New Report to the Club of Rome calls for Collective Stewardship

27 February 2019 – The new report to the Club of Rome „Stewarding Sustainability Transformations“ calls for collective stewardship by actors across sectors and institutions in order to tackle global challenges for humanity and the planet. It serves as a guidebook for decision-makers, researchers and activists who need to navigate complex change towards sustainable development.

Humanity is at crossroads. Climate change, ocean acidification, biodiversity loss and social inequality are mounting challenges that cannot be solved by nations alone. Global transformations to sustainability require courageous, long-term and collaborative human agency at all levels. A global approach is needed that focuses on maintaining our planetary life support system and fosters a true human community.

The ambitious implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals is often seen as a merely technical implementation challenge. The new Report to the Club of Rome investigates into this daunting global collaboration challenge. The report titled Stewarding Sustainability Transformations suggests that the global crisis can best be addressed when actors across sectors and institutions steward transformations collectively.

This new Report revolutionizes strategies for our human and planetary survival because it connects scientific insights into life processes with tangible actions in global multi-stakeholder partnerships. The author, Dr. Petra Kuenkel, shows how the theory and practice of Collective Stewardship as a management tool can address many sustainability challenges such as the implementation of the SDGs and safeguarding Planetary Boundaries.

„We are establishing a new storyline in the Club of Rome that is based on shared values and collective action informed by thorough scientific insight“, says Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, one of the new Co-Presidents of the Club of Rome.

In the context of the world’s pressing sustainability challenges, this new Report to the Club of Rome presents a novel approach to navigating collaborative change in partnerships between governments, research institutions, corporations and civil society activists. Drawing on the work of transdisciplinary scientific scholars and seasoned sustainability practitioners, the author shows how transformative change can be built on life’s inherent tendency to generate patterns of vitality and resilience. The report serves as a guidebook for decision-makers, researchers and activists who need to navigate complex change towards sustainable development.

„This kind of transformation literacy needs to become the day-to-day management approach of governments, development agencies, corporations and civil society activists“, says Dr. Petra Kuenkel who is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Club of Rome. As a highly regarded author and expert in collective leadership she inspires academics and practitioners alike to explore new routes towards co-creating responsible futures

„Successful sustainability transformation ultimately hinges on a broad range of actors to self-organize around stewarding transformative change“, highlights Club of Rome Co-President and author of the Club of Rome climate emergency plan Sandrine Dixson-Declève.

“Stewarding Sustainability Transformations” suggests a meta-level guidance that bridges the experiential gap between the complex human interaction and the technical challenges we face in any of the pressing sustainability issues. It helps bring about transformative change through a deliberate combination of enlivening narratives, empowering metrics, enabling processes, multi-level governance, guiding regulations, and life-supporting innovation. The comprehensive report sets a new direction in the field of sustainability transformations and will become a foundation for planning collective action and achieving impact at scale.

Contact information for media inquiries:

Till Kellerhoff, Program Manager

press@clubofrome.org

+41(0)52 244 0808

You can buy the book here.

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