Montpellier Global Days 2024: At the crossroads of science and humanism

[Article] - Published on April 8, 2024 in Scientific appeal, Scientific appeal

As a prelude to Montpellier Global Days 2024, Carlos Alvarez Pereira gave a public lecture on March 18 entitled "From alarm to saving the planet, science is mobilizing." After 30 years in research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, he is now putting his professional expertise and humanistic values to work for the Club of Rome, an international think tank and pioneer in sustainable development, where he serves as secretary general. Interview.

You are secretary of the Club of Rome. What led you to become involved?
I first heard about the Club of Rome and Halte à la croissance? during my childhood in France. My mother was an early fan. I studied aerospace engineering and then, during the first part of my professional life, I taught applied mathematics at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. I was doing research on system dynamics, chaos theory... All of this resonated strongly with the Club of Rome, which proposed a systemic approach at the crossroads of science and humanism.

Is this 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 particularly known for its report The Limits to Growth (Halte à la croissance ? in French), better known as the Meadows report, which already pointed to the need for zero growth. How was it received when it was published in 1972?
This report sparked a huge debate, although it did not change anything. At the time the Meadows report was published, a new science was emerging: systems dynamics, which gave rise to what we now call sustainable development. The report presented various possible scenarios for the relationship between human development and planetary limits, several of which envisaged the possibility of civilizational collapse. 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 a prophecy of the apocalypse, which was not the case at all. Even today, we still hear arguments against the Club of Rome and the Meadows report that have nothing to do with what is written in them.

In your opinion, was the message heard even if it did not lead to immediate action?
The message was heard, particularly by politicians, both in Europe and even in the United States... Unfortunately, there was a political reversal 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 speech in January 1985, after his re-election, in which he stated: " There are no limits to growth, because there are no limits to human intelligence, imagination, and ingenuity."

What happened next?
In 1979, the Club of Rome published No Limits to Learning, which argued that the education system should promote participatory, innovative, and inclusive learning. Forty-five years later, this revolution has yet to take place. In 1984, another book was published, entitled Before it is too late, calling for a revolution in attitudes to address the challenges we still face today. 

This revolution isalso slow in coming...
The revolution is here, but we don't see it because the dominant culture has accelerated trends that were already at work in the 1970s, such as consumerism and the expansion of conventional development models. Yet on the ground, things are changing, and 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 questioned the relevance of the organization. We are whistleblowers, and 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. There are certain essential levers for this, 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 listen more closely to citizens?
At the Club of Rome, we try to influence public policy, but we also want to understand what is emerging in society. Not only in Europe or North America, but also in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We strongly believe that we must trust people. Enlightened despotism will not solve the problems. 

History has already shown us that omnipotent science can be dangerous...
We must stop saying that science has all the answers. Nor can it simply say that it is politicians who are not doing their job. Let's trust people and reverse the process: the research agenda must be driven by the essential needs of people and societies. Not the other way around.

So sustainable development is a collective challenge?
We all need to work together to achieve it. 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. This is false. And it creates the divides that we see at work today.

How can we break out of the mold?
What I particularly like 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 need to return to our deepest humanity, which is relational. And leave much more room for self-management, closer to the needs of communities and people. 

Keywords: International, Montpellier Global Days, The Montpellier Process