Why Act Now: The World in 2050

foreign [Music] [Music] exclusive that explores important questions about how different societies around the world will navigate the turbulent journey toward mid-century we'll also look at the range of actions needed today to ensure planetary and societal well-being in the years ahead gifted is the digital Learning Arm of the global Institute for tomorrow an independent pan-Asian Think Tank dedicated to redesigning society to create a more resilient and Equitable world we aim to help people and organizations around the world gain new insights and be purposefully driven to act now in this video you'll hear from four Global experts each recognized as Pioneers or thought leaders in their respective Fields as they highlight the drivers of change and the urgent need to take action today to safeguard our future and survival [Music] foreign [Music] twenty three no matter where you live average Earth's temperatures last week with the highest 120 000 years at the same time geopolitical tensions have been off the charts at a time where International collaboration and cooperation is essential to address the many challenges we face as a global community and in the sphere of Technology advances such as artificial intelligence have got even the experts worried about the trajectory of human progress [Music] [Applause] [Music] we find ourselves at a crucial Crossroads with the potential for Extraordinary progress on one hand in succumbing to exponential threats on the other every day we are confronted with these realities from climate change and resource scarcity to socio-economic inequality growing geopolitical tensions affect all of us across the world and Rapid technological change it is increasingly clear that Global drivers of change are creating a very uncertain future fear is with us and if the challenges weren't already great enough by 2015 the world's population is projected to reach 10 billion many of those people will be living in what we call the developing world what does this all mean well this means that the array of challenges and face today will be Amplified Amplified to potentially unmanageable levels levels that humans have never had to contend with the implications this has for our future means that we have a responsibility to take action now what is an action constitute a complete redesign of our societies fortunately many around the world are working to create the right conditions for this redesign for societal and environmental well-being and gift Ed we have spoken with some of the most influential thought leaders of our time together they have shared with us their invaluable perspectives on navigating the complexities of the 21st century they have shared insights on what it will take to redesign our society whether it's for your business your government your community or your family we have to appreciate that all of us have mistaken a responsibility in shaping a future that's much brighter more resilient fairer and more just than the world that we live in today [Music] thank you [Music] the world is deeply interconnected and facing some very major even dire challenges but our International institutions and ways of thinking are not in line with our needs thank you foreign sufficiency so that people can survive and Lead decent and dignified lives social inclusion and Justice so that people find their suitable places dignified members of society within their societies [Music] thank you an economy that operates within the so-called planetary boundaries meaning that we're not wrecking the environment as we go about our economic Affairs and peace especially peace between the major powers of the world of all of these four objectives that I call sustainable development material sufficiency social justice environmental sustainability and peace we're off track on all of them foreign right now the world is a pretty grim and Bleak Place environmentally as well of course as socially and politically we humans depend on the natural world [Music] but what we depend on is healthy ecosystems [Music] that are made up of a complex mix of plants and animal species each one has a role to play and you know I see it as like a beautiful living tapestry and as an animal or plant species disappears from that ecosystem it's like pulling out a thread and if enough threads are pulled then the tapestry will hang in tatters and the ecosystem will disappear [Music] but then this puppy often not taken into consideration but if you're very poor then you're living in some kind of Wilderness Area you're going to destroy the environment in order to survive let me take for example Gumby Street National Park in 1960 it was part of the Great Forest built by the late 1980s was a tiny Islander forest and all the hills around were bare more people living there in the land could support two poor to buy food elsewhere struggling to survive cutting down the trees to make money from charcoal or Timber or to make more land grow more food and that's when it hit me if we don't help these people these local communities find ways of living without destroying the environment we can't save chimpanzees forests or anything else so we need to alleviate poverty nothing about the international economy guarantees the end of poverty or social justice this is the first point those goals of ending poverty and social inclusion are not going to be solved by the magic of the marketplace they're going to be solved by deliberate social and political decision-making and we are not there yet there's nothing in the global economic system that automatically protects the environment the environment has been a free Dumping Ground for economic activity through much of History we have regulations but they're often very weak in the face of big money greed corporate