Supported by the Environment & Energy Committee

The Chamber’s Environment & Energy Committee, the American Chamber and the Business Environment Council would like to invite you to a timely and cogent analysis of the urgent issues facing society and ecological stability, from the author of one of the earliest and most prescient books on the subject.

The dual adoption of the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) together with the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015 represents a global turning point. Never before has there been a universal, and universally accepted, development plan for people and planet. Yet if current trends continue, the world will only achieve 10 of the 17 SDGs. Achieving the social goals would lead to large resource footprints and pollution, making the achievement of the environmental goals close to impossible and pushing us quickly past planetary boundaries.

Jorgen Randers, Professor Emeritus of Climate Strategy at the BI Norwegian Business School and co-author of the acclaimed 1972 book The Limits to Growth, will discuss the various ways we can achieve the SDGs: business-as-usual, intensified conventional policies, or global transformation. He will also introduce the critical context of planetary boundaries, and suggest how we can achieve sustainable development within a resilient and stable Earth system.

About the speaker

Jorgen Randers is Professor Emeritus of Climate Strategy at the BI Norwegian Business School, where he has always worked on the future, especially related to climate, energy and sustainability. He spends much of his time as a lecturer and advisor all over the world, and over the last decade increasingly in China.

He has spent one-third of his life in academia, one third in business, and one third in the NGO world. He was president of BI Norwegian Business School 1981-89 and Deputy Director General of WWF International 1994-99. He has been the chair of three Norwegian banks, non-executive member of numerous corporate boards and sustainability councils. He is a full member of the Club of Rome.

Professor Randers has written numerous papers and books, starting with co-authoring The Limits to Growth in 1972. His recent writings include 2052 – A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years in 2012, Reinventing Prosperity with Graeme Maxton in 2016, and Transformation is feasible! with Johan Rockstrøm and others in 2018.

 
The event starts with a 15-20 minutes networking session. Ticket includes sandwiches and beverages.