In the modern era, many of the problems of mankind are becoming global. Their great relevance is explained by a number of factors: an increase in the impact of people on nature, acceleration of the processes of development of society, awareness of the exhaustibility of the most important natural resources, the impact of modern media and technical means, etc. The Club of Rome played an important role in addressing these issues.
What are the global problems of mankind? These are the most acute socio-natural contradictions that affect the whole world, and therefore individual countries and regions. They need to be distinguished from particular, local and regional problems.
Global issues of today
They should be clearly identified, as it is their decision that the Club of Rome deals with. What are global problems, we have already identified. It must also be said that they are divided into three groups. We briefly describe each of them:
- The first are those related to relations between groups of states. Such problems are called intersocial. Their examples are as follows: the problem of ensuring peace and preventing wars, establishing a just economic order at the international level.
- The second group of problems unites those arising as a result of the interaction of nature and society. They are associated with the fact that the environment has limited ability to tolerate anthropogenic impact. Examples of such problems: provision of fuel, energy, clean air, fresh water. This also includes the protection of nature from various irreversible changes, as well as the reasonable development of outer space and the world's oceans.
- Finally, the third group of global problems brings together issues related to the human-society system. We are talking about what concerns directly an individual person. These problems relate to the extent to which society is able to provide opportunities for personal development.
Aurelio Peccei, the founder of the Club of Rome, as well as his first president, recalled that the clearer he imagined all the dangers threatening humanity, the more he became convinced that decisive measures needed to be taken immediately. Alone, he could not do anything, so he decided to create a circle of like-minded people. Aurelio Peccei wanted to offer the world new approaches to the study of world problems that worried him. The result was the creation of the Club of Rome.
Who is A. Peccei
The years of life of this person are 1908-1984. He was from a family of an Italian socialist. Peccei defended his doctoral dissertation in 1930 on the new economic policy that was conducted in the USSR. During the Second World War, he took part in the resistance movement. Peccei visited fascist dungeons at that time. I must say that the Aurelio family was not in poverty. Nevertheless, this man from a young age was concerned about the eradication of injustice in society. Peccei traveled a lot around the world. He saw the luxury and wealth of some and the squalor and poverty of others.
Alexander King
This British professor of physical chemistry also stood at the origins of the Club of Rome. At the end of the 60s of the last century, he became the Director General for Science of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). After the death of Peccei, it was Alexander King (pictured left) who headed the Club of Rome until 1991.
Creation of the Club of Rome
The size of this association has never exceeded one hundred people. It was founded in 1967. The analytical center was conceived as a non-governmental international organization that brings together scientists, businessmen and political figures from around the world. In addition to full members, the Club of Rome has associates and honorary members. The analytical center got its name from the city of Rome, where a meeting of its founders took place (at the Academy dei Linchei).
The goal and goals of the club
The main task of the organization since its inception is to identify the vital problems that humanity faces, as well as to develop ways to solve them. The objectives of the Club of Rome, based on this, are as follows:
- development of a methodology for the analysis of the so-called difficulties of mankind (primarily, limited resources and uncontrolled growth of production and consumption processes);
- propaganda of the severity of the crisis in which the modern world finds itself;
- identification of measures by which global equilibrium can be achieved.
Aurelio Peccei formulated a “cross-cutting” idea, according to which the crisis situation is the result of the gap between the technological achievements of mankind and its cultural development.
Club settings
This organization always remained small, which was supposed to facilitate the establishment of constant contacts between its members. True, even with such a quantity it is not always easy to implement. The Club of Rome should not become an organization in the generally accepted sense of the word, since there are so many such associations in the world. It exists on its own budget, even scarce, so as not to depend on any sources of financing. The club is transcultural, that is, its members turn to various value systems, ideologies and scientific disciplines, without connecting themselves with any of them. The association is considered informal, which contributes to the free exchange of views. Another installation - the Club of Rome is ready to disappear if it is no longer necessary, because there is nothing worse than institutions or ideas that have survived their usefulness.
Activities of the Club of Rome
His work was facilitated by more than 30 associations in different countries of the world, leading the propaganda of club concepts in their states. The research projects initiated by them concerned various aspects of the current crisis state of our planet. They were funded by large firms and carried out by scientists from various countries, who presented their results in the form of reports to the club. It should be noted that the association of interest to us does not have a formal budget and staff. Its activities are coordinated by a 12-member executive committee.
