Club of Rome and Russia. Club of Rome: goals, problems, reports Who created the Club of Rome

an international public organization created in 1968 with the aim of studying global problems of humanity, as well as with the aim of understanding the consequences of the scientific and technological revolution.

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ROMAN CLUB

interyear society organization created with the goal of “deepening understanding of the peculiarities of human development in the era of scientific and technical technology. revolution." Founded in 1968, previous - Italian. economist A. Peccei. Includes about one hundred scientists and societies. figures, businessmen from more than 30 countries, especially developed capitalist state-in. Basic areas of activity: discussion and stimulation of research on global problems, promoting the formation of world societies. opinions regarding these problems, dialogue with government leaders. Basic forms of work - encouragement of special researched projects, meetings, at which projects of relevant scientific research are discussed. research, decisions are made to publish their results, etc. RK does not finance projects, but only recommends them to industrial finance. Western corporations, for which such allocations serve as advertising.

R.K.'s reports, especially the first one, caused a sensation, because the authors concluded: while maintaining existing trends in scientific and technical. progress and global economic. development during the 1st half. 21st century a “global catastrophe” is expected. They recommended moving to "zero growth" and later to "organic." growth" (see "Limits to growth" theory). This work has been criticized for ignoring differences between dept. regions of the world and insufficient attention to normative forecasting, which can identify ways to solve emerging problems when extrapolating observed trends into the future. Therefore, two subsequent papers adopted a regional approach and strengthened regulatory developments, but the conclusions were not much more optimistic. Further work mainly concerns normative aspects and is aimed at identifying ways to solve specific global problems. They also caused controversy among the world community and aggravated the struggle of currents in modern times. bourgeois philosophy, political economy, sociology and futurology. Political RK's program is liberal-bourgeois in nature. reformism. The social philosophy of its leaders eclectically mixed the concepts of neo-Malthusianism, neo-Keynesianism, and technology. theories, etc. In its activities, R.K. focuses on multi-science. financial-industrial corporations, intellectual “elite”, scientific and technical. intelligentsia.

R.K.'s research has drawn attention to the pressing problems of our time; they have raised pressing issues of global economics. and environmentally friendly character. Representatives of the Russian Federation are against the arms race and for international détente. tensions, for overcoming the most predatory. features of neocolonialism, increased assistance to developing countries, etc. However, the concepts of RK reduce the complex patterns of development of nature and society to the search for the “limits” of scientific and technical science. and social progress. In the latest reports of R.K., there is a desire to preserve these concepts, focusing no longer on the “external” (physical) “limits of growth”, but on the “internal” (social, psychological, cultural, political, etc.).

Marxist scientists criticized the work of R.K. for the weakness of theoretical and methodological principles. research bases, their apologetic nature in some cases, ignoring the need for fundamental social transformations to effectively solve global problems.

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an international non-governmental organization consisting of scientists, representatives of the business community, political and public figures of states. Created in Rome in 1968. The main source of funding is donations from large monopoly associations and foundations.

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ROMAN CLUB

an international non-governmental public informal organization created in 1968 on the initiative of the Italian public figure and thinker A. Peccei (1908-1984) at a meeting of a group of European scientists in Rome. Members of the R.K. are prominent political figures, representatives of industrial and financial circles, and prominent scientists. R.k. is engaged in organizing research into the impact of scientific and technological progress on global social development. The results of these studies are presented in the form of RK reports, which are presented to the attention of the world community and decision makers. Activities of the Club in the 70s. contributed to humanity's awareness of the essence of global problems and served as one of the incentives to begin active searches for their solutions. The first report of R.K. gave an important impetus to understanding global issues. "The Limits to Growth" (1972), prepared under the direction of D. Meadows and gained worldwide fame. Global research was further developed in the reports of M. Me: Sarovich and E. Pestel “Humanity at the Crossroads” (1974); J. Tinbergen's "Revisiting the International Order" (1976); B. Gavrilishin "Routes Leading to the Future" (1980); E. Pestel “Beyond Growth” (1988), etc. The results of twenty years of activity of the organization to study world issues were summed up in the report of A. King and B. Schneider “The First Global Revolution” (1991), prepared directly by R.K. himself. An important place in global studies of R.K. is devoted to the analysis of political aspects of world problems. This approach contributed to the emergence of an innovative scientific direction called “political globalism.” Since the late 80s. R.k. placed emphasis on the study of regional processes of global development. The organization published such reports as A. Lemma and P. Malaska “Africa that has overcome hunger” (1989), N. Rosenson, B. Schneider “Latin America in the face of worries and hopes” (1993), etc. Organizational structure R .To. includes the Executive Committee and the Commission for the development of regulations. The Committee is responsible for ensuring the activities of the Club and makes appropriate decisions to ensure it. The Commission provides ongoing management of the Club’s activities and prepares meetings of the Executive Committee, which are held at least twice a year. There are four categories of members within the Club. Active members are persons whose activities are consistent with the mission and thinking of the Club. They are elected according to a quota (no more than 100 people) and represent approximately 50 and five continents, a wide range of cultures and professional backgrounds. Even members are Persians with a high official position and public recognition, associate members are private individuals who wish to support the activities of the club. Institutional members are bodies, organizations, funds, institutes and firms that have similar goals to the tasks of the RK and wish to participate in its initiative or contribute to their implementation. National RK associations participate in more than 30 countries. Soviet Association for the Promotion of R.K. was created in 1989. After the collapse of the CCCP, the successor was the Russian Association, operating under the auspices of the Foundation for the Support of Advanced Research. Currently Russia in P.K. D.M. is represented as full members. Gvishiani and S.P. Kapitsa. An honorary member is M.S. Gorbachev.

I read excerpts from the latest report of the Club of Rome - “Come On! Capitalism, Myopia, Population and the Destruction of the Planet.” Article on Aftershock - “Club of Rome, anniversary report: “The Old World is doomed. The New World is inevitable!” - https://aftershock.news/?q=node/601798&full.

What caught my attention most was the section - The End of Oil and Alternative Energy. Here is a quote from this section:

“The end of the fossil fuel era is destined. It is very likely that it will end faster than previously predicted. The cost of clean (solar and wind) energy decreases every year, and its production increases significantly. Oil demand growth will stop by 2020, and if Stanford researcher Tony Seba is right, the transition to renewable sources could happen as early as 2030. Huge deposits of oil and gas will remain in the ground. Lost profits are estimated to range from six to twenty trillion dollars. The oil and gas sector is becoming a huge bubble that could be completely worthless within a few years. Some analysts and banking structures are already warning clients about the unacceptable risks of investing in such enterprises.”

I think the key phrase here is “The oil and gas sector is becoming a huge bubble that could be completely worthless within a few years.”

I thought for a long time, maybe the report is fake? Could the minds of the Club of Rome write this? So the problem is not the bloated US national debt? No. Maybe in sky-high stock prices? No. Maybe it’s because TseBeshki are pouring into the stock markets? What just recently was simply unthinkable and was considered the topic of the most schizophrenic conspiracy theories. No. Cryptocurrencies? No. In the topics listed above, the Club of Rome does not observe bubbles. But the oil and gas sector is one continuous bubble in the trillions.

To understand any phenomenon, you need to start studying it, with how it appeared, what first steps it took; what idea was put inside, into the embryo; what the external environment was like at the time of its appearance. Regarding how the Club of Rome appeared. This is what the official source of information says about the Club of Rome - Wikipedia - “The Club of Rome is an international public organization (think tank) created by Italian industrialist Aurelio Peccei (who became its first president) and OECD Director General for Science Alexander King on April 6-7, 1968 year, uniting representatives of the world political, financial, cultural and scientific elite.”

