WISIONS of Sustainability - Wuppertal Institute

Background to WISIONS

Sustainable development is possible. Numerous innovative and valuable contributions, from different countries, fields and institutions, have shown that an appropriate reconciliation of economic, ecological and social factors is not unrealistic utopia. We have made a promising start, but the greatest challenge facing us in the 21st century is to learn how to use the world's resources more efficiently, and in an ecologically sound and socially balanced way.Yes, progress is being made, but a dozen years after the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, many people and developing countries still lack access to resources and clean technologies. At the same time, people continue to live using unsustainable ways of consumption and production.

To meet global challenges like climate change, water scarcity and poverty, it is necessary to foster projects of potential strategic global importance. We can do this by supporting them so they can be implemented locally. Also examples of good practice need to be actively promoted to a wider audience.