Welcome to the WFC newsletter!

Welcome to the latest edition of the World Future Council Newsletter. Since the Founding Congress, the WFC has wasted no time in getting down to work and has already launced its latest worldwide campaign!  


Coming up in this issue:
WFC Chair Bianca Jagger together with 130 children launch KidsCall live on stage


Kids Call for an End to Climate Chaos!



As an official partner of Live Earth, the concert series aimed at raising awareness about climate change, the World Future Council launched its KidsCall campaign on stage at the Hamburg event. WFC Executive Committee Chair Bianca Jagger, accompanied by over one hundred children, launched the KidsCall campaign and appealed to the children of the world to write to G8 politicians urging them to live up to their reponsibilities and act now to stop climate change.

Over the course of the next year, the World Future Council will collect these letters and pictures and put them on display in parliaments and government buildings across the globe. Then, at the next G8 summit in July 2008 in Japan, Bianca Jagger and hundreds of children involved in the campaign, will hand all the letters and pictures directly to the politicians.

"We want to ensure that politicians understand their enormous reponsibility for future generations", explained Bianca Jagger, "the solutions to existing and future problems are available, what's missing are courage and the political will to take ethical decisions".  

Children and teenagers have a completely free hand when it comes to the content and design of their messages and appeals. The theme is ?Save Life on Earth? and they can choose to concentrate on protecting the climate, preserving the rainforest, preventing the melting of the polar ice caps or safe-guarding life in the ocean, or another subject if they so wish.



More information, interactive communication and downloadable teaching materials are available on the campaign website
 
Larissa portrayed the world as a wounded heart
Kids Hear the Call!

Just days after the KidsCall appeal was launched, the first letter arrived at the World Future Council! 13 year-old Larissa from Canada asked the world's political leaders if they "really wanted their great grandchildren and great great grandchildren to learn about what a wonderful place the earth used to be only in their history books?"

As the voice of future generations, the World Future Council is convinced that politicians will not be able to ignore the calls of young people like Larissa to live up to their responsibilities and act now to stop climate change and preserve life on earth.



Children should send their letters and illustrations to a specially created PO Box and the World Future Council will give a voice to future generations! The address is: 

Kids Call
P.O. Box 11 17 11
20401 Hamburg
Germany

The Council Hits the Ground Running in the UK

The World Future Council is looking forward to its official launch in the United Kingdom at Central Hall in Westminster, London in November as part of the 4th Be the Change Conference. The WFC is co-presenting the event with the theme "The Sky's the Limit", which reflects not only the challenges we face, but the huge opportunities that arise as we move toward a just and sustainable world.

So far Executive Committe Chair Bianca Jagger, Executive Committe member Vandana Shiva, as well as Councillors Maude Barlow, Professor C.S. Kiang, Frances Moore Lappe and Hermann Scheer have confirmed their participtation, and you can secure your presence as well, through the booking facility on the conference website.

And the WFC has already made a great impact on renewable energy policy in the UK. Together with David Toke from Birmingham University, WFC researcher Miguel Mendonca, has put together a report highlighting the need for the government to adopt the Feed-In Tariff system to help the UK meet its renewables targets and also to speed up domestic growth. The Guardian Newspaper has reported on the benefits of the FIT system and identified the World Future Council as the leading authority on the subject.
Councillors Keeping Busy!

World Future Council Delegation at the Tällberg Forum

At the end of June, around 500 people from around the world came together for the Tällberg Forum in Sweden to discuss "How on Earth can we live together?" The forum's chairman is Bo Ekman from the Board of Advisors and fellow BoA member Marcello Palazzi is also on the board. At their invitation, the World Future Council was well represented through Councillors Manfred Max Neef, Tariq Banuri, Prof. C.S. Kiang, Scilla Elworthy and Anders Wijkman, along with Alan Atkisson, Nick Hart-Williams and Anita and Dietmar Herrdum from the Board of Advisors, as well as Jakob von Uexküll and Alexandra Wandel from the WFC staff.

The meeting proved highly successful as the World Future Council renewed existing and forged many new partnerships, including with the UN Environment Programme and Earth Charter.

WFC Councillor and MEP Anders Wijkman also contributed to the the Tällberg Foundation's roadmap for global climate policy post-2012.

Councillors in the spotlight!