Unofficial information provides more details. The decision to create the Club of Rome was made in the spring of 1968. At a meeting of the world's most powerful people at the home of David Rockefeller in Bellagio, Italy. The meeting was organized by Italian industrialist Aurelio Peccei. Who was on the Fiat board and was Olivetti's vice president. According to his mother, Piccei is Italian. And on my father's side - Hungarian. That is, the rebellious Magyar spirit was embedded in the Club of Rome. Regarding the Hungarian origin and the rebellious spirit of the Magyar, Soros immediately comes up. It would be interesting to see their intersections. And Edward Teller is the “father of the hydrogen bomb,” raised by the Rockefellers from his student days. Also marked by rebellion. Robert Oppenheimer was brought down from Olympus by testifying at the trial against the “father of the nuclear bomb.”

And of course, we must take into account (knowing that the founder of the Club of Rome is Hungarian on his father’s side), the eternal genetic Russophobia of the Magyars. They cannot forgive us for the years 1848-1849. Yes, and 1956 too. But that's another story. I return to the Club of Rome.

Among the ideologists and founding fathers of the Club of Rome is Henry Kissinger. And also the Morgenthau Group. This was the name given to the economists, lawyers and politicians who drew up the plan for the post-war structure of Germany, under the leadership of Hans Morgenthau. The plan envisioned the destruction of Germany's heavy industry, the decentralization of finance, the destruction of vertically integrated companies, and the transfer of the Germans from an industrial to an agricultural nation. And one way or another he gave a target for reducing the population by 25 million people. The plan was not accepted in its entirety. For various reasons. Our intelligence also had a hand in this. But that's a completely different story. And about her another time.

And I drew attention to the “Morgenthau Group” in connection with the creation and filling of the ideologies of the Club of Rome for the following reason. The topic of the need to reduce population will become one of the main ones in the ideology of the Club of Rome.

In general, it is interesting that almost all the founding fathers of the club have roots in Germany. Both Hans Morgenthau and Henry Kissinger were born in Germany. The Rockefeller family also has German roots. The current co-chairman of the Club of Rome is Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker. Also from Germany. From a famous family, whose members are: former President of the Federal Republic of Germany Richard von Weizsäcker, nuclear physicist Karl Friedrich von Weizsäcker (one of the leading scientists of the “Uranium Project” of the Third Reich, ally of Werner Heisenberg), Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ernst von Weizsäcker (then is in the Foreign Ministry of the Third Reich, he was the second leader in the official hierarchy after Ribbentrop) one of the ideologists of the Munich Agreement. There is a lot to think about on this matter. I'm talking about the German roots of the founders.

And one more thing. It turns out that the current co-chairman of the Club of Rome, Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, has a very difficult origin. By the way, he is also the co-author of the report – “Come On! Capitalism, Myopia, Population and the Destruction of the Planet.”

According to conspiracy theorists, the club’s decisions should have been aimed at establishing a New World Order with the World Government at its head.

The club included about a hundred of the world's most influential capitalists, economists and scientists. And the Club of Rome, along with the Bilderberg Club, is the main foreign policy lever of the Secret World Government, which is represented and designated in the media either by the “Committee of 300” or by the “Round Table”. The first name evokes in me an association with the Three Hundred Spartans. And the second, in my opinion, is a clear reference to King Arthur.

And here it is interesting that not so long ago documentaries were released on “educational” Anglo-Saxon channels. Where seemingly serious scientists seem to be quite seriously engaged in the archaeological search for Avalon, King Arthur's palace and the knight's round table. Why would this be?

Regarding the first steps, one should look at the report of the Club of Rome forty-six years ago. A report that outlined the contours of a real challenge for the World. First report of the Club of Rome.

In 1972, the Club of Rome presented a report by American analyst Dennis Meadows, “The Limits to Growth.” In my opinion, the key message of this report is that the population is growing, consumption is increasing, and resources are running out. And soon they will reach their peak. At the same time, Dennis Medoz himself said that “Oil is the most limited of the key fossil fuels.” And the founder of the Roman Club, Aurelio Peccei, commented on the report: “If current growth trends continue in the conditions of a finite planet in terms of its scale, the next generations of humanity will reach the limits of demographic and economic expansion, which will lead the system as a whole to an uncontrollable crisis and collapse.”

“The conclusions made by the authors made us think about the future of the Earth. According to the forecast of D. Meadows and his colleagues, humanity was confidently heading towards a catastrophe, which could not be avoided only by taking measures to limit and regulate production growth and change the criteria for progress. The book warned that material growth could not continue indefinitely on a physically finite planet, and demanded that we abandon quantity (growth) in favor of quality (development).” This is a commentary on the report of Meadows, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Professor G. A. Yagodin and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Professor N.P. Tarasov.

Now about external factors - the environment in which the Club of Rome took its first steps. And this is the time at which the report was released. On March 13, 1972, a report called “The Limits to Growth” was first presented at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Report to the Club of Rome."

And on August 13, 1971, Nixon held a secret meeting at which it was decided to abandon the dollar peg to gold. And refusal to exchange dollars for gold. At the same time, it was decided to increase the money supply through the printing press.

At the same time, the Nixon administration reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia - to sell oil only for dollars. Henry Kissinger is here again. It is he who, with carrots and sticks, threats and ambassadors, seeks from the Saudis the solution the States need. Moreover, King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is helping Kissinger to persuade OPEC member countries to switch to dollars. The dollar has been untied from gold. The dollar was tied to oil. The printing press can be turned on.

In the course of these negotiations, Kissinger and for the Rockefeller clan bargained a lot from Arabia.

And seven months later, as I indicated above, on March 13, 1972, the report of the Club of Rome was published. Resources are being depleted. And the main resource is oil. That is, it’s impossible, by the way. It turns out that the report had a certain conjuncture. But still it was long-term. And this, firstly. And secondly, it was built on objective data and premises.

Of course, we can say that the report began to be prepared in the summer of 1970. But the decision to untie the dollar from gold and end the Bretton Woods system did not arise overnight.

But this is 1972. Maybe the opinion of the report's authors has now changed? No.

In April 2012, the magazine “Expert” published an article “It’s not enough.” This is an interview with Dennis Meadows. Here are some quotes from this article:

“Now I will show you a graph that shows the time range from 1930 to the current moment, until 2010, and then a forecast estimate. It shows all actually explored reserves in green - that is, what has been accurately confirmed by sampling and drilling. So all the available oil is the integral under that green curve (the area of ​​everything in the green area). The black curve shows actual oil production. And already in 1984, for the first time, the total annual volume of oil produced exceeded the volume of new explored fields.

Moreover, since 1984, more oil has been pumped out each year than new proven reserves have been discovered.”

“It is, of course, stupid to argue with this thesis, but let us ask again: why are you so confidently talking about a 50% drop in production by the early 2030s?

In response, I will repeat: this is not my own estimate, so maybe not 50, but 20 percent will end up, but maybe all 60. But what I am sure of is that that the oil production curve will soon go down, not up. I have no doubts here. And in the graph that I showed you, you can literally see with the naked eye: the gap between produced and explored oil is already so large that even by increasing the returns from other energy sectors, it will not be possible to completely compensate for this drop.”

But here is the conclusion that Expert magazine draws from the interview: “The peak of world oil production has already been passed, and the peak of gas production will soon be passed. There is no hope for alternative energy sources because it takes decades and huge amounts of non-renewable resources to launch them.”

Expert - http://expert.ru/expert/2012/16/malo-ne-pokazhetsya/

Now some conclusions. First. The Roman Club is a serious organization. Analytical center of semi-overt, semi-behind-the-scenes rulers of the world. And the mouthpiece that sets the agenda for the elites writes and publicly announces guidelines for action.

Second. The co-chairman of the Club of Rome and co-author of the report under review comes from a very representative family. This, of course, does not guarantee anything. But still. And his previous works were not divorced from reality.

Third. In an interview with Expert magazine, Dennis Meadows talks about the failure of oil production by 2030. And in the report - “Come On! Capitalism, Myopia, Population and the Destruction of the Planet” states, “Oil demand growth will stop by 2020, and if Stanford researcher Tony Seba is right, the transition to renewable sources could happen as early as 2030.” And the connection between these dates is obvious. The author of the first report of the Club of Rome believes that global problems with energy resources will occur by the 30th year. And if you put it roughly, by this time the energy carrier will become more expensive than gold. And the authors of the current report - “The oil and gas sector is becoming a huge bubble that could completely depreciate in a few years.”

