Economic Growth in the Real World – Prof Jorgen Randers

The Cambridge Resilience Forum presents an exciting keynote address by Prof Jorgen Randers entitled ‘Economic Growth in the Real World.

DATE:  Monday 31 January 2011

TIME:  17:00 for 17:30 – 19:00

VENUE: BMW Pavilion, V & A Waterfront, Cape Town

When in 1972 Prof Randers co-authored the seminal book “Limits to Growth” the core debate it sparked was between those who believed that the problems increasingly associated with economic growth could all be solved and those who believed that the problem lay with economic growth itself. Today – and particularly here in Africa – the question that needs answering is “What kind of economic growth is actually possible in a world where biophysical limits are increasingly acknowledged as real and not theoretical?”

Having worked as an academic, policy advisor and company director at the vanguard of sustainable development for almost 40 years, Prof Randers will share his insights into how the world and its limits have changed since their 1972 analysis and the implications of this for economic development in a country like South Africa.

Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership in association with Webber Wentzel would like to invite you to listen to this world-renowned expert share his latest thinking.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jorgen Randers (born 1945) is professor of climate strategy at the Norwegian School of Management, where he works on climate issues and scenario analysis. He lectures internationally on sustainable development, and especially climate, within and outside corporations.

Jorgen Randers is non-executive member of a number of corporate boards in Norway, including the multinational Tomra ASA. He also sits on the “sustainability councils” of British Telecom in the UK and The Dow Chemical Company in the US. Recently he chaired the Commission on Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions which reported in 2006 to the Norwegian cabinet on how Norway can cut is climate gas emissions by two thirds by 2050.

He was formerly President of the Norwegian School of Management 1981 – 89, and Deputy Director General of WWF International (World Wide Fund for Nature) in Switzerland 1994 – 99.

He has authored a number of books and scientific papers, including “The Limits to Growth” (1972) and “Limits to Growth – The 30 Year Update” (2004).

Cancun Unpacked

In January 2010 Investec, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership, hosted a very lively post Copenhagen breakfast to discuss the outcomes of the climate negotiations with an expert panel.

We are delighted to invite you to a similar breakfast where the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun (COP16) will be unpacked by a similarly expert panel.

We will be posing two main questions:

• What progress did Cancun’s COP16 make towards a legally binding international agreement and other subsidiary goals, and what are the implications for the South African economy?
• What have we learned that will shape our planning for South Africa’s hosting of COP17 at the end of 2011?

Date:     Wednesday 2 February 2011
Time:    07:30 for 08:00 – 10:30
Venue:  Auditorium, Investec Sandton (click here for map)

RSVP: Please confirm your attendance and special dietary requirments with Carryn Penhall by Wednesday 19 January 2011

Guest speakers:
Joanne Yawitch: Leader of the SA delegation to Cancun and Deputy Director General, Environmental Quality and Protection at the Department of Environmental Affairs

Richard Worthington: Climate Change Programme Manager, WWF South Africa

Dr Fred Goede: Group Safety, Health and Environment Centre Manager, Sasol

Prof Jorgen Randers: Director of the Centre for Climate Strategy, Norwegian School of Management and faculty member of the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability leadership

This is likely to be one of the benchmark discussions of Cancun’s outcomes within the South African business community. We hope you will join us.