Published: 17 May 2011
European Environment Agency (EEA) Executive
Director Jacqueline McGlade is participating
in the 3rd Nobel Laureate Symposium on Global
Sustainability, from 17-19 May. Prof. McGlade
will act as a delegate and moderator. The
key outcome of the Symposium, the Stockholm
Memorandum, will develop a new vision for
sustainable development and prosperity,
along with mechanisms for achieving it.
The 3rd Nobel Laureate
Symposium on Global Sustainability brings
together Nobel laureates, leading policy
makers and some of the world’s most renowned
thinkers and experts on global sustainability.
The Symposium provides an informal setting
for productive discussions on how to transform
current governance to be more sustainable
and adaptive, operating within the boundaries
of the planet.
“Humanity is altering
the remarkable conditions for life on Earth.
Ecosystems are reaching a state where they
may collapse or change into very different
forms with huge impacts on our societies
and economies. It is time to choose a transformative
path that will ensure global sustainability
for future generations,” said Professor
Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director.
The Symposium discussions will concentrate
on three themes:
The human dominated
planet focuses on the great acceleration
of the human enterprise and on recent attempts
to identify the safe operating space for
humanity to continue to develop within a
stable planet Earth.
Reconnecting to the
Biosphere focuses on the role of ecosystems
and the services they provide as the basis
for societal development and human well-being.
Tipping towards sustainability
will explore the links between crisis, opportunity,
and innovation for navigating shifts and
large-scale transformations towards global
sustainability.
The outcome of the Symposium,
the Stockholm Memorandum, will be signed
by Nobel laureates on May 18th and handed
over in person to the High-level Panel on
Global Sustainability. It will feed into
the preparations for the 2012 UN Conference
on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro
(Rio +20) and for the on-going climate change
negotiations.
The 3rd Nobel Laureate
Symposium is organised by the Royal Swedish
Academy of Sciences, Stockholm Resilience
Centre at Stockholm University, Stockholm
Environment Institute, the Beijer Institute
of Ecological Economics and Potsdam Institute
for Climate Impact Research.
