ECOLOMICS OCCASIONAL PAPERS SERIES No. 2007-3, December © The University of Ottawa’s Institute of the Environment celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Brundtland World Commission on Environment and Development Report entitled “Our Common Future” released in 1987. Jim MacNeill, former Secretary General of this Commission (Geneva, 1984-87) as well as the chief architect and lead author of the report, delivered the first of two talks entitled “Sustainable Development – A new Urgency” to explore achievements, setbacks and failures in the decades that followed the Brundtland report. For more information please contact 613-562-5800 ext. 1041 or E-mail
[email protected] OUR COMMON FUTURE: ADVANCE OR RETREAT? SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A NEW URGENCY ∗ JIM MACNEILL, O.C. Published by EcoLomics International 16, bd des Philosophes, 6th floor 1205 Geneva, Switzerland http://www.EcoLomics-International.org/
[email protected] All rights reserved. This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any form for educational or nonprofit uses, without special permission, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. ∗ This presentation was made at the University of Ottawa on October 10, 2007, as part of the Lecture Series sponsored by the Institute of the Environment, the School of Political Studies, the Faculty of Law/Common law Section, the Department of Philosophy, the Institute of Canadian Studies, and the Office of the Vice-Rector, Research. EcoLomics Occasional Papers Series No. 2007-3, December First of all, I would like to thank Charles for that very kind introduction. If you didn’t know it before, Ladies and Gentlemen, you now know that Charles Caccia and I are very good friends.