Executive Committee Chair Bianca Jagger wrote to the International Council of Museums to urge them to oppose the involvement of Germany, Switzerland and Austria in the funding of the proposed Ilisu Dam project on the River Tigris in Southeast Turkey. ?If built the dam will be a crime against the fundamental human rights of tens of thousands of Kurds who will be forcefully evicted from their homes; it will be a crime against our common cultural heritage and it will be an environmental disaster?. As a result, the ICOM passed a resolution recognizing the increasing dangers to universal heritage posed by infrastructural mega-projects, and appealed to its members urge the responsible authorities of Turkey to reconsider their activities and timeframes in the scope of the planned project on the Tigris River in order to ensure better protection of the heritage in the affected region." 



Jakob von Uexküll's latest book "Für die Zukunft der Welt" (For the Future of the World) lays down the foundations for long-term thinking for a fair and sustainable for future, to stop the infinite exploitation of the world's finite natural resources. The book will be published in German at the end of September by the Europäisches Verlagsanstalt.

In her new book The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics, Riane Eisler introduces a new perspective on economics and proposes that the real wealth of nations lies with its people and environment. Dr. Eisler will also be speaking on Real Wealth at the Coop America Green Festival on October 7th in Washington D.C.

And Dr. Eisler's book enjoyed a glowing dual review with Frances Moore-Lappé's 16th book, entitled Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity and Courage in a World Gone Mad, where she argues that the planet's best hope for survival is to rethink our definition of democracy, power, fear and even evil. Tikkun magazine described the two councillors as "midwives at the rebirth of radical hope!"

Prabhu Guptara will be speaking at the Renaissance Weekend event in the USA from the 30th of August until the 3rd of September. He will also be chairing a meeting of the Billion Minds Foundation in Monaco on September 15/16th and delivering a lecture on "Doing Business in India" in Switzerland on October 9th.

David Krieger will address the Danish parliament on "US Leadership for a Nuclear Weapons-Free World: A Bi-Partisan Plea" on September 27. David is also President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, which is holding its 24th annual Evening for Peace in Santa Barbara on Septmeber 17, with the theme "Voices for Peace".

 Hermann Scheer has long been advocating an International Renewable Energy Agency or IRENA and now the German Government has approved the establishment of such an agency.  Together with 3 specially selected amassadors, Scheer will consult with governments around the world to set up IRENA next year.

9 basic human rights, as identified by Manfred Max Neef, form the foundations for the All We Need exhibition in Luxemburg, which shows alternatives in consumption and life-styles. The exhibition runs until the end of October.

Maude Barlow has a new book "Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Fight for the Right to Water" being published in Canada this autumn. The international release date will be set in the new year.

And Maude Barlow, Frances Moore-Lappe, Wes Jackson and Vandana Shiva will be speaking at a three day Teach-In on the triple crisis of climate change, peak oil and global resource depletion at the George Washington University in Washinton D.C. 
Staff News






The WFC Keeps on Growing!

To help with its ever-increasing workload, the World Future Council is recruiting more new members of staff.

We are sorry to have to say goodbye to Caspar Henderson, who has left his position as Research Director for family reasons, but are delighted to welcome Marc A. Weiss as his replacement. Marc is Chairman of Global Urban Development and has a great deal of experience in Urban Development and Planning, including time spent as special assistant to the US Secretary for Housing and Urban Development in the Clinton Administration. Marc will also be working as the WFC's US liasion officer.

As the KidsCall campaign gathers pace, the WFC has appointed Ansgar Kiene to head the project coordination and will start work in October. Ansgar joins the team from his position as International Campaign Coordinator at the FIAN international secretariat.

Also starting in October is Bianca Barth, who will assume the role of Policy Officer to organise the political engagement side of the WFC's Climate Campaign. Bianca has a wealth of experience in campaigning for NGOs and has worked as a policy advisor to the German Environment Ministry.  

To assist with the overall management and financial accountability of the WFC, an Administrative Manager will join the team at the head office in Hamburg in October.

Birgit Menge is joining the London team to work on a part-time basis as an assistant to Jakob von Uexküll.

And the WFC is setting up a dependency in Brussels, and will annouce the successful candidate to run the EU office shortly.
   
WFC in the News

KidsCall Makes Waves in the Media
In addition to the millions of viewers who followed the launch of the KidsCall campaign at Live Earth Hamburg via the internet, the event received extensive media coverage worldwide.

The BBC included a very positive report in its internet and radio coverage.

As well as many features in the German press, KidsCall pictures were also printed in La Pais (Spain), Gazeta (Poland) and the Missourian (USA).
And the unique concept of KidsCall ensured coverage on some of the world's leading environmental and music websites!

