The Palace of Science – Miodrag Kostić Endowment hosted the presentation of Prof. Ugo Bardi’s new book, “The End of the Population Growth: Reaching Humankind’s Planetary Limits”, published as a report by The Club of Rome.
The Club of Rome is a global think tank and non-profit organisation that brings together distinguished scientists, as well as business and political leaders dedicated to understanding and addressing complex, interconnected global challenges such as climate change, the green transition and sustainable development in line with the limits of nature and respect for the laws of nature.
The presentation featured the author, Prof. Ugo Bardi, Dr Nebojša Nešković, Prof. Dragan Đuričin and Prof. Mirjana Bobić, followed by a Q&A session with an audience composed of representatives of the academic community, business sector, government, diplomatic corps and media.
Prof. Ugo Bardi is a physicist and long-standing member of The Club of Rome, as well as the World Academy of Art and Science. His new book explores global population growth trends, the limits of economic development and long-term sustainability challenges, with a particular focus on the interconnection between demographic, economic and energy-related changes. The book points out that, for the first time in recent history, human society is facing a decline in population, as well as the destruction of human capital.
Through the book presentation and the discussion with the audience, which also included Carlos Alvarez Pereira, Secretary General of The Club of Rome, the event at the Palace of Science opened important questions about the future of humanity, the limits of planetary resources and the need to view long-term development through the broader relationship between science, economics, ecology and social responsibility.
“The book starts from the assumption that global demographic decline is a systemic trend with no simple solutions. Our entire system is moving in a direction that will inevitably bring population decline in the near future — this is an unavoidable process, and we must learn how to live with it,” Prof. Bardi stated regarding this work.
As the first centre for research and the popularisation of science in Serbia, the Palace of Science – Miodrag Kostić Endowment continued, through this event, to bring together international authors, researchers and decision-makers around topics of key importance for understanding the contemporary world and the future of society.