Hence the fourth. About the first report of the Club of Rome, Wikipedia writes the following: “the Forrester-Meadows model was given the status of the first report of the Club of Rome. The “Limits to Growth” report laid the foundation for a whole series of Club reports, in which issues related to economic growth, development, training, the consequences of the use of new technologies, and global thinking were deeply developed.” That is, this report became the basis for the work of the Club of Rome for forty-six years. Defined – global thinking. This 2017 report breaks the previous foundation. It signifies, and frankly marks a departure from the basic principle - with the fall in energy production, the world will face a catastrophe. Dennis Meadows is less harsh on this matter. He says that “the world will roll back.” But back - how many years? Or decades? Or centuries? In the nineteenth century? Or straight to the tenth?

Hence the fifth. The first report of the Club of Rome marked a turning point. On the ships from Europe, filled with cut green paper with the demand to send back these ships full of gold, and the loss-disaster of Vietnam, America reflected on the refusal of dollar guarantees in gold and jumping off the Bretton Woods system. And this started a chain of events. The Bretton Woods system is not just an organization of monetary relations and trade settlements. This is also the Keynesian model of economics. The chain of events rushed towards monetarism. Then Milton Friedman, “The Chicago Boys”, reagonomics, post-industrialism, the policy of putting everything on debt…. In general, something has begun, the results of which the world has already begun to reap. What we find ourselves in now was laid down.

Hence the sixth. The first report of the Club of Rome came out against the backdrop of fundamental upheaval. And partly as a reaction to them. Refusal of gold as a guarantor of world currency. A departure from Keynesian economics. Loss of face and respect by the main country of the Western world after the failure in Vietnam. And so on and so forth. And hence the question? Is the current report a reaction of the World Elite to events that have already occurred, or are shocks just ahead?

And seventh. To the statement in the report - “Huge deposits of oil and gas will remain in the ground. Lost profits are estimated to range from six to twenty trillion dollars. The oil and gas sector is becoming a huge bubble that could be completely worthless within a few years.” In general, the terminology and figures of speech from the yellow press are “huge deposits”, “huge bubble”, “will remain in the ground”, “will depreciate in a few years”. And especially about the range - “from six to twenty trillion dollars.” Then they calculate the change in the GDP of each country and the whole World fifty years in advance. Broken down by year. And with almost accuracy to the third digit after the decimal point. This gives such a gigantic range of losses for asset holders in the “oil and gas bubble”, from six to twenty trillion. In such the most important, blood-blood sector!

The loss figures are gigantic. Trillions! They announce the numbers without sparing. So I remember a comic, or maybe a real (who knows?) story about Suvorov. When he was compiling a report for the empress about the killed enemies. To the surprised question whether he pointed out many dead enemy soldiers, Suvorov replied: “Why feel sorry for their adversaries?”

But maybe we don’t know something that the members of the Club of Rome and their curators know? I will try options for why the Club of Rome makes such conclusions. Perhaps it has already been opened - “Thermoyoid”. And somewhere in silence, top secrecy and protection of something like the Manhattan Project, industrial installations are already being made? And the sockets are about to be connected to them. And the happy hipsters will finally be right. Electricity is taken from the outlet! But this is, of course, humor.

Now let's get serious. I said above that the Club of Rome and its founding fathers are delusional and dream of reducing the population. And maybe they know the reason why something terrible will happen by 2030. And there will be so much population that indeed - “Huge deposits of oil and gas will remain in the ground.” There will simply be so many people that six to twenty trillion dollars worth of oil and gas will not be needed. Maybe it won’t even take several billion-millions? And what will the remaining population need already somewhere in storage? Carefully disguised as giant neutrino research facilities?

Eighth. Or RK is clouding the brain. On the one hand, take your eyes off the real problems of the bubbles. Or it acts opportunistically - a reaction to rising oil prices, and this is a source of happiness for Russia. And China switches to yuan in settlements with Saudi Arabia. That is, we don’t need to declare it. Some oil for some yuan. It won’t be needed by 2030 anyway. At all. Gold is black.

I don't even know which is worse. Turning RK into a tabloid to leak the necessary information with immediate results. Or clouding the brain, diverting it from real problems-bubbles. Which, however, is also momentary.

Or maybe what the evil one is not joking about is the frank and public recognition by the World Elite, the World Rulers, that they are not able to see and identify real problems. And from here give adequate advice to the satraps. That is, it is essentially unable to control the World. Then it turns out they threw out the White Flag?

Roman Klepakov

What questions are the world elite thinking about: The leaders of the Club of Rome and its leading experts have come to the unequivocal conclusion that a radical change in the development paradigm of our civilization is inevitable. Harsh criticism of capitalism, rejection of financial speculation, rejection of materialism and a simplified understanding of the world, a call for an alternative economy, a “new Enlightenment”, spiritual and moral...

In connection with the emergence of global problems in the second half of the twentieth century, humanity was faced with the need to develop a fundamentally new development concept designed to solve or at least mitigate these problems. The Club of Rome played an important role in developing new views on the growth and development of humanity in the future.

The Club of Rome is an international non-governmental organization created in 1968. Famous public figure Aurelio Peccei.

This topic is relevant, firstly, due to the fact that humanity has not yet developed realistically feasible ways to solve global problems, and secondly, because the results of some research on this topic, carried out back in the 70s, have not lost their relevance. meanings to this day. The problem of this study is also relevant in modern conditions, as this is evidenced by the frequent study of the issues raised.

The object of this study is the activities of the Club of Rome and its historical development. The subject is the study of connections between global problems.

The purpose of this work is to examine the organization of the Club of Rome and its ideas about the growth and development of mankind and to clarify the role of the Club of Rome in this process.

To achieve this goal, the following tasks must be solved:

Review basic research into the problem of human growth and development;

Consider the structure of the Club of Rome;

Explore the role of these studies in shaping contemporary views of growth and development.

Global problems are closely related to each other and have common sources of origin and development, so it is important to classify and systematize them in a certain way, to understand the reasons for their occurrence and the conditions under which they can be solved by society.

Today's global problems significantly change the view of ongoing evolutionary processes in the world. Evolution transforms man, but man also influences and influences evolution, changing the nature and manner of its occurrence. Moreover, now we can say that the responsibility for the evolution of the world largely lies with man himself, and people cannot help but take its burden on their shoulders.

Chapter 2.

The history of the Club of Rome

The Club of Rome was created at a time when the crisis processes in the capitalist world noticeably intensified, the crisis gripped all spheres of life in bourgeois countries and gave rise to the need to revise not only the socio-economic guidelines for the development of an unstable, unstable system and spiritual values ​​that do not meet the needs of a rapidly developing scientific -technical revolution, but also the relationship between man and nature, taken on the scale of the planet as a whole. The emergence of the Club of Rome is associated with attempts to satisfy the need for new organizational forms, most acutely experienced by scientists and those representatives of the business world who, in their practical activities, are constantly faced with difficulties and problems associated with the scientific and technological revolution.

In the spring of 1968, Aurelio Peccei sent out invitations to 30 prominent European scientists and representatives of the business world to participate in a discussion of pressing problems. On April 6-7, 1968, a meeting of invitees took place in Rome at the old National Academy, at which discussions took place on the most pressing problems of our time. The participants of this meeting, who supported the idea of ​​​​creating an international organization called the Club of Rome, then gathered to exchange views, during which the organizational structure and goals of its activities were determined.

The Club of Rome spent the first two years of its existence establishing contacts and promoting its ideas, trying to attract the attention of scientists, public figures, businessmen, and politicians from various countries. However, at that time the plans of the Club of Rome did not meet with wide response and support from the world community. A turning point in this regard occurred at the end of 1969, when, at the invitation of the Chancellor of Austria, representatives of the Club of Rome together with political representatives of a number of Western countries first gathered in Vienna.

The dialogue that took place served as an impetus to intensify the club’s activities.

Chapter 3.

