The connected world: breaking the rules by working across boundaries for peace, social justice and sustainable enterprise

Abstract

We live in a strange age, in a paradoxical world. On one hand the open society allows information and communication to flow continuously around the world, and enough tariffs have been lowered and trade liberalised for most people to purchase globally traded goods. This world is awash with contact and connectivity. This world is also characterised by the liberal use and abuse of the Earth's energy resources and by surplus food supplies. But in another world about two billion people have not yet made or received a telephone call and many people are denied the two fundamental human rights: freedom from fear and freedom from want. The science of climate change makes it clear, whether we like it or not and whether we agree on how why it has happened, we are on the edge of a fundamental shift in our relationship with the planet. The climate change data is now indisputable, even if the causes of global warming are disputed. Climate change will have a disproportionately a greater effect on the poor but it will affect us all. Through global trade, increased travel and easy communications we also know enough about the world to understand how interdependent we are. Through Roundtables in Sustainable Enterprise we have been reaching across boundaries between people whether they be professional, sectoral, intellectual or cultural. Conversational learning means putting people together who might not normally meet to talk about a given subject. In our case we have brought people together to discuss sustainable enterprise. The composition of our Roundtables is necessarily random and disparate. Since January 2007 we have run eight roundtables in London, Cape Town and Toronto and a conference for 130 people from 19 countries. In all we have involved nearly 200 people.