irresponsibility and the lack of Regulation [Music] and then there's the unsustainable lifestyle of so many of us and I include myself I have far more than I need and some people take this to excess and they have way way way more than they could ever possibly need and this is something that somehow we have to change one of the primary reasons why the world has struggled so much with over consumption as well as this uh depletion-driven campaign of resource usage is precisely because the victims that suffer under over consumption over depletion and environmental degradation they don't really have a say so we want a fair World At Large we need to start with Fair countries and with Fair countries the prerequisite is fair cities what's needed here too is direct mechanisms by which they're people can have their voices heard can hold Elites accountable and fundamentally have an opportunity to partake in the designing of the rules of the institutions and of the outlying sort of overarching structures of their cities and therefore we move from cities to countries and countries to the World At Large every one of the problems I've mentioned are being tackled by groups of people sad thing is those people are often operating in silos just concerned to solve their particular problem not realizing that if they don't have the whole picture they may solve their problem and cause problems in other places so this system needs an overhaul we have eight billion people we have powerful Technologies but we don't have the mindset or the institutions to achieve sustainable development [Music] to the step number one to tackling the inequities we see today is to broaden the world order include precisely different countries that may not be proximate to your own may not see eye to eye with yourselves in terms of values may not be you know fundamentally similar in a way that constituted or governed and yet it's important to recognize their voices and that applies to of course giving the global South more than what's already been given to them in a star Square which is very little as well as acknowledging that between a global north and south and within each of these camps they exist diversity and also cultural pluralism that need to be reflected in a way institutions are straight there's a deep skew so to speak in the overarching curve of income and wealth distribution resources are not symmetrically allocated from vaccines and medical applies at times of pandemics to Natural minerals and energy and also the capacity to process them so what I'm advocating here isn't radical redistribution it's merely more redistribution in a and structurally dependable manner that is fair that is inclusive and that allows for the poor and improvised Nations to be granted excess not just a vital strategic resources that are very much needed in maintaining the quality of life at own citizens but also more importantly the ropes to climb the ladder The Innovation the knowledge the patented to technology is that deny and shut out the global south from their fair share and growth [Music] we must be allowed and that's also part of the discussions moving into the 21st century to redefine the frames of reference to have intensity to say you know what this is how we want our world of human beings because we have only one world just one world [Music] professor John on Beatty will always say I am because we are since we are therefore I am so my being is not just my being alone and being the richest in the world and owning everybody my property has no meaning my wealth has no meaning if it's not of service to the community so if you come to my Village and many other villages in the African continent and someone says is a wealthy person but is not bringing his wealth to Advanced education Advanced roads and infrastructure train people support agriculture people don't care he's not respected but once you bring your wealth and no matter how poor you are that you are contributing to the society you are considered great so these are the values we think we can start discussing in the International Community foreign [Music] level are to support the UN in its mission to help update the U.N to realities of 21st century Finance economy and Technology we need the multilateralism this is all a very big challenge given the stakes of humanity we need a Cooperative approach under the UN framework when it comes to the National level my advice is look at the goals that the whole world has agreed to the sustainable development goals the Paris climate agreement the biodiversity convention and so forth and then ask the question okay what should we in Pakistan or Nigeria or China or South Africa or Russia or the United States do to achieve what we have said is important for all the world and that comes to planning to understanding to setting out a framework and a pathway to understanding how National budgets should be oriented to support these goals that we've set and for businesses to ask the question how can we as a business align with the objective for example of creating a zero carbon Energy System by mid-century a very practical extremely important question yeah a lot of this requires planning at the national level or at the company level because companies plan a lot or the successful ones do and they need to plan how to align with the world that is absolutely urgently in need of sustainable development and one way or another is going to orient in that direction so that is not only a mindset change but a very operational change and I would say in Nigeria or Pakistan or the United States is the national government setting forward plans on how to achieve Universal quality education how to achieve Universal Health Coverage how to achieve the energy transformation I'll give you a hint the answer is not very often