Composition of the Club of Rome

The Club of Rome has no staff or formal budget. Its activities are coordinated by an executive committee consisting of 12 people. The post of club president was successively held by A. Peccei, A. King (1984–1991) and R. Diez-Hochleitner (since 1991).

According to the rules, no more than 100 people from different countries of the world can be active members of the Club. Among the Club members, scientists and politicians from developed countries predominate. In addition to full members, there are honorary and associate members.

The work of the Club of Rome is facilitated by more than 30 national associations of the Club of Rome, which promote the concepts of the club in their countries.

Representatives of Russia in the Club of Rome at different times were academicians D. M. Gvishiani, E. K. Fedorov, E. M. Primakov, A. A. Logunov, S. P. Kapitsa, Ch. Aitmatov, V. A. Sadovnichy, honorary members - M. S. Gorbachev and B. E. Paton.

In 1989, the Association for Assistance to the Club of Rome was created in the USSR; after the collapse of the USSR, it was reformed into the Russian Association for Assistance to the Club of Rome, the president of which was D. Gvishiani.

Chapter 4.

Activities of the Club of Rome

At the 1968 meeting in Rome, it was agreed to limit the membership of the Club of Rome to 100 people. The organization adopted the status of non-governmental, not associated with political parties, classes, or existing forms of ideology; its members act in their personal capacity, not representing the interests of any group or country. It was agreed that the Club of Rome should not have a permanent budget limiting freedom of action. Leadership, organizational and coordinating activities in the intervals between annual meetings of club members are entrusted to the president and the executive committee. These organizational principles formed the basis for the theoretical and practical activities of the Club of Rome, aimed at developing appropriate tactics and strategies for resolving the problems facing the modern world.

From the very beginning, the Club of Rome set itself the task of answering the main question: is it possible to maintain the healthy state of the regional and global natural environment, economic balance, the sustainability of social development and human well-being, the base of non-renewable natural resources, if inevitable changes in the nature of the use of energy and raw materials , methods of production and consumption in countries of the industrial periphery will continue to follow the path of least resistance, guided only by narrow economic interests?

The club was conceived as a society oriented towards concrete action, rather than discussion for the sake of discussion. In accordance with the planned program of action, the Club was given two main goals, which it had to gradually implement. The first goal is to promote and encourage people to realize as clearly and deeply as possible the predicament of humanity. The second is to use all available knowledge to stimulate the establishment of new relationships, policies and institutions that would help correct the current situation.

To serve this dual purpose, the Club of Rome sought in its composition to represent, as it were, a cross-section of modern progressive humanity. Its members included prominent scientists and thinkers, government officials, representatives of the education sector, teachers and managers from more than thirty countries. They all differed from each other in education and life experience, occupied different positions in society and held different beliefs and views.

These one hundred people, so different from each other, with all their differences, were united in the conviction that human society needs deep renewal and that this process can only be outlined and implemented through the joint efforts of all the people of the planet with their mutual tolerance, understanding and solidarity. They understood that not a single group of people is able to correct the current situation in the world without the help of other groups, without the support of representatives of other philosophical movements. Perhaps they were also united by something deeper, some kind of latent feeling that had not yet been fully realized that many existing doctrines and schools of thought in our century are gradually losing their meaning, becoming irrelevant, no longer capable of guiding the development of mankind. And they participated in calm, devoid of external heat discussions of the Club of Rome in the hope that they could, while maintaining loyalty to their philosophical schools and institutions, somehow clarify and bring their own thoughts and views closer to modern reality.

The Club of Rome, by its very nature, cannot serve the interests of any particular country, nation or political party and does not identify itself with any ideology; the mixed composition does not allow him to fully join the position of one of the parties in the controversial international affairs that are tearing humanity apart. He does not and cannot have a single system of values, a single point of view; he does not strive for unanimity at all. The conclusions of the projects organized by him reflect the thoughts and results of the work of entire groups of scientists and in no way can be regarded as the position of the Club. And, nevertheless, the Club of Rome is by no means apolitical; moreover, it can just be called political in the truest, etymological meaning of the word. Because By promoting the study and understanding of the long-term interests of humanity, it actually helps to lay new, more durable and timely foundations for making important political decisions and at the same time makes those on whom these decisions depend to realize the full depth of responsibility that lies with them.

The Club of Rome has adopted a procedure for co-opting new members. Over the years, its composition has expanded significantly and turned out to be not as balanced and balanced as one might wish.

At the same time, among the full members of the Club there are inactive, “sleeping” members.

The small number of the Club of Rome sometimes gives reason to consider it a kind of elite group, very far from the everyday earthly problems that face ordinary people. This statement is completely false. On the contrary, the goal of the Club is to get to the very roots of the true problems of our world, which have become global, and therefore common problems and equally concern all humanity. The Club of Rome is absolutely convinced that the fate of all inhabitants of the planet ultimately depends on how the problems of the whole world are resolved.

The Club's limited membership also meets its functional criteria. From the very beginning, the founders of the Club of Rome were afraid to create an organization whose internal needs would absorb too much of its own limited strength and capabilities. They preferred to remain a small community, unencumbered by bureaucracy. The leaders of this organization were guided by the fact that ideas need an appropriate “climate,” and it is diametrically opposed to the conditions in which bureaucracy flourishes. This is how the vocation of the Club of Rome was determined - to act as a catalyst.

At the same time, for operational reasons, the Club of Rome had to become a reality one way or another. And it was registered in the canton of the city of Geneva as a non-profit civic association with the simplest possible statutes.

Typically the Club of Rome holds one plenary meeting per year. The rest of the time it acts as an “invisible college”; its members try to maintain constant contacts with each other and meet as necessary, organizing something like special narrow discussion groups. The first six year-long meetings took place in Vienna, Bern, Ottawa, Paris, Tokyo and West Berlin. The seventh meeting took place in Algeria. These meetings are usually used to discuss the most important issues of general interest and are often attended by experts on various world issues, eminent scientists and political figures.

Chapter 5.

Main goals of the Club of Rome

Analyzing the activities of the Club of Rome, its creator and leader Aurelio Peccei formulated the “Main Goals of Humanity,” which he outlined in his book “Human Qualities.”

He emphasizes that man, whose material power has reached its apogee, has turned the planet into his empire, which is already turning into an environmental disaster. Man increasingly develops an insatiable appetite for consumption, without thinking at all about the consequences of his growing aspirations and needs. The diverse artificial world created by man is increasingly crowding nature.

A. Peccei notes that a person is connected with other people by thousands of threads, his present predetermines the future, there is no and cannot exist environmental independence.

A. Peccei concludes that the finite size of the planet necessarily presupposes the limits of human expansion in relation to nature. This conclusion ran counter to the prevailing orientation in world culture toward the unbridled growth of production indicators and turned into a symbol of a new style of human thinking in his relationship to nature. As a result, a new type of human value relationship to nature emerged—a responsible, proportionate relationship between the needs of society and the capabilities of nature.

Pechei put forward six main goals related to the “external limits” of the planet, the “internal limits” of man himself. The cultural heritage he received, which he is obliged to pass on to those who come after him. The global community he must build. An ecological environment that he must protect at all costs. A complex and complex production system, which it is time for him to begin to reorganize.

According to A. Peccei, the external limits to the growth of human expansion into nature are:

Physical limits (non-renewable natural resources, geological mineral reserves, air, water):

Environmental (garbage, poison, garbage);

Biological (disturbance of the natural balance between certain types of living organisms).

Having increased his power over Nature, man imagined himself as the undivided master of the Earth and began to exploit it, neglecting the fact that its size and biophysical resources are completely finite. It is also now understood that, as a result of uncontrolled human activity, the once generous and abundant biological life of the planet has suffered severely, its best soils have been partially destroyed, and valuable agricultural lands are increasingly built up and covered with asphalt and concrete roads, and many of the most accessible ones have already been fully used. mineral wealth, that human-caused pollution can now be found literally everywhere, even at the poles and on the ocean floor, and that the consequences are now even reflected in the climate and other physical characteristics of the planet.

