VIENNA, September 1 (WNM) - "Humanity is at a crossroad. We have no Plan B for our planet," says Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Senior Guest Research Scholar at the International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria. Nakicenovic says in an interview with The World News Monitor, "humanity can no longer afford to experiment and hope that the problems will be solved. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are clear and give direction". However, their implementation must be "driven from botton up". "The markets are not the appropriate means to enforce the SDG. We need a new culture for our behaviour. Above all, we need new values and norms to make the future of our planet sustainable."

Nakicenovic recently presented a study in which researcher from IIASA and his colleagues working on The World in 2050 initiative show that the implementation of the SDG is only possible through a fundamental transformation of all social processes.

The digital disruption raises several fundamental questions: "Unlike the industrial revolution, we are dealing with a change that does not primarily have a strong physically visible dimension. There is a danger of intransparency. Large global monopolies are emerging that need to be regulated." However, also regulation is a two-edged sword. If governments do not agree on necessary action for the climate and sustainