at a rate of around 2.5ppm per year. Thus we have a flow-stock
problem. Without strong action to reduce emissions, over the course of this century we would likely
add at least 300 ppm CO2e, taking concentrations to around 750 ppm CO2e or higher at the end of the
century or early in the next. The world’s current commitments to reduce emissions are consistent withat least a 3oC rise (50-50 chance) in temperature: a temperature not seen on the planet for around 3
million years, with serious risks of 5oC rise: a temperature not seen on the planet for around 30 million
years. Given there are some uncertainties present in all steps of the scientific chain (flows to stocks totemperatures to climate change and impacts), this is a problem of risk management and public action ona great scale.
• Biodiversity has essential social, economic, cultural, spiritual and scientific values and its protection
is hugely important for human survival. The rapid loss of biodiversity, unprecedented in the last 65
million years, is jeopardising the provision of ecosystem services that underpin human well-being. The
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment concluded that 15 of the 24 ecosystem services evaluated werein decline, 4 were improving, and 5 were improving in some regions of the world and in decline inother regions. Measures to conserve biodiversity and make a sustainable society possible need to begreatly enhanced and integrated with social, political and economic concerns. There is a need to value
biodiversity and ecosystem services and create markets that can appropriate the value of these services
as a basis for a ‘green’ economy.
• There are serious short-comings in the decision making systems at local, national and global levels on
which we rely in government, business and society. The rules and institutions for decision making are
influenced by vested interests, with each interest having very different influence over how decisions are
made. Effective change in governance demands action at many levels to establish transparent meansfor holding those in power to account. At the local level public hearings and social audits can bring thevoices of marginalized groups into the forefront. At national level, parliamentary and press oversight
are key. Globally, we must find better means to agree and implement measures to achieve collective
goals. Governance failures also occur because decisions are being made in sectoral compartments, withenvironmental, social and economic dimensions addressed by separate, competing structures.
• Decision makers should learn from ongoing grass-root actions and knowledge in areas such as energy,
food, water, natural resources, finance and governance. This is key, not the least in rural communities
with a view to the management, control and ownership of these resources. There is a need to scaleup the grass roots actions by bringing together a complementary top-down and bottom-up approach24to addressing these issues. Global cooperation can be improved by building on on-going regional
cooperation to deal with common sustainable development issues.
• Effective training programs should be implemented to multiply the number of competent decision
makers in business and government. They must learn how to integrate programmes and policies withinsustainability constraints, to understand the business case thereof, and acquire the skills to strategicallymove towards such sustainability goals.
• All of the problems mentioned above demand we increase investments in education, research andassessments of knowledge.
• If we are to achieve our dream, the time to act is now, given the inertia in the socio-economic system,and that the adverse effects of climate change and loss of biodiversity cannot be reversed for centuries orare irreversible (for example, species loss). We know enough to act, but the current scientific uncertainty
means that we are facing a problem of risk management on an immense scale. Failure to act will
impoverish current and future generations.

25