All this causes deep concern, but we do not know to what extent it upsets the balance and upsets the cycles necessary for the evolution of life in general; how many irreversible changes have we already caused and which of them can affect our own lives now or in the future; It is also unknown what reserves of basic non-renewable resources we can realistically count on, how many renewable resources we can safely use and under what conditions. Since the Earth's "carrying capacity" is clearly not limitless, there are obviously some biophysical limits, or "outer limits", to the expansion of not only human activity, but also human presence on the planet in general. Now the need for reliable scientific knowledge about these limits themselves, about the conditions under which we can approach them, and the consequences of violating them is becoming increasingly acute, because there is reason to fear that in some areas the limits of what is permitted have already been reached. The goal put forward by A. Peccei should be aimed not only at recreating the general appearance of the problem, but also at comprehending some of its most important components, so that man knows what he can and what he must do using nature in his goals if he wants to live in harmony with her.

The internal limits of expansion are various kinds of restrictions (stress, tension, shock therapy) inherent in a person’s mental and mental abilities.

The physical and psychological capabilities of a person also have their limits. People are aware that, increasing his dominance over the world, man, in the quest for security, comfort and power, has acquired a whole arsenal of all kinds of devices and inventions, while losing those qualities that allowed him to live in his pristine virgin natural habitat, and that this , may have weakened him physically, dulling his biological activity. It is safe to say that the more “civilized” a person becomes, the less able he is to withstand the difficulties of a harsh external environment and the more he needs to protect his body and health with the help of all kinds of medicines, potions and a great variety of other artificial funds.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that, in parallel with these processes, the cultural level of man increased, and intellectual abilities developed, which were brought into line with the complex artificial world created by man. However, recently the balance between progress and human culture, between progress and its biophysical abilities has been disrupted, and quite seriously. So the current degree of mental and mental, and perhaps even physical adaptation of a person to the unnaturalness and rapid pace of modern life is very far from satisfactory. A person makes poor use of the wonderful potential capabilities of his brain, and it is quite likely that there are some undetected, hidden reserves that he can and should mobilize to restore the lost balance and prevent its disruption in the future.

“It’s hard to even believe how poor knowledge is in this vitally important area for people, concerning the average biophysical “internal limits” of a person and the consequences of violating them. We know woefully little about such important specific issues as the linkages and interdependencies between health, nutrition and education, which are now of particular interest to developing countries; about the general suitability of a person for the lifestyle that he leads now and, apparently, will lead in the future, especially in urbanized complexes; finally, about whether, in light of this, it is possible to develop and improve the natural abilities of a person, and if so, then how,” writes A. Peccei.

Ignorance of these pressing problems can be fraught with serious, irreparable consequences for a person as an individual and for society as a whole.

The main task comes down to assessing the totality of abilities and figuring out how to improve and adapt them so as not to subject the human body to unbearable strains and stress.

From here A. Peccei concludes that material growth in society cannot continue indefinitely, and therefore balanced or limited growth is necessary through a gradual transition from a consumer society to a conservation society. A. Peccei believed that limited growth in the industrial development of countries is necessary and possible. The main thing is to reduce the gap between the highest income of rich countries and the lowest of poorest countries. To do this, all efforts should be directed towards changing a person and thereby changing civilization. From the point of view of A. Peccei, a new humanism is needed, based and aimed at significantly improving the human qualities of all inhabitants of the planet. In other words, A. Peccei proposes to make the person, his way of existence and way of life the center of attention, because the fate of the new world order will depend on his qualities and abilities. The progressive development of man, A. Peccei believes, and the parallel improvement of his human qualities will bring with it a radical revision of man’s perception of himself and man in general, his role and responsibility. And this is the only way not only to satisfy the growing needs of humanity, but also to give a person a certain opportunity to intelligently plan his future.

The protection and preservation of the cultural characteristics of peoples and nations was declared the key to human progress and self-expression. These provisions often serve as a cover for political ploys and intrigues. People are beginning to fear that in the future all cultures may look the same.

To avert this danger, small and weak countries have made the cultural difference thesis a core element of the principles of the new international economic order and development strategies. The true basis for the cultural pluralism of the future can only be our current cultural heritage. And since it is now rapidly degrading and disappearing, the most active and urgent measures are needed to stop these irreparable losses in the future.

The further development of technological civilization, economic growth, the increasing mobility of people whose settlements occupy most of the solid surface of the planet, the expansion of mass media - all this promises in the future the fulfillment of gloomy prophecies of the final and ruthless disappearance from the face of the earth of what remains of the evidence of faith, love, emotions, pride, a sense of beauty and the desire for the good of past generations.

To solve this problem, it is necessary to take serious and active measures that must cover all areas of human activity without exception, use the achievements of all scientific disciplines: archaeology, epigraphy, paleography, philosophy, ethnology, anthropology and, above all, history - in order to protect it through the joint efforts of humanity cultural heritage. For example, one could take the proposal to establish a “World Cultural Concern”, the purpose of which would be to finance long-term cultural programs, and the organization of a “Cultural Corps”, which would unite volunteers from all over the world who want to protect and preserve heritage.

Saving human cultural heritage, including dying languages ​​and mini-cultures, requires huge amounts of money, so it is absolutely necessary to involve the world community in this more widely. It is necessary to take active measures aimed at developing a conceptual framework, setting goals, identifying organizational forms and specific ways that can ensure the achievement of the goal. Many components of this problem had already been developed within the framework of UNESCO, but there were no other institutions and scientific centers before the Club of Rome that could take the main responsibility for solving it.

The nation state cannot keep pace with the passage of time. It is unable to derive tangible benefits from the global socio-political system that regulates international life, although it serves as its main cell. On the other hand, using the rights of sovereignty in the world political system, it often does not consider it necessary to recognize the existence of any supranational institutions and does not want to hear about problems that require settlement at the national level. Nationally, public services are failing to meet the expectations of their fellow citizens. Therefore, structural reforms are required at all levels of the world organization and the search for cooperation on international economic problems.

The essence of the problem comes down to identifying ways to gradually transform the current system of egocentric states into a world community, which would be based on a system of coordinated geographical and functional decision-making centers, covering all levels of human organization. The area of ​​jurisdiction of such centers should be more consistent with the traditions, interests and problems common to different groups of the population.

To solve this problem, it is necessary to come up with a specialized and at the same time hierarchical system, which would consist of relatively autonomous elements of different nature and structure, at the same time closely interconnected and actively interacting. It is this area that requires radical social transformations and innovations, because without them, not only coexistence will be threatened, but also the simple existence of billions of people with great opportunities.

The goal of “World Community” is difficult because it is aimed at reconciling different demands and must be implemented in parallel with other goals, because it is here that the political, legal and organizational structure within which they will have to be implemented will be created.

One of the most important problems is the problem of placing on the planet within the next 40 years a population twice as large as the current one. In this short time, the infrastructure will have to be radically improved, modernized and doubled.

A major problem that is most often overlooked is the organization of the Earth's territory and the distribution of some basic resources in such a way as to adequately accommodate 8 billion inhabitants (while keeping in mind that several billion more may join them). This truly grandiose undertaking is doomed to inevitable failure if it is not planned at the only level suitable for this purpose - namely, at the planetary level.

A comprehensive, unified global plan for human settlements, including as part of relevant activities on a national and regional scale, has become the urgent need of our time. This plan includes several rules regarding the protection and maintenance of what remains of the ecological reserve.

To give an idea of ​​a general approach to this problem, Peccei cited the thoughts put forward by Konstantinos Doxiadis, who devoted himself to studying the relationship between man and his environment and laid the foundation for a new scientific discipline - “ecology”. In an article written in 1974 entitled “Global Ecological Equilibrium,” he, summing up the results of his research, proposed an ideal division of the accessible territories of the planet into twelve specialized zones, according to which more than 80% of the total surface would account for nature, 10% would be allocated to agriculture, and the remaining areas - for urbanized and industrial buildings and complexes. What we can conclude from this study is that if we want to enable many billions of human beings to exist on the planet simultaneously, we desperately need a global plan for land use.

