In its response to the Commission’s public consultation on the Circular Economy Act, the Taskforce on Materials and Consumption are calling for the Commission to adopt a demand-focused approach to the management of critical resources. At a time of growing geopolitical and economic pressures, the group argues that cutting demand for natural resources is essential not only to meet climate and nature goals, but also to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and security.

The briefing, titled Securing Europe’s Future through a Just & Competitive Circular Economy, sets out three key recommendations for the Circular Economy Act:

1. Establish material footprint targets: Set EU-wide material footprint reduction targets by 2028 to ensure resource use stays within planetary boundaries.
2. Prioritise resource efficiency of key provisioning systems: Shift from recycling and product-based strategies to investment in the transformation of housing, food, mobility and energy systems – responsible for an estimated 90% of global material use.
3. Champion international governance for resource use: To address rising geopolitical tensions and growing global uncertainty, the EU should champion a fair, transparent, and rules-based global governance framework for resource use, ensuring a just transition globally.

While recognising existing EU efforts, the Taskforce warns that without ambitious policies that fundamentally reset the priorities and direction of the economy, the EU risks missing its climate targets and forfeiting opportunities for innovation, competitiveness, and social equity.

“Current EU policy has laid important groundwork, but it remains fragmented and overly focused on recycling and waste management. Without addressing material demand and system-level drivers of resource use, the transformation to a truly regenerative circular economy will remain incomplete,” said taskforce co-chair Anders Wijkman, Honorary President of The Club of Rome.

The experts highlight that material extraction and processing are responsible for over 90% of land-related biodiversity loss and more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions. Europe – which currently imports more than twice the weight of materials than it exports – has a strategic interest in reducing its resource dependency while ensuring its economic model is compatible with climate goals.

“We have now had over 10 years of lessons about what does not work regarding the circular economy as it is currently being implemented. The upcoming Circular Economy Act is an opportunity to get it right, and for the EU to pioneer a truly innovative approach to resource management,” said co-chair Lewis Akenji, executive director of the Hot or Cool Institute. “By embedding material footprint targets and a justice-based approach to resource governance in its strategy, Europe can set a global precedent for how to achieve prosperity and citizen wellbeing within planetary boundaries.”

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With 56 armed conflicts currently active, global military spending exceeding $2.3 trillion and the escalating threats of AI-driven warfare and climate collapse, the report asserts that traditional, war-centric models of peace are dangerously obsolete. In many cases, the very systems designed to promote peace instead reinforce entrenched power imbalances and exacerbate tensions.

At the heart of the report lies the concept of planetary peace, a dynamic, regenerative force rooted in justice, sustainability and global cooperation. Rather than addressing the symptoms of insecurity, this vision targets its structural causes: ecological degradation, extractive and exploitative economic systems, technological misuse and the enduring legacies of colonialism.

“Planetary peace invites us to redefine security for a world of deep interdependence,” says Paul Shrivastava, co-author and co-president of The Club of Rome. “It’s about creating the conditions for people, communities and ecosystems to thrive, not just survive. This is an opportunity to replace fear with trust, competition with collaboration and extraction with regeneration.”

The report positions peace as an active, systems-based process that centres the wellbeing of people, planet and future generations. It calls for long-term global cooperation that prioritises regeneration over depletion, equity over domination and collective flourishing over individual gain.

This vision also emphasises the essential roles of youth leadership, intergenerational dialogue and the integration of diverse knowledge systems, including science, indigenous wisdom and systems thinking, in shaping sustainable and peaceful futures.

“Planetary peace is not just about avoiding conflict,” adds co-author and Secretary General of The Club of Rome, Carlos Álvarez Pereira. “It’s about creating the conditions for people and planet to flourish together, through just economies, inclusive governance and a renewed relationship with the Earth.” 

The report argues that the current peace architecture, largely shaped by a few dominant powers in the post-World War II era, is no longer fit for purpose. A post-hegemonic, pluriversal future is needed, one that embraces diverse worldviews, rebalances global power structures and cultivates harmony between humanity and nature.

