The motto of this year’s World Economic Forum is “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age”. Who would disagree? But are we ready for such collaboration? Culturally, we are living in a pandemic of narcissism. Politically, polarisation, exclusion and apocalyptic cruelty reign. Economic and technological faith continue to feed narcissism. The supposedly modern civilisation is in a race towards collapse. A race that The Club of Rome warned about as early as 1972 in “The Limits to Growth”.

Some analysts describe the situation as a dilemma: either we give up the pursuit of prosperity and prepare for a permanent “war economy” or we are doomed.

This is not the position of The Club of Rome. In the “Earth for All” report (2022), we show that a good life is achievable – on a healthy planet and for everyone. This can be achieved if we transform the political framework conditions so that they address the many injustices, the social and ecological ones, as well as the gender-specific, neo-colonial and intergenerational ones. It is these that stand in the way of well-being for all.

Geopolitics, business, the financial industry, governments and science are all driven by narrow-minded and siloed logics. “Business as usual” and doomsday scenarios block collective learning. This is not The Club of Rome’s position either. Society is not a collection of selfish individuals. In “No Limits to Learning” (1979) and the forthcoming “No Limits to Hope”, we focus on the potential of learning from each other in order to develop and implement intelligent ways out of today’s dilemma.

What does this have to do with Switzerland? The country´s paradisiacal model is more fragile than it seems. Its success – as a global hub in research, industry, finance, trading, and multilateral exchanges – might become rapidly obsolete if not transformed for the challenges of the 21st century. And the strategy of “developed” countries to export an extractive and inequitable model to the world is at its end.

Also, “prosperity for all” only exists within planetary boundaries. According to the Federal Statistical Office, Switzerland consumes 2.5 times more per capita than is sustainably available. Ecosystems, biodiversity and glaciers are in a precarious state. And yet one in seven people in Switzerland lives in poverty or is close to it. Progress for Switzerland can only mean drastically reducing its ecological footprint and at the same time, finally achieving comprehensive prosperity. No country has been able to celebrate such a success – until now.

Switzerland can test another way. With its mixture of boldness, pragmatism, wisdom and experience, it can make history. The seeds have been sown. Together with the St. Gallen Symposium, we are working on the definition of a “New Intergenerational Contract”. Other examples include what André Hoffmann describes as “The New Nature of Business” in his latest book. We are also working on “Building Bridges” to promote the shift of finance towards sustainability, and “Climate Bridges” to support reconnecting with our humanity in order to build a sustainable future. Finally, through SWEET (“Swiss Energy Research for the Energy Transition”), the Swiss Federal Office of Energy is promoting projects to help Switzerland achieve its energy vision for 2050.

Last but not least, on February 9, Swiss voters decided on the ‘environmental responsibility initiative’. The goal is an economy that reconciles the well-being of all people with the limits of the planet. The initiative is supported by environmental organisations such as Greenpeace. This could be the perfect start for a leap forward.

As The Club of Rome – a Swiss organisation since 2009 – we warmly invite you all to join us on this journey towards a future of well-being on a healthy planet.

First published in German on NZZ.