Another aspect of the global problem, according to Aurelio Peccei, is a failure in economic mechanisms and their relationships with society as a whole.

People focus on economic problems and do not analyze the structural and philosophical reasons for these difficulties. This idea gives hope to correct some of the imbalances in the current economic system and temporarily removes the threat of complete collapse from society. What is needed here is a different conceptual approach and radically new solutions to significantly expand goals and horizons, and identify an economic system that is consistent with the global community that will grow as a result of the changes expected on the planet during this period.

As with the issue of habitat, it is necessary to find out whether the current production organization is able to materially provide food, goods and services to twice the population of the planet, if so, how and under what conditions. In this regard, many problems arise that deserve close attention. For example, distribution issues. The key goal of humanity is to carefully analyze the existing production establishment and identify what changes need to be planned in it so that it is able to clearly perform its assigned functions.

These studies should include a whole series of separate projects, closely related and parallel to the study of human settlements. One of these projects is devoted to financial issues, which will examine the capital needs associated with the construction and operation of infrastructure and industrial plants, as well as meeting other needs of a doubling population. Another project examines the employment problem in detail, starting with an assessment of labor force needs, including management specialists, and develops the basis for the creation of a global system that could regulate and coordinate at the international level all issues related to employment, appropriate allocations, training personnel and vocational training. At the final stage, this project requires finding approaches to solving the acute problem of fully involving all human resources in active activities.

Another study is devoted to the issues of territorial location and rationalization of the global manufacturing establishment. This study pays close attention to the constraints placed on all human activities by the need to protect and manage the global human environment. The study also requires reorganizing food production based on global criteria, because Only under this condition can one hope to achieve minimal results in solving the problem of eradicating hunger in human society. The same considerations are taken into account when considering world industry and world industrial production. The industrial sector of the productive arsenal of society is nothing more than a disorderly combination of various types of technical devices and activities resulting from random decisions made at different times, for different purposes and under different conditions and designed to serve the short- or medium-term narrow interests of individual national communities or multinational corporations. Consequently, the ruling circles must find ways to ensure high efficiency and rational economic management in all sectors of production without exception.

Chapter 6.

Reports to the Club of Rome

The Club of Rome has currently presented more than 30 reports. This paper examines the first and latest reports.

On June 19-30, 1970 in Bern, at a session of the Club of Rome, a speech was heard from one of the leading specialists in the field of control theory, J. Forrester, who over the course of a number of years developed a methodology for studying complex dynamic systems. He was offered to create a model of global development of the world. Forrester demonstrated the Mir-2 computer model he had developed.

A multinational group of scientists led by D. Meadows, slightly changing the Forrestoration model, created the “World-3” computer model, with the help of which the development trends of the modern world were examined. The results of this research were published in the United States in 1972 in the form of the first report to the Club of Rome, entitled "The Limits to Growth."

The work “The Limits to Growth” has become one of the most popular publications in the West. It caused a strong reaction, because... experiments with the Mir-3 model revealed the prospect of a global catastrophe if humanity does not change its development trends.

In October 1974, the second report to the Club of Rome was presented and discussed in West Berlin. It is known as the “Survival Strategy” and is the result of the work of two groups of scientists who conducted research under the leadership of M. Mesarovic (USA) and E. Pestel (Germany). They came to the conclusion that if existing trends in global development continue, a whole series of regional catastrophes are inevitable, which will occur much earlier than the scientists of D. Meadows’ group expected. The “survival strategy” consists of the transition to “organic growth” - the differentiated development of various parts of the world system, as a result of which the balanced development of all humanity is achieved.

The third report, “Revisiting the International Order,” was completed in 1975 by a group of scientists led by the Dutch economist Nobel Prize winner J. Tinbergen. The analysis of the state of humanity was carried out in terms of identifying sharp contrasts and contradictions in the modern world: differences between rich and poor countries were noted, changes taking place in the economies of individual countries, in trade and financial relations between different states were described, a conclusion was made about the need to implement international reforms in order to ensuring “the dignity and well-being of everyone.”

The authors call for the creation of a “new international order”, within which, in their opinion, “humanistic socialism” is possible, promoting the preservation of the environment, the achievement of universal equality, and the assimilation and processing of the cultural values ​​of humanity. With the publication of this report, the third stage in the evolution of the Club of Rome opens, characterized by two features: first, the study of a wide range of global problems in their scientific, technical, socio-economic and cultural aspects, which was not typical for the first and second reports to the Club of Rome; secondly, using mainly qualitative analysis of the prospects for human development.

The fourth report, “Beyond the Age of Waste,” 1976, reflects the results of a study of the planet’s natural resources, carried out under the leadership of the English physicist Nobel Prize laureate D. Gabor.

The purpose of the fourth report was to study the scientific and technical potential of the world and the possibilities of using it to solve energy, raw materials and food problems.

The authors of the report came to the conclusion that the limits of economic growth and the development of human activity, difficulties and problems associated with the use of energy, raw materials and food resources are determined not so much by limited scientific and technical potential, but by the social institutions that currently exist at the international and national levels. A practical reorientation in the activities of mankind can be achieved, in their opinion, only if appropriate social conditions for people’s lives are created and a new, “mature society” is built, capable of ensuring an improvement in the “quality of life” of all inhabitants of the planet and a reasonable human attitude to nature, without disturbing the harmony in the world.

The fifth report “Goals for Humanity”, presented to the Club of Rome in 1977, written under the leadership of the American philosopher, UN Research Institute employee E. Laszlo, is devoted to the analysis of the “world atlas of modern goals”, considered at two levels - national and transnational. The report details the goals of various countries, multinational corporations, the United Nations, the International Labor Organization, the World Council of Churches and the Roman Catholic Church.

The conclusion reached by the authors of the report is clear: it is necessary to reorient organizations, corporations, countries, nations and states towards “global goals”, the achievement of which involves the implementation of a “revolution of world solidarity”. With the completion of this revolution, according to the authors of the report, the prerequisites should be in place for the establishment of a “community of global solidarity” that would help meet humanity’s needs for security, food supply, reasonable use of energy and natural resources, and continued development aimed at improving the “quality of life” of every person and the well-being of all people on earth.

In 1976, the sixth report was published - “Energy: counting down”, prepared by the French researcher, professor at the National School of Arts and Crafts T. Montbrial. The report is devoted to the consideration of the contradictions between humanity's needs for energy resources and the possibilities of meeting them, caused by acute economic, social and political problems. The sixth report stated the possibility of a “second energy crisis” and the importance of taking all necessary measures to ensure that humanity does not end up on this edge.

The seventh report to the Club of Rome - the book “There are no limits to learning” in 1979, prepared by a group of authors consisting of: J. Botkin, M. Elmanjra and M. Malitsa - is devoted to the promising problems of public education, which, according to the authors, can significantly reduce the gap in the level of culture people of various social groups, countries and regions of the world. The authors believe that the existing system of public education, if we talk about a global scale, has become anachronistic, unable to contribute to solving the most difficult problems facing humanity, and, above all, to contribute to the accelerated progress of the economy and culture of the liberated countries. They recommend radically reforming the public education system, focusing it on the pressing modern problems of humanity, on understanding the global nature of these problems, and at the same time seriously improving the learning process by introducing new, more progressive methods.

The eighth report, “Third World: Three Quarters of the World,” was prepared in 1980 by one of the members of the executive committee of the Club of Rome, the French economist M. Guernier. It attempts to understand the historical forms of economic and cultural development in the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The report calls for the implementation of “alternative development paths” that involve developing countries towards self-sufficiency, which includes, in particular, the reorganization of agriculture based on the principle of decentralization. The prospects for the development of humanity as a whole are viewed from the angle of the need to take care of the planet’s natural resources and jointly solve pressing problems of our time, including ending the arms race and wise use of scientific and technological achievements. The author believes that at present there is no “choice between capitalism and socialism,” since the world catastrophe predicted by many Western theorists “can only be avoided together.”