The report Planetary Peace for Human Security: Responses to Existential Risks in the Anthropocene provides suggestions for how to catalyse holistic transformation across economic, political, cultural and technological systems in service of planetary peace, and the authors invite governments, civil society, business, academia and young people to join this initiative to co-create a world where peace is not only possible, but essential.

Momentum is already building through collaborations with partners such as the Elders for Peace, the World Academy of Art and Science and Kyung Hee University. These alliances bring together expertise in peace diplomacy, education and systems thinking, reflecting a shared commitment to tackling existential risks and creating the conditions for a regenerative, peaceful future.

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The report titled Transforming the Built Environment presents a framework to help cities move beyond merely improving existing systems, guiding them toward a new solution space where transformative policies and strategies can emerge and be effectively implemented.

“Cities are trapped in the pursuit of sustainable parts or sectors, based on the misleading assumption that the sum of the parts can lead to a sustainable whole. We need to fundamentally rethink the policies, values and narratives guiding urban development, focusing less on the elements and more on the interactions; so that we can effectively reorganise our urban systems in ways that provide services and produce places for people and planet to thrive” said Aimée Aguilar Jaber, lead author and programmes director at the Hot or Cool Institute.

According to the report, decision-making for cities and the built environment often reinforces inequality, environmental degradation and social disconnection. Cities are too often treated as machines built for efficiency, rather than as urban systems where different elements – buildings, transport infrastructure, public spaces and ecosystems interact; shaping the spaces where people live, work and engage.

Including input from urban policy and planning experts, the report finds that disjointed, reactive city planning, with short-term profit motives as the dominant force, is locking cities into carbon-intensive infrastructures and widening social divides.

The report argues that adopting a systems-based approach represents a critical shift in mindset, one that is essential for driving deep, large-scale transformation. This approach reveals overlooked opportunities to reshape the core interactions and functions within urban systems, while also shifting the focus from sector-specific means, such as mobility housing and infrastructure to broader end goals like access to services, opportunities and healthy living environments.

It also stresses the importance of enabling local ownership and building shared visions that reflect a more integrated understanding of the social, economic and environmental challenges cities face. By doing so, the report suggests, new models for sustainable urban living can take root in communities and gain the support needed to scale effectively.

Case studies from Barcelona, the UK and Ireland are featured, illustrating how a holistic approach can lead to transformative change and how the tools offered by systems thinking can be used in practice. These real-world examples show this can not only deepen understanding but also yield tangible outcomes, improving quality of life and reducing environmental impact.

“Our report has shown that systems thinking is not just a theoretical concept, it’s a practical tool for transforming urban landscapes. To help cities put theory into practice, we are proposing a follow-up initiative to support local governments to adopt this approach, strengthening collaboration across sectors and bringing citizens on board for driving the deep, structural changes needed to create sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban futures”, says Laetitia Mairlot, author and programme manager at The Club of Rome.

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To deprive a population of food, water, shelter and safety is to destroy more than bodies and minds; it is to assault hope, memory and future. Such acts, committed in full view of the world, amount to a crime against humanity—a genocide not only of a people, but of our shared humanity. All of us around the world, and for generations to come are impacted.

The normalisation of the massacre of children—their bodies and minds broken, their humanity denied, their names unspoken, their deaths dismissed as collateral—is among the most terrifying markers of this descent into moral abyss. When the world grows accustomed to the sight of lifeless children pulled from rubble, burned alive, shredded into pieces, it is not only lives that are lost, but the very soul of our shared humanity.

This is not a political crisis. It is a moral catastrophe. A degeneration of human decency. If the international community fails to respond with principled urgency, it sanctions the erasure of the fundamental values and existential principles of life that bind us as human beings. Immorality should never be justified by any political or religious ideology, nor fuelled by the financial greed of those who provide the financial and material means. This is the curse that led to the horrors of the 20th century.

We call on all people of conscience, institutions of law and bodies of governance national and international to name this horror for what it is: a genocide—and to act accordingly, without delay, without excuse, without fear and without equivocation.

