Volume 4, Issue 5 - November 2021

With the release of this issue, we are pleased to also announce the launching of a new website for the World Academy of Art & Science.

A New Paradigm in Global Higher Education for Sustainable Development and Human Security Garry Jacobs, Janani Ramanathan, Ralph Wolff, Remus Pricopie, Piero Dominici, Alberto Zucconi It is possible, for the first time ever, to provide every human being with the means to acquire an education ... Read more	Knowledge Generation and Interdisciplinarity Juri Engelbrecht, Robert Kitt Humanity’s estimated ecological footprint was 1.7 times as fast as planet Earth can renew it. We should also account for the social footprint which is the impact of human decisions and actions on the social fabric of society. Read more
How can we Transform Global Governance for the 21st Century? Mamphela Ramphele What the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate change catastrophes have taught us is that wellbeing of a few is wellbeing of none, and that climate change impacts do not respect geographic nor... Read more	Achieving Global Justice, Security and Sustainability: Compassion as a Transformative Method Thomas Reuter Let us all set an expectation that would-be leaders need to show a commitment to work hard to dispel fear in the face of crisis, and to seek tirelessly... Read more
Making Sustainability Happen: The Jena Declaration Thomas Reuter TJD points toward necessary changes in human behaviour on a massive scale, and the necessity of redistribution of power so that the world’s future is not determined by companies, governments and institutions which favor their own agendas over the needs... Read more	Our Common Agenda: Review of Five UN75 Sustainability Reports Michael Marien Now is the time to correct this “glaring blind spot” in how we measure prosperity and progress; new measures are needed to complement GDP, which fails to capture the human and environmental destruction of some businesses. Read more
Youth Groups: A Quick Look at International Organizations Marta Neškovic, Ivana Lazarovski Youth movements are one of the strongest catalysts of social evolution and future change. To accomplish a much-needed system transformation, however, it will be necessary to continually assess... Read more	Repurposing Economies Towards Life Petra Kuenkel The doctrine of free markets with constant economic growth is still enshrined as governments’ main goal and manifests in the tyranny of GDP increase as the single most important metric for societal progress. Read more
Environmental Justice and Equity: An Exploration through the POP Movement Ash Pachauri, Drishya Pathak, Komal Mittal, Meghana Elsa Thomas, Nahid Pérez Ayala, Norma Patricia Muñoz Sevilla, Philo Magdalene A, Vanessa Anahí Hernández Vázquez The environmental crisis can only be efficiently addressed and solved when each and every one of the deep-rooted social, economic, and political issues around the world... Read more	No More Excuses! Why the Climate and Ecological Emergencies Demand a New Paradigm Barry Gills, Jamie Morgan Mainstream economics has little time for discussion of values or of its own role in the world because its concept of science has undermined the capacity of economists to reflect and work with norms and with power – these are shunned as ‘ideological’, as ‘distortions’ of a fact focused science. Read more
Terrorism, Security and Democracy: 20 Years after 9/11 Rama Mani Democracy is not about perfection: it is as fallible as the human beings who choose it as their political system and as the humans they put in place to guide it. Read more	Moving from the Pandemic to a Global Culture of Peace Shoshana Bekerman Peace is not only a political problem defined by the absence of violence and war but is also characterized by the liberation of fear and includes political,... Read more
The Present Silent Revolution Robert van Harten A silent revolution occurs per definition outside our views. The present silent revolution is the unprecedented shift of focus away from numbers towards values. At a time of crisis where all numbers fail us, the future of the world is opened, directed, and saved through values. Read more	Individualism and Collectivism: Reconciling the Values of Freedom & Equality Ashok Natarajan Individualism is the freedom of the ego to tyrannize over others for its own aggrandisement. Individuality is the quest of the soul for self-perfection and universal well-being. Read more
11 Essays on Societal Transformation: The Most Important Challenge Facing Humanity WAAS ST Working Group The Societal Transformation Working Group brings together a diverse group of thinkers. They discuss the deep systemic change and societal transformation needed to protect humanity and all life on Earth. Read more	Art + Science + Policy: Info-Murals Help Make Sense of Wicked Problems Robert Horn To manage complexity in the modern world requires large-scale visual language diagrams that are called “information murals.” These murals present the science involved in major global and local issues; describe the policies that may respond to ... Read more