The ninth report, “Dialogue on Wealth and Welfare,” also prepared in 1980 with the help of a research group by Italian economist O. Giarini, is an attempt to create a new theory of political economy with a complete revision of all previous economic teachings, including Marxist. The author’s concept is based on the thesis that with the development of the economy and culture, humanity has to reckon not only with the “inheritance” - the features of social production, but also with the “dowry” - the scale and nature of non-renewable natural resources. From this he concludes that further development of the economy without taking into account environmental consequences is fraught with disaster, and recommends combining political economy and social ecology into a single scientific discipline, learning to take into account not only the financial side of production, but also natural resources, which often cannot be assessed financially.

The tenth report, “Routes Leading to the Future,” prepared by the director of the International Institute of Management B. Gavrilishin in 1980, marks a new stage in the theoretical activities of the Club of Rome. This stage is characterized by the desire of representatives of this organization to move on to the analysis of the socio-political institutions of social systems existing in the world.

Thirty-second report “Limits to growth. 30 years later" was released in 2004 and. As the title implies, this monograph is a direct development of the famous “Report to the Club of Rome” of 1972. Over the past three decades, the authors have acquired many new facts, developed more complex and sophisticated mathematical models, and the progress of information technology has provided them with greater computing power.

As in the original book, the main idea is that for the existing development model with its relatively rapid growth of all indicators, it will be natural to limit the capabilities of the biosphere and other earthly shells.

Initially, it was assumed that humanity still had about half a century left before growth ceased. Already in the second edition of the book (Beyond Growth, 1992), the authors had to adjust their point of view in a pessimistic direction.

For some indicators, growth limits have already been reached, for others they will be reached in the near future. The rate of loss of agricultural land is accelerating. The situation with fresh water is also getting worse. Much attention is paid to economic regulatory mechanisms and their inability to manage development on a global scale is shown. The inability of governments at the global level to resist the deterioration of the situation in an organized manner and promote the transition to sustainable development is stated. An assessment is made of the development of technologies and their ability to prevent the development of the situation according to pessimistic forecasts.

Chapter 7.

Conclusion

The activities of the Club of Rome played a huge role in the development of global studies in general and in the formation of modern views on sustainable development, in particular, the very creation of the Club of Rome, as well as other similar organizations, was due to the emergence and aggravation of global problems. However, the Club of Rome became the first organization to study not only global problems, but also their connections with each other. Based on the idea of ​​the interdependence of global problems, the most famous work of the Club of Rome, the report “The Limits to Growth,” was created. The appearance of this report became a whole stage in the development of global studies and global forecasting. Despite the fact that the authors of the report did not take into account the influence of socio-economic factors on the development and interaction of global problems, they managed to achieve the main goal. The most important results of the publication of the report include the beginning of a discussion about global problems and a surge of interest in global issues among educated people in Western countries.

Work in the field of global modeling, construction of the first computer models of the world, criticism of the negative trends of Western civilization, debunking the technocratic myth of economic growth as the most effective means of solving all problems, searching for ways to humanize man and the world, condemning the arms race, calling on the world community to join forces, to stop ethnic strife, preserve the environment, increase people's well-being and improve the environment, increase people's well-being and improve the quality of life - all this constitutes the positive aspects of the activities of the Club of Rome, which attracted the attention of progressive scientists, politicians, and government officials.

The implementation of the concept of sustainable development today is accepted as the main path of human development in the future. The authors of the concept managed to combine the proposed measures to resolve global problems with the ideals of humanism. But it should be noted that this concept, like all those that preceded it, has certain shortcomings, the main one of which is the impossibility of implementing some of its provisions in practice in modern economic and political conditions. However, despite the utopian nature of certain provisions of the concept of sustainable development, humanity must strive for its implementation in order to preserve the Earth not only for the living, but also for future generations.

The position of A. Peccei and the entire Club of Rome on bridging the gap in development between individual countries by limiting industrial growth was sharply criticized. She was too utopian in her assessment of the readiness of industrialized countries to limit and restrain their economic potential. However, the ideas of A. Peccei about regulating the entire process of change in the world in accordance with the essential interests of man became the most important in the further activities of the Club of Rome.

During the work, it became clear that the arsenal of ways to solve global environmental problems proposed by the Club of Rome includes options of a political nature. Naturally, the ways they propose to solve environmental problems are based on ideological concepts of cosmopolitanism. Thus, the Club of Rome believes that a one world state or one world government would be able to take responsibility for solving and controlling all modern global problems.

The theorists of the Club of Rome place the main emphasis on solving global problems on strengthening international cooperation of all countries. Naturally, following the path of development and strengthening of international cooperation is the most realistic way of practical implementation and solution of the problems facing modern humanity. However, such international cooperation should exclude the imperial policy of more developed countries in relation to less developed ones. It is no secret that even today international trade redistributes global resources in such a way that the primacy of countries becomes especially noticeable. Often unprofitable production is transferred to less developed countries under the guise of assistance, energy resources are pumped out of them, and in return weapons are offered at a very high price. Another form of exploitation of lagging countries is practiced, such as dumping hazardous waste from the chemical and nuclear industries on their territory in exchange for financial assistance.

It is obvious that we will not be able to get to the very roots of the true problems of our planet, which have become global, and therefore common problems and equally concern all humanity, if we focus only on the symptoms and consequences of these problems or consider only the most immediate and urgent ones. them, that is, those that are most noticeable to the average person and to all of us. This technique is widely used in the political game, but if we do not abandon it, we will constantly get out of one crisis only to immediately end up in another. The only way to avoid this is to connect all the deepest and most dangerous problems with each other and try to understand their origins - which are often very far from reality - and only then, having the courage to expose the reasons that caused them, and think about how to eliminate them in the future. come what may.

To take care of difficulties and problems of a national or local nature, there are many officials, various kinds of institutions, organizations, proven means and established mechanisms. But no one, in essence, bears or feels responsible for the state of the whole world, and perhaps this is one of the reasons why things are getting worse in it. There is no one to take care of the world, and, therefore, no one wants to do more for it than others, however, taking advantage of the current situation, everyone tries to surpass the others. The entire planet is a typical example of what Garrett Hardin called the tragedy of the commons. The lot of what belongs to everyone at once is difficult: everyone tries to use it more or earlier than others, without caring in the least about respecting common interests.

Also, from the work done, it became clear that in addition to its main activities, the Club of Rome contributed to the creation of small local groups in a number of countries, excited minds, and encouraged people to follow their example.

The club helped spread many important ideas among people, and thanks to it, the movement for a better world gained strength and direction. Looking into the future and trying to imagine the Club of Rome and its role in solving future problems, one can assume that it will remain at the height of the tasks facing it, and will find ways to intelligently and usefully participate in solving them.

Chapter 8.

Literature

Balabaeva Z.V. The ideology of social globalism: a critical analysis of the doctrine of the Club of Rome. Kyiv, 1989

Gvishiani D.M. Roman Club. History of creation, selected reports and speeches, official materials.. M., URSS, 1997.

Gvishiani D. M. Science and global problems of our time // Questions of Philosophy, 1981, No. 3.

Zenovich E.S. Dictionary of foreign words and expressions. M., 1998

Ignatiev V.N. The problem of man and “world problems” // Questions of Philosophy, 1981, No. 3.

Kapitsa P. L. Scientific and social approach to solving global problems // Questions of Philosophy, 1977, No. 1.

Kapitsa S.P. Information society and demographic revolution. M., 2001

King A., Schneider B., The First Global Revolution. Report of the Club of Rome. M., 1991

Leibin V.M. Models of the world and the image of man. M., 1982

Meadows D.L. Limits to growth. M., 1988

Pestel E. Beyond growth…. M., 1988

Peccei A. Human qualities. M., 1980

Tinbergen J., Trans.: Bonk I.A., Revisiting the international order. M., 1980

Forrester D.W. World dynamics. M., 1978

Co-optation (lat.) - self-replenishment by any assembly of its composition, the selection of new members by members of the assembly.

Establishment (from the English Establishment - “establishment”, “foundation”) - those in power, ruling circles, political elite.