We demand urgent action.
We demand full protection for the people of Gaza.
We demand immediate ceasefire and the opening of every available border crossing for humanitarian transports.
We demand freedom of access for all Palestinians to the places where they live.
We also demand the immediate release of all hostages, and we want to reach out to the people in Israel in their need for safety and to them who want to stop this madness and bring it back to a human dialogue on all levels.
We demand accountability for those committing and supporting these crimes, along the principles of the International Court of Justice.
We demand Israel to live up to the UN resolutions.
We call for a lasting peace built on the solution of two states.
For the sake of all children.
For the sake of our shared humanity.

Signatories: Paul Shrivastava, Silvia Zimmermann del Castillo, Carlos Álvarez Pereira, Ugo Bardi, Peter Blom, Julia Kim, Christopher Mbanefo, Yi-Heng Cheng, Hunter Lovins, Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Mamphela Ramphele,  Anders Wijkman, Jude Currivan, Kate E Pickett, Mariana Bozesan, Tomas Björkman, Supriya Singh, Nebojsa Neskovic, Walter R. Stahel, Karima Kadaoui, Christian Berg, Per Espen Stoknes, Jaume Lanaspa, Ryan Jackson, Penelope Shihab Saidan, Morne Mostert, Friedrich “Fritz” Hinterberger, Mark McGuffie, Joerg Geier, Katherine Trebeck, John Fullerton, Charly Kleissner, Chandran Nair, Helmy Abouleish, Fred Dubee, Peter Hennicke, Jeremy Lent, Kerryn Higgs, F. J. Radermacher, Petra Kuenkel, Sharan Burrow, Gianfranco Bologna, Yoshitsugu Hayashi, Jayati Ghosh, Stefan Brunnhuber, Gaya Herrington, Mathis Wackernagel, Runa Khan, Mojib Latif, Anne Snick, Charalambos Mavreidopoulos, Lesley Green, Herbert Girardet, Arnaud Apoteker, Otto Scharmer, Edward W (Ted) Manning.

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This call is part of the activities that The Club of Rome is developing to promote Planetary Peace, a demanding vision that goes beyond the absence of military violence to address the systemic roots of wars among humans and with nature. 
It intends to overcome the frameworks of whatever grounding (ideological, religious, economic, or otherwise) that have been feeding exploitation, extraction and supremacy over others, and hijacking our shared values and moral dignity. This is a call for the emergence of a new realisation of our humanity, at peace with ourselves, others and the Earth. 

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With the world facing growing pressures from resource scarcity, environmental degradation, accelerating climate change and geopolitical tensions, the taskforce recognises that materials and consumption lie at the heart of many interconnected crises. From the escalating demand for critical minerals to the impact of supply chains on climate change and social inequalities, addressing these issues is essential to building a sustainable and resilient future.

Aims of the taskforce:

• Shifting the narrative: Moving beyond surface-level discussions to provide a nuanced understanding of the broader economic, environmental, and social impacts of material use.
• Setting science-based targets: Developing measurable, science-based material use targets to guide policy design and drive meaningful change.
• Strengthening governance: Advancing robust policy frameworks for sustainable material use, ensuring that policies are not only ambitious but also actionable. The objective will be – at last – to integrate the use of natural resources into the economic model guiding us.
• Mobilising collaboration: Establishing a collaborative engagement and communications framework to mobilise partners and amplify impact.

The taskforce draws on the expertise of members of the Club of Rome and Hot or Cool Institute, in collaboration with Earth4All Initiative, members of the International Resource Panel, Wuppertal Institute, and other organisations. The taskforce is co-chaired by Lewis Akenji, Executive Director of Hot of Cool Institute and Anders Wijkman, Honorary President of The Club of Rome.

“The urgent need to rethink how we use and manage materials cannot be overstated. At the core of the challenges we face is conventional economics – which, to put it bluntly, is nature blind. By convening experts and developing science-based targets, this taskforce will help create pathways to reduce our resource footprint while ensuring social equity and economic resilience. It’s about transforming our approach to consumption and production.” Commented Anders Wijkman.