WFC Work Hits the Headlines

The WFC's aim of promoting and helping to implement Best Practice Policies is already showing signs of fruition. Using World Future Council sources, the Guardian Newspaper (Great Britiain) has picked up on the Feed-In Tariff system, which the WFC sees as the most effective energy policy to combat climate change, and produced several reports on the subject.

And World Changing, a leading site for green journalism, thinks the WFC publication Policies to Change the World makes a "huge contribution to the debate about how to build a better future".

The Bild Zeitung reported on Executive Committe Chair Bianca Jagger's appeal to stop construction of the Ilsu Dam in Turkey. Further details can be found in the Councillor News Section. 

WFC Initiator meets Inspirator

In July, the WFC's founder Jakob von Uexküll was a special guest at the Dalai Lama in Hamburg event. There, Jakob discussed with the Dalai Lama effective ways to solve conflicts and how an organisation such as the World Future Council is vital for the future in front of an audience of over 10,000 spectators, dignitiaries and media representatives. The German press reported extensively on the event. For example the Hamburger Abendblatt.

Leading German Newspapers such as the Abendblatt and the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger have also taken a great interest in Jakob and the work of the WFC.

And Spiegel Magazine named the World Future Council in its list of leading Climate Protection projects.

For more articles on the WFC visit the media section of our website. 
Upcoming Events






5-6 September, NEW YORK: The World Future Council will be represented at the UN Department of Public Information Conference on Climate Change. Contact Maja.


7-9 September, HAMBURG: Jakob von Uexküll is providing the Key Note and giving an address on the influence of global values on global change at the Zeit für die Zukunft (Time for the Future) conference being held by the European Women's Management Development Network.

11-12 September, BRISTOL: Herbert Girardet will lead a course at the Schumacher College on Lessons from Dongtan Eco-City, as part of a special program on urban sustainability.


11-22 September, KASSEL: In co-operation with the WFC, the Hübner Group is presenting Documenta Urbana: On the Road to the City of the Future. Contact Herbert Girardet.

14-16 September, WASHINGTON D.C: The World Future Council will hold a workshop and several councillors will speak at the "Confronting the Triple Crisis" Teach-In, organised by the International Forum on Globalisation. Contact Maja.

16 September, OSNABRÜCK: Jakob von Uexküll and Bianca Jagger will be speaking at Osnabrück University as part of their "Peace Discussions" series on Global Challengesfor the Earth and Humanity: What are the right answers?

17 September, OSNABRÜCK: Bianca Jagger will be the keynote speaker at a conference entitled "Energy, Resources, Peace" organised by The German Federal Trust Fund Environment , the German Foundation for Peace Research and the Right Livelihood Award.


6-7 October, BERLIN: The WFC will be present at the 7th EUFORES Interparliamentary Meeting on Renewable Energy. Contact Maja.

13 October, BRISTOL: As part of the annual Schumacher lectures, WFC Co-Founder Herbert Girardet will give a talk entitled "Reclaiming the Future".

18-19 October, LJUBLIANA: There will be a presentation of the WFC and its work at the 4th Interparliamentarian Workshop organised by the International Feed-In Cooperation. Contact Miguel.


15-17 November, LONDON: Be The Change / World Future Council joint conference:  Central Hall, Westminster, with the support of the New Economics Foundation, The Converging World and Rights and Humanity. Under the banner "The Sky's the Limit", Be the Change offers the WFC a platform to launch its work in the UK.

19-21 November, BONN: The Council will act as patron and be present at the 2nd World Renewable Energy Council Assembly to be hosted by Hermann Scheer. Contact Maja.


3-14 December, BALI: The World Future Council will be sending a delegation to the 13th Session of the UN Conference of the Parties (COP-13) of the Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting, Bali, Indonesia.

14-16 December, BALI: Immediately after the COP, the World Future Council will hold a joint hearing with the E-Parliament on "Future Energy: Development Solutions to Climate Chaos. Contact Maja.

5-6 February 2008, DELHI: At the India International Centre, Vandana Shiva and Herbert Girardet will hold a seminar on the relevance of Ghandian thinking in an age of rapid economic development, in an event which will also mark the launch of the WFC in India. Contact Herbert Girardet.

12-16 May 2008, BONN: Vandana Shiva and Ibrahim Abouleish will speak at the World Congress on the Future of Food and Farming as part of the Planet Diversity project.


For more information on any of the above events, please contact the WFC
The Next Edition

Your World Future Council newsletter appears on a bi-monthly basis. The next edition packed with all the latest news surrounding the WFC is planned for the middle of November.

If you do not wish to continue receiving this newsletter, please send an email to robert@worldfuturecouncil.org