Garrett Hardin (1915–2003) - ecologist, professor at the University of California (Santa Barbara).

ROMAN CLUB (Club of Rome) is an international non-governmental organization whose activities are aimed at stimulating the study of global problems. Founded in 1968 by Italian manager and public figure A. Peccei.

Rice. 1. TYPOLOGY OF GLOBAL PROBLEMS OF MODERN TIME

Global problems are complex in nature, tightly intertwined with each other. With a certain degree of convention, two main blocks can be distinguished (Fig. 1):

1) problems associated with the contradiction between society and the environment (the “society-nature” system);

2) social problems associated with contradictions within society (the “person – society” system).

The listed problems matured asynchronously. The English economist T. Malthus back in the early 19th century. concluded that there is a danger of excessive population growth. After 1945, the threat of the development of weapons of mass destruction became obvious. The gap between the world at the forefront of the “rich North” and the backward “poor South” was recognized as a problem only in the last third of the 20th century. The problem of international organized crime became acute only at the end of the 20th century.

Nevertheless, it is correct to consider the mid-20th century as the moment of birth of global problems. It was during this period that two processes unfolded, which seem to be the main root causes of modern global problems. The first process is the globalization of socio-economic and political life, based on the formation of a relatively unified world economy. The second is the development of the scientific and technological revolution (STR), which has multiplied manifold all human capabilities, including self-destruction. It is as these processes operate that problems that previously remained local become global. For example, the danger of overpopulation affected all countries when waves of migrants from developing countries poured into developed countries, and the governments of these countries began to demand a “new international order” - free aid as payment for the “sins” of the colonial past.

The Club of Rome played a primary role in recognizing global problems and finding ways to solve them.

Organization of the activities of the Club of Rome. The Club began its activities in 1968 with a meeting at the Accademia Dei Lincei in Rome, from where the name of this non-profit organization came. Its headquarters are located in Paris.

The Club of Rome has no staff or formal budget. Its activities are coordinated by an executive committee consisting of 12 people. The post of club president was successively held by A. Peccei, A. King (1984–1991) and R. Diez-Hochleitner (since 1991).

According to the rules, no more than 100 people from different countries of the world can be active members of the Club. Among the Club members, scientists and politicians from developed countries predominate. In addition to full members, there are honorary and associate members.

The work of the Club of Rome is facilitated by more than 30 national associations of the Club of Rome, which promote the concepts of the club in their countries.

In the early 2000s, Russia is represented in the Club by three people: an honorary member of the club is M. Gorbachev, full members are D. Gvishiani and S. Kapitsa. Previously, members of the Club were E.K. Fedorov, E.M. Primakov and Ch. Aitmatov. In 1989, the Association for Assistance to the Club of Rome was created in the USSR; after the collapse of the USSR, it was reformed into the Russian Association for Assistance to the Club of Rome (president - D.V. Gvishiani).

The main “product” of the Club’s activities are its reports on priority global problems and ways to solve them. At the request of the Club of Rome, prominent scientists prepared more than 30 reports (Table). In addition, in 1991, the leaders of the Club prepared the first report on behalf of the Club of Rome itself - “The First Global Revolution”.

Table. ANALYTICAL MATERIALS DEVELOPED UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE CLUB OF ROME
Year	Titles	Developers
1972	Limits to growth	D. Meadows et al.
1974	Humanity is at a turning point	M. Mesarovic and E. Pestel
1975	Redefining the international order	J. Tinbergen
1976	Beyond the age of waste	D. Garbor et al.
1977	Goals for humanity	E. Laszlo et al.
1978	Energy: Countdown	T. Montbrial
1979	There are no limits to learning	J. Botkin, E. Elmanjra, M. Malitsa
1980	Third World: Three Quarters of the World	M.Gernier
1980	Dialogue on Wealth and Prosperity	O.Jiriani
1980	Routes leading to the future	B. Gavrylyshyn
1981	Imperatives of cooperation between North and South	J. Saint-Jour
1982	Microelectronics and society	G. Friedrichs, A. Schaff
1984	The third world is capable of feeding itself	R. Lenoir
1986	The future of the oceans	E. Mann-Borgese
1988	Barefoot Revolution	B. Schneider
1988	Beyond growth	E. Pestel
1989	Limits of desolation	O. Giarini, V. Ciel
1989	Africa overcoming hunger	A. Lemma, P. Malaska
1991	First global revolution	A. King, B. Schneider
1994	Ability to manage	E. Dror
1995	Scandal and shame: poverty and underdevelopment	B. Schneider
1995	Taking nature into account: towards a national income that promotes life	W. Van Dieren
1997	Factor four: double the wealth, double the savings	E. Weizsäcker, E. Lovins, L. Lovins
1997	The Limits of Social Cohesion: Conflict and Understanding in a Pluralistic Society	P. Berger
1998	How should we work	O. Giarini, P. Liedtke
1998	Managing the seas as a global resource	E. Mann-Borgese
1999	On the Net: A Hypothetical Society	J.-L. Cebrian
2000	Humanity wins	R.Mon
2001	Information society and demographic revolution	S. Kapitsa
2002	Art makes you think	F. Fester
2003	The double helix of learning and working	O. Giarini, M. Malitsa
2004	Limits to growth – 30 years later	D. Meadows et al.
2005	Limits of privatization	E.Weizsäcker

The methods of neoclassical economic theory, which is dominant in economic science and based on the principle of rational individualism, seem to Club members to be ineffective for understanding these problems. His research widely uses computer modeling and institutional methodology, based on an interdisciplinary approach and primary attention to institutions - organizations and cultural values. The concept of synergetics proposed by I. Prigogine (a full member of the Club) - a systemic analysis of complex phenomena, elements - has had a great influence on the development of the theory of global studies. which are interconnected by numerous interdependencies.

If initially the Club of Rome focused on the contradictions between society and nature, then it began to give priority to social problems.

The peak of the Club of Rome's influence on world public opinion occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. Under the influence of his activities, global studies emerged as an interdisciplinary social science discipline. In the 1990–2000s, the ideas of global studies entered scientific culture, but the activity of the Club of Rome and public attention to it dropped noticeably. Having fulfilled its role as a “leader” in the study of global problems of our time, the Club of Rome has become one of many international organizations coordinating the exchange of views between intellectuals on pressing issues of our time.

Analysis by the Club of Rome of global problems in the “society – nature” system. The severity of global problems associated with contradictions between society and the environment is due to their connection with the security of earthly civilization. Modern highly developed technological civilization has lost the ability to self-regenerate that more primitive ancient and medieval societies possessed. If it collapses as a result of some cataclysm, it will be almost impossible to restore it. Even if humanity survives, it will not be able to return to the “Iron Age”, since most reserves of basic minerals have already been depleted to such an extent that complex technologies requiring metal-intensive equipment will be required to extract them. If the current “world of technology” dies, the new civilization can only be agricultural, but will never become industrial.

It was with the analysis of the relationship between society and the environment that the work of the Club of Rome began. The initial work at the Club's suggestion was carried out by the American computer modeling specialist J. Forrester. The results of his research, published in the book World Dynamics (1971), showed that the continuation of the previous rates of consumption of natural resources will lead to a worldwide environmental disaster in the 2020s.

The report to the Club of Rome, Limits to Growth (1972), created under the leadership of the American systems research specialist D. Meadows, continued and deepened the work of J. Forrester. This report gained a reputation as a scientific bestseller, it was translated into several dozen languages, and its very name became a household word.

The authors of this report, the most famous published by the Club of Rome, developed several models based on extrapolation of observed trends in population growth and depletion of known natural resources.

According to the standard model, if no qualitative changes occur, then at the beginning of the 21st century. First, there will be a sharp decline in per capita industrial production, and then in the global population (Fig. 2). Even if the amount of resources doubles, the global crisis will only be pushed back until about the middle of the 21st century. (Fig. 3). The only way out of the catastrophic situation was seen as a transition to development planned on a global scale according to the global equilibrium model (in fact, “zero growth”), that is, the conscious conservation of industrial production and population (Fig. 4).