Lewis Akenji added: “The security of our collective wellbeing is at stake if we continue with this global economic system that is extractive by design; the way we consume materials, beyond the regenerative capacity of the planet, lies at the core of that problem. This taskforce aims to reframe the broader socio-technical context that drives overconsumption, develop actionable targets for resource use, and create a roadmap for achieving the SDGs within ecological limits. We need to address these challenges head-on if we want to achieve lasting environmental and social progress.”

Taskforce members have now embarked on producing guidelines that will serve as a critical resource for policymakers, businesses, and civil society, providing an in-depth analysis of materials and consumption and offering practical solutions for a more resource-secure future. It will draw on insights from recent reports like Global Resources Outlook 2024, 1.5-Degree Lifestyles report, and From Data to Decisions: Material Footprints in European Policy Making, weaving together a roadmap for sustainable resource use that addresses economic, environmental, and social dimensions.

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This conflict is not an isolated event, but a symptom of the deeper crises that afflict our global civilisation in the Anthropocene. The root causes of war are complex and intertwined, they are driven by the insane quest for supremacy of some humans over their brothers and sisters, and they involve political, economic, social, cultural, and psychological factors, as well as the pressures of population growth, resource depletion, climate change and environmental degradation. These challenges require systemic and holistic responses, not military interventions that bring us back to the darkest side of our souls and only exacerbate the problems, while creating new ones and the conditions for the perpetuation of violence during generations to come.

The new report to The Club of Rome: Enduring peace in the Anthropocene is a collection of essays from members exploring the potential and limitations for humanity to learn from the nefarious consequences of its actions and start creating the conditions for peace among humans and with the planet. It calls for a radical transformation of our values, institutions, and behaviours towards a culture of cooperation, compassion, and care for all life on Earth.

“There is an urgent need to discover and create global conditions, institutions and human consciousness that will create lasting peace,” says Paul Shrivastava, co-president of The Club of Rome.

Instead of presenting a unified voice or a single statement, the report invites many members of The Club of Rome to express their own views and concerns on peace and war, so that the diversity of voices can reflect the richness and complexity of viewpoints and open up space for dialogue and learning.

“Peace is not just the absence of wars,” says Carlos Alvarez Pereira, secretary general of The Club of Rome. “Peace in the Anthropocene is the continual transformation of life systems (both natural and social), building peaceful foundations that facilitate humans and other species to thrive.”

The publication hopes to inspire and encourage more people to join the conversation and to take action for peace in their own contexts and capacities. It is a step towards a more comprehensive and impactful programme of activities on planetary peace in the Anthropocene, contributing to the global dialogue and action for a peaceful and sustainable future.

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Titled How Intergenerational Leadership Unlocks Innovation and Sustainability in Business, the report outlines how the widening age gap in corporate leadership—where the average CEO is 56.8 years old while the global workforce median age is 39.6—risks holding back progress. It argues that involving younger generations meaningfully in decision-making across all levels of an organisation creates forward-thinking institutions that are more responsive to the complex challenges facing the world today, while also ensuring long-term sustainability.

“As we look to build a more just, sustainable, and prosperous future, the inclusion of younger generations in decision-making is a strategic imperative,” said Felipe Paullier, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, United Nations Youth Office. “From my vantage point within the UN, I’ve seen how intergenerational leadership can strengthen institutions’ ability to navigate complexity and drive meaningful change. Businesses that explore similar approaches may find new pathways to resilience and long-term advantage.”

The report identifies five key benefits of intergenerational leadership: greater empathy with employees and customers, longer-term strategic thinking, disruption of outdated practices, creative problem-solving through generational diversity, and enhanced governance and accountability.

