Montpellier Global Days 2024: At the Crossroads of Science and Humanism
As a prelude to the Montpellier Global Days 2024, Carlos Alvarez Pereira gave a public lecture on March 18 titled “From Alarm to Saving the Planet: Science Takes Action.” After 30 years in research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, he is putting his professional expertise and commitment to humanism to work for the Club of Rome, a pioneering international think tank on sustainable development of which he is the secretary general. Interview.
You’re the secretary of the Club of Rome. What led you to get involved?
I first started hearing about the Club of Rome and "Stop Growth"? during my childhood in France. My mother was an early supporter. I studied aerospace engineering, and then, during the early part of my professional career, I taught applied mathematics at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. I was conducting research on system dynamics, chaos theory… All of this resonated strongly with the Club of Rome, which proposed a systemic approach at the intersection of science and humanism.
Is that a form of commitment?
Indeed. I became a member of the Club of Rome in 2016. I recently decided to commit myself fully to it: I have been its secretary-general since January 1, 2024, after serving on the executive committee for six years.
The Club of Rome is best known for its report The Limits to Growth (Halte à la croissance? in French), better known as the Meadows Report, which already highlighted the need for zero growth. How was it received when it was published in 1972?
This report sparked a great deal of debate, although it did not change anything. At the time the Meadows Report was published, a new field of science was emerging: systems dynamics, which gave rise to what we now call sustainable development. The report outlined various possible scenarios regarding the relationship between human development and planetary limits, several of which considered the possibility of a collapse of civilizations. Others showed that a balance could be found. It was this variety of scenarios that was not well understood. The report was attacked by people who did not want to delve deeper into its message, preferring to ridicule it as an apocalyptic prophecy—which was not the case at all. Even today, we hear arguments against the Club of Rome and the Meadows Report that have nothing to do with what is actually written in them.
In your opinion, was the message heard even if it didn’t lead to immediate action?
The message was heard, particularly by the political establishment, whether in Europe or even in the United States… Unfortunately, there was a political shift in the early 1980s, when Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan came to power. Reagan made several clear references to the Meadows Report, notably in his January 1985 speech following his reelection, in which he stated: “ There is no limit to growth, for there is no limit to human intelligence, imagination, and ingenuity.”
What happened next?
In 1979, the Club of Rome published *No Limits to Learning*, which sought to demonstrate that the education system needed to promote participatory, innovative, and inclusive learning. Forty-five years later, this revolution has still not taken place. In 1984, another book was published, titled *Before It Is Too Late* , calling for a revolution in thinking to address the challenges we still face today.
This revolution is taking its time to arrive…
The revolution is already here, but we don’t see it because the dominant culture has seen an acceleration of trends that were already at work in the 1970s, such as consumerism and the spread of conventional development models. Yet on the ground, things are changing; there are overlapping and contradictory realities.
What do we need today to make a difference?
Six years ago, when we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Club of Rome, we asked ourselves whether the organization was still relevant. We are whistleblowers; we would have liked to be taken seriously. It is still possible to achieve a balance between equitable well-being for all and a healthy planet, provided we take action. To do so, there are certain essential levers, such as the role of women, the energy transition, regenerative agriculture, the fight against inequality, and an unconventional development model…
Isn’t one of the challenges to become more attuned to the voices of citizens?
While we at the Club of Rome strive to influence public policy, we are also committed to understanding what is emerging in society—not only in Europe or North America, but also in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We strongly assert that we must trust the people. Enlightened despotism is not going to solve the problems.
History has already shown us that all-powerful science can be dangerous…
We must stop claiming that science has all the answers. Nor can it simply blame politicians for not doing their jobs. Let’s trust people and turn the process around: the research agenda must be guided by the essential needs of people and societies. Not the other way around.
So is sustainable development a collective challenge?
We all need to work together on this. We cannot separate environmental and social issues. There is a misconception about sustainable development that perpetuates the idea that the economy is separate from society and that we are all separate from nature. That is false. And it creates the divides we see at work today.
How can we break out of the mold?
What I particularly appreciate about the University of Montpellier’s slogan, “nourish, care for, protect,” is that these three verbs place people at the heart of the action. We must return to our deepest humanity, which is relational. And we must make much more room for self-management, staying as close as possible to people’s needs, communities, and individuals.
About the Club of Rome
Based in Switzerland, the Club of Rome is an international, non-political association bringing together scientists, humanists, economists, professors, national and international civil servants, and business leaders from 53 countries. As pioneers of in-depth reflection on the challenges of sustainable development, the members of this international think tank aim to seek practical solutions to global problems. The Club of Rome’s primary role remains to raise awareness among senior leaders about current global issues. Founded in 1968, following the prosperous era of the “30 Glorious Years,” the Club of Rome gained particular fame in 1972 with the publication of the report *The Limits to Growth* (known as*Halte à la croissance? * in French), commissioned by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and better known as the Meadows Report, named after its two principal co-authors, ecologists Donella and Dennis Meadows. With twelve million copies distributed and translated into 37 languages, this document already highlighted the need for “zero growth” to address the acceleration of industrialization, rapid population growth, issues of malnutrition, the depletion of non-renewable natural resources, and global environmental degradation.