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Researcher(s):
N/A
ENVS course(s): 330 Initiated: February 2018 Completed: May 2018 Go to project site
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Climate change proposes a new kind a problem to society. The effects are distanced from their cause in both space and time, technology perpetuates it, the changes are irreversible, and its effects are global. In response to this our society and policy have adopted a sensitivity to actions or development that could possibly have similar negative effects, this is the precautionary principle. This type of problem almost necessitates international organizations. Our risk averse nature means we prefer decisions we make with more complete information. Computer models help us to extrapolate from the information that is available to create a more complete information set, which in turn will hopefully produce better decisions. In 1972 the international organization, the Club of Rome, answered these callings by creating a simulation based model known as World3. Did this non-governmental organization make any impact on policy? Could it still affect policy today? By reading documents from both the Club of Rome and United Nations a story of two intertwined organizations began to emerge. The similar theoretical standings of the organizations in the 70’s lead to connection of their paths. There have been many former United Nations ambassadors who become members of the Club of Rome. Even today it is notable in the ways in which the Club or Rome’s mission and the United Nations’ sustainability goals overlap. They share the following themes, issues stem partially from overpopulation, immediate mitigation efforts are required to avoid irreversible implications, a solution should be provided on the international solution. These findings could imply that there is a possibility for small non-governmental organizations to have a lasting impact if their work surrounds a topic that has been poorly handled by governments thus far, these issues will generally be similar in effect to climate change, such as nuclear weapons or extreme epidemics.