The global environment is changing rapidly. This can be seen very clearly in the natural environment in the form of resource depletion, environmental degradation, pollution and species loss as well as climate change and global warming. These changes are all measurable and present profound challenges for the way societies live and the values, principles and structures that support them including the economic system and functioning of institutions and government.

Governments need to plan for the future but the starting point must be a realistic understanding of the scale and dimensions of these changes, what is driving them and their likely impacts. This will be the subject of this forum.

This subject has profound implications for societies throughout the world. It will be of critical interest to policy and decision makers in business and all levels of government as well as the broader community.