but that is the job of government the job of government is not politicians spinning stories on a daily news cycle the job of government is creating a path to sustainable development for our societies [Music] we dismantle this artificial distinction between government and non-governmental institutions in some societies we might have to lean more towards the private sector because the government is overburdened by bureaucratism by red tape and also captured by political Elite in some other societies the failure of State intervention could well breed the rise of unsustainable Duo please oligopolis and also Market structures that lead to devastating consequences when it comes to public goods because of price gouging but also other forms of exclusionary practices adopted by companies there's no hard and fast rule care we need to shift the window as the context and problem presents itself and ideas hit the mouth of a tunnel it's a very long dark tunnel and right at the end there's a little star Shining and that star is Hope but hope is about action it's no good sitting at the mouths of the tunnel and hoping that the star will come to us no we have to roll up our sleeves and we have to climb over cool under work our way around all the obstacles that lie between us and the star and those obstacles are the many many problems that somehow we have to solve think more and more people are beginning to understand that the model of unlimited Economic Development on a planet of finite natural resources isn't going to work it can't work it's completely crazy because at the same time populations of human and livestock are growing as the ecosystems are collapsing so something has to be done differently and it needs people from all different aspects all different kinds of business people in in governments not just the finance people but the environmental section and so on they need to get together and discuss calmly and and productively what we can do to move it to creating a new mindset foreign s but also our common sense and we can only work out a future economy if people come in from these different sectors and talk together not in a controversial way but in a way of we must find a solution because humanity is not exempt from Extinction and we need to find a new way of moving forward together the future lies within us and this future lies Beyond us the future of humanity is in human beings because when there are human beings young people then you can plan for the next many years because there is hope that's what responsibility foreign the ability to make a choice take a position and stand for what we believe and defend it also because it is rational it does not harm others it contributes to the common good to live for the common good is a very good purpose but purpose is a gift and the purpose of our life here on Earth is to change the environment which we met for something better because there is always an opportunity for something better [Music] or to be in a learning mode and we when we know things to be in a teaching mode also that is propagating what we know sharing it with others and making this knowledge open source for the world and especially to help train a young generation of new leaders who are going to be the ones that grapple with these problems and I believe with the proper help and support will be the ones to solve these critical challenges and that is where education comes integrated education interdisciplinary education that builds in culture the way we lived the way we live the way we ought to live into an environment where my Consciousness makes me as a free human being to decide because the human being must make a choice we have one world and this one world is a commonwealth and humanity is one we have said at the United Nations levels that no race no gender no color no religion is a discriminating point for any human being let us practice what we are saying and teaching the young people of today are not going to be as their fathers in terms of bad governance these young people want a better world and they are going to have their chance because they are taking over the plenary in the next few years time for a global rethink because history continues to change thank you to forge a more resilient and Equitable 2050 we need businesses government and Civil Society to find 21st century solutions for 21st century problems this is where you come in if you're unsure where or how to start and contribute gift Ed will inspire you with a unique Learning Journey including focused insights from a diverse range of experts on critical issues through exposure to new ideas you can transform your critical thinking worldview and ability to innovate in other words to have the power of knowledge to take localized action relevant to you and your organization after all acting locally with knowledge is how we bring about systemic change [Music] during your careers most of you will step into positions of professional Authority and it can be tempting to resort to trending Solutions like the rise of the environmental social and governance asset class now ESG is a good start but as our speakers have just made clear the challenges we Face extend well beyond the ability of financial markets to make significant impacts instead we need people like you to create innovative business models policy Frameworks and societal Norms that will shape the systemic Transformations we need our combined actions mean Humanity's challenges are not insurmountable together we can redesign Society for the better foreign [Music]

Channel: GIFT ed

Views: 2,347

Keywords: Jeffrey Sachs, Jane Goodall, Obiora Ike, Brian Wong, 2050, economics, future, sustainability, redesign society

Id: KEp8XGvT8MY

Length: 25min 41sec (1541 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 11 2023