The organization’s international secretariat was relocated from the German city of Hamburg to Winterthur (Switzerland) in early 2008. Currently, the club continues to study the current state of the world. And in it, since the founding of the association, great changes have occurred, especially in geopolitics.
Club figures
The international public organization in its composition seeks to present a slice of progressive humanity. Among its members were prominent statesmen, thinkers, scientists, managers and teachers from more than 30 countries of the world. Their life experience and education were different, as was their position in society. In addition, these people held different views and beliefs. The Club of Rome organization brought together biologists Aklil Lemma from Ethiopia and Karl-Geran Haden from Sweden; the sociologist and philosopher-Marxist Adam Schaff from Poland; Canadian and American Senators M. Lamontan and C. Pell; Helio Jagaribe, a political scientist from Brazil; Kenzo Tange, an urbanist from Japan, and others. All of these and many other members were united by concern for the fate of humanity and a deep sense of humanism. They held different opinions, but were free to express them in a form that they considered most acceptable. Note that members of governments, as a rule, cannot be members of the organization of interest to us at the same time.
Club of Rome in Russia
In the USSR in 1989 the Association for the Assistance to the Club of Rome appeared. Academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences E. K. Fedorov, D. M. Gvishiani, V. A. Sadovnichy, A. A. Logunov, E. M. Primakov, as well as writer Ch. T. Aitmatov were its full members at different times.
Paton Boris Evgenievich and Mikhail Gorbachev are honorary members of the club. The latter does not need to be introduced, but not everyone knows about the former. Paton Boris Evgenievich (pictured above) - professor, Ukrainian and Soviet scientist in the field of metal technology and metallurgy. He was twice awarded the title Hero of Socialist Labor. In addition, this scientist was the first in history to become the Hero of Ukraine.
The full member until 2012 was Professor Sergei Petrovich Kapitsa. You must have heard something about this scientist. Sergei Petrovich Kapitsa (pictured above) - Russian and Soviet physicist, enlightener, vice president of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, television presenter, and also editor-in-chief of the famous journal "In the world of science". Since 1973, he led the television program "Obvious-Incredible." This scientist is the son of Peter Leonidovich Kapitsa, who received the Nobel Prize.
Two global issues that the club considered
In the field of view of the organization of interest to us there were many serious problems. However, her favorite topic is the question that the environment and human society are a single system. Uncontrolled activity of people leads to the loss of stability in it. It should be said about two so-called myths, the desirability and necessity of which was mentioned in the reports to the club. It's about global warming and ozone holes. They formed the basis of the Kyoto and Montreal protocols - the largest international agreements.
Many people know that the ozone layer is an atmospheric belt that is located at an altitude of 10-50 km above the surface of our planet and protects it from the ultraviolet radiation of the sun, which is harmful to life. As early as 1957, observations of this layer began as part of the International Geophysical Year, announced then. It was found that its thickness varies with the season. In the 1980s, people started talking about the "ozone hole" located above Antarctica, where at times the area of the thinned layer exceeded 15 million square meters. km The media and scientists sounded the alarm, believing that solar radiation threatens life on our planet.
In Montreal, in 1987, 36 countries signed a protocol prohibiting the use of substances that destroy the ozone layer. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was adopted. The countries participating in this agreement pledged to limit the technogenic emission of greenhouse gases to the level of 1990. This is, first of all, water vapor and carbon dioxide. They supposedly enhance the greenhouse effect, which leads to global warming. If the emission standards established by the protocol are exceeded, then for the states that have signed it, the following options are possible: introduction of emission quotas, payment of fines and closure of enterprises.
Finally
Currently, relatively rarely remember such an organization as the Club of Rome. What such an association existed, far from all representatives of the younger generation know. This organization is seen more as an association belonging to history. The 70s of the last century saw the peak of popularity of the Club of Rome (Club of Rome). This was largely due to the first reports of the "non-profit civic association", whose members were scientists, prominent managers, politicians and financiers. Under the influence of the activities of the Club of Rome, global studies took shape as a social science interdisciplinary discipline. Her ideas in 1990-2000 became an integral part of scientific culture. In addition to the main activity, the Club of Rome contributed to the formation of small local groups in various countries. He helped spread many important ideas, as a result of which the movement for a better world gained direction and strength.
So, we answered the question: "Club of Rome - what is it?". The existence of such organizations, you see, is very important in the modern world.