High Noon: We Need New Approaches to Global Problem-Solving, Fast

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Abstract
What are we doing about planetary problems, such as global warming, the fight against illegal drugs, and new communicable diseases? Not enough. Why? Because we're not doing enough to tackle the real problem: global issues management. This essay begins by identifying two exponential forces – the demographic explosion and the new economy – which are creating a dangerous ‘governance gap’ between global issues and the capacity of traditional institutions to solve them. It proposes a tentative list of the 20 most urgent global issues for the next 20 years and suggests how we might go about solving them. In particular, it discusses the pros and cons of a new concept of global issues networks, each dealing with one of the 20 big issues, and suggests that such networks are a real possibility for better and faster global problem‐solving.

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