CLUB OF ROME STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF GLOBAL STUDENT CLIMATE PROTESTS
Winterthur, Switzerland, 13 March 2019

“People always tell me that they are so hopeful that young people are going to save the world. But they are not.
There is simply not enough time to wait for us to grow up and become the ones in charge” Greta Thunberg

This week, hundreds of thousands of students in multiple cities across the globe will once again follow in the
brave footsteps of Greta Thunberg by staging climate demonstrations. Their call to world leaders is simple yet
true: “it is time for less talk and more action on the climate”.

We deem the students’ concerns to be utterly justified and irrefutable and will continue to play our role in
ensuring ambitious climate action. These courageous young leaders point to challenges for the planet and
humanity which have long been recognized by the scientists, economists, business leaders and experts within
the Club of Rome*.

It has been 50 years since the “The Limits to Growth”, which alerted the world to the acute environmental and
demographic challenges ahead. Decades of exponential growth in both population and consumption are now
colliding with the limits of the Earth’s biosphere. We concur with the Extinction Rebellion and the student
protesters that we cannot turn a blind eye to the dual tipping points of species extinction and climate change.
Emergency action is more necessary than ever and cannot be put off any longer. We no longer have the luxury
of time!
We know the facts. We have the solutions. We just need the political will. Global action is lagging and is often
woefully inadequate, stymied by political meandering. This is why we are calling on governments across the
world to listen to the call for urgent action from young people, scientists and experts and translate these calls
into concrete Climate Emergency Plans with clear targets and time lines. To avoid the worst outcomes, global
carbon emissions must be cut by half by 2030 and to zero by 2050. For the wealthier nations, this increases to
around 80% by 2030, with full de-carbonisation less than a decade later. This is an unprecedented task, requiring
a reduction rate of at least 7% annually; no country has to date achieved more than 1.5%.
The only possible response is emergency action that will transform human social, economic and financial
systems. Yet we also believe that the existential threat from climate change, if heeded now, offers the possibility
for a societal renaissance of unprecedented proportions. This is the vision we seek to promote – a vision of the
future, which ensures well-being for the many and harmony between humanity and the planetary boundaries
that protect us. A vision which speaks to the calls from young people marching on the streets in towns and cities
across the world.
Engaged citizens of all ages demanding action by their politicians on climate change is of paramount importance,
to hold us all accountable for delivering on our climate goals and ensuring that we seize this opportunity to
sustainably transform our economies.

Let us find the vision, the leadership and the creativity to collaborate in developing constructive solutions for
a decent future for present and succeeding generations. We have the capabilities: we must now find the will
and listen to the enlightened youth who have taken time away from their studies to march on the streets to
be heard.

*Appendix to The Club of Rome statement in support of global student climate protests

Members of the Club of Rome include:

Alao, Ayo S. (Benin)
Alvarez-Pereira, Carlos (Spain)
Andersen, Rene Rachel (Denmark)
AtKisson,Alan (Sweden)
Bamela Engo-Tjega, Ruth (Cameroon)
Bardi, Ugo (Italy)
Bastioli, Catia (Italy)
Bateson,Nora (Sweden)
Benedikter, Roland (Italy)
Bindé, Jérôme (France)
Björkman, Tomas (United Kingdom)
Blom, Peter (The Netherlands)
Bologna, Gianfranco (Italy)
Bozesan, Mariana (Germany)
Brown, Peter G. (Canada)
Chacon, Susana (Mexico)
Cheng, Yi-Heng (China)
Costanza, Robert (Australia)
de Leeuw, Bas (Switzerland)
Dixson-Declève, Sandrine (Belgium)
Dorsey, Michael (USA)
Dubee, Frederick (Finland)
Dubrulle, Mark (Belgium)
Dunlop , Ian T., (Australia)
Fainé Casas, Isidro (Spain)
Fullerton, John B.(USA)
Gasparini, Alberto (Italy)
Geier, Joerg (Germany)
Georgescu, Calin (Austria)
Gil-Valdivia, Gerardo (Mexico)
Giovannini, Enrico (Italy)
Girardet, Herbert (United Kingdom)
Göpel, Maja (Germany)
Güvenen, Orhan (Turkey)
Gurgulino de Souza, Heitor (Brazil)
Halonen,Tarja (Finland)
Hamilton, Carolyn (South Africa)
Hargroves, Karlson “Charlie” (Australia)
Hayashi, Yoshitsugu (Japan)
Heinonen, Sirkka (Finland)
Hennicke, Peter (Germany)
Hernandez Colon,Rafael (Puerto Rico)
Herren, Hans Rudolf (USA)
Higgs, Kerryn (Australia)
Hoffman, Robert (Canada)
Hudson, Cecil Ivan (USA)
Hughes, Barry (USA)
Ike, Obiora Francis (Switzerland)
Isarescu, Mugur C. (Romania)
Jackson, Ryan (Curacao)
Jackson, Tim (United Kingdom)
Jacobs, Garry (India)
Johnston, Peter (France)
Korten, David C. (USA)
Komiyama, Hiroshi (Japan)
Krieger, David (USA)
Krispin, Karl (Venezuela)
Kubiszewski, Ida (Australia)
Künkel, Petra (Germany)
Lehrer, David (USA)
Likhotal , Alexander (Switzerland)
Lior, Noam (USA)
Lovins, L. Hunter (USA)
MacArthur, Ellen (United Kingdom)
Machado de Souza, Eda C.B. (Brazil)
Manning, Edward W. (Canada)
Martin, Claude (Switzerland)
Maxton, Graeme (Switzerland)
Meyer, Wolfgang (Germany)
Morán Criado, José Manuel (Spain)
Murray, Sheila A. (Canada)
Nair, Chandran (Hong Kong)
Nonaka, Tomoyo (Japan)
Peccei, Roberto (USA)
Pickett, Kate (United Kingdom)
Pirson, Michael (USA)
Radermacher, Franz Josef (Germany)
Ragnarsdóttir, Kristín Vala (Iceland)
Ramphele, Mamphela Aletta (South Africa)
Randers, Jorgen (Norway)
Raskin, Paul (USA)
Raworth, Kate (United Kingdom)
Rees, William E. (Canada)
Richardson, John M. (USA)
Ringger, Reto (Switzerland)
Ritter, Alfred T. (Germany)
Rosás Xicota, Joan (Spain)
Schellnhuber, Hans Joachim (Germany)
Schneidewind, Uwe (Germany)
Schön, Max (Germany)
Sebunya, Kaddu (Kenya)
Shrivastava, Paul (USA)
Smith, Mihaela Y. (United Kingdom)
Stahel, Walter R. (Switzerland)
Starace, Francesco (Italy)
Stoddard, Isak (Sweden)
Suter, Keith D. (Australia)
Thorhaug, Anitra (USA)
Valero, Antonio (Spain)
van Dieren, Wouter (The Netherlands)
von Weizsäcker, Ernst (Germany)
Victor, Peter (Canada)
Wackernagel, Mathis (USA)
Warner, John (USA)
Wijkman, Anders (Sweden)
Wilenius, Markku (Finland)
Zhou, Jinfeng (China)