To help organisations take action, the report outlines three practical approaches:
Consultation – through mechanisms such as reverse mentoring and youth advisory boards;
Co-leadership – integrating younger voices directly into decision-making structures; and
Embedding – building intergenerational collaboration into organisational strategy, structure, and culture.
Drawing on research and real-world examples, the report shows that businesses that embrace intergenerational leadership can better navigate complexity, drive innovation, and deliver on sustainability goals—unlocking value for people, planet and profit.
“This report challenges the outdated notion that leadership must come with age,” said Nolita Thina Mvunelo, Programme Manager at The Club of Rome and a co-author of the report. “True resilience in business will come from the courage to reimagine decision-making as a space where wisdom and fresh insight meet.”

Felix Rüdiger, Head Content & Research of the St. Gallen Symposium and co-author, added: “In our current times of rapid change, businesses need to update previous, increasingly obsolete assumptions about how the world works. Intergenerational leadership can be a source of much-needed new thinking and agility.”

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The two organisations initiated in 2024 different activities focused on war and peace, and have now agreed to exchange and develop synergies. The collaboration is starting with joint work on the implementation of the Global Peace Offensive, a dialogue-driven peace-building approach initiated by the World Academy of Art and Science and spearheaded by the academic community across civil society. Its timeliness is compelling given the heightened political polarisation and violence, the failure of global leadership to address such challenges, and the ongoing surge of social movements, youth groups and individuals that seek alternative solutions to a political discourse dominated by armed conflicts, fear and hegemonic threats.   

The Global Peace Offensive, through citizens´ diplomacy and peace building initiatives, intends to support peace efforts worldwide. Its approach has already been embraced by the European Academy for Sciences and Arts and it’s now gaining traction across a large range of stakeholder groups.  

The Club of Rome and the World Academy of Art and Science have decided to activate a joint working group that will focus on studying solutions based on: 1) Localised initiatives leading to de-escalation, and issue-specific solutions; 2) Partnership development and trust-building: 3) Iterative processes of systemic analysis and dialogue facilitation. 

The two organisations will build and maintain a roster of interdisciplinary scientific and cultural advisers that will be able to provide on-call expertise in all crisis situations. The nucleus of this team includes senior specialists available to support peace processes, when need be.  

It is anticipated that a repository of solutions in different contexts will be made available to inspire adaptation and replication, forming basis for real-time learning and problem-solving. 

The initiative seeks to mobilise an intergenerational and cross-cultural ‘coming together’ which few other peace-building initiatives currently manage to actualise.  

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Today, we face multiple existential threats, including climate change, biodiversity loss, social inequalities, and geopolitical tensions. To tackle these challenges, we must change how we think and learn. The Club of Rome, The Fifth Element, and WEEC Network have launched No Limits to Hope, a global initiative that aims to inspire educators, learners and citizens to pursue a global shift in learning paradigms to address humanity’s most pressing challenges. 

No Limits to Hope seeks to bridge the “human gap” between knowledge and action and re-examine humanity’s quest for meaning and a good life. Through exploring new collaborative learning and problem-solving methods, the project hopes to catalyse cultural change, facilitate transformative learning, and create new knowledge. 

A call for contributors 

To reach these ambitious objectives, we invite researchers, educators, and practitioners who have explored new learning paradigms and their ability to foster systemic transformation for better futures on both the local and international scales.  

We invite you to submit your research proposals, papers, and case studies by 17 April 2025. Please include: 

• An abstract (250-300 words) summarising your research. 

• A detailed proposal (up to 1500 words) outlining your research questions, methodology, and expected outcomes. 

• A brief biography (up to 150 words) highlighting your relevant experience and expertise. 

We are particularly interested in contributions that address the following questions and themes: 

• What innovative educational practices have you explored or implemented that align with the goals of ‘No Limits to Hope’? 

• How does your research address the challenges of the Anthropocene and the broken relationship between humans and nature? 

• How can your findings empower educators and practitioners to drive systemic change? 

• How do you incorporate traditional knowledge and indigenous wisdom into your research? 

• What are the potential implications of your research for future learning and educational policies?
   

We invite you to join us in making a difference. By contributing to this project, you join a global initiative to help unlock the potential for learning to create a sustainable and equitable future.  

For submissions and inquiries about the ‘No Limits to Hope’ project contact hope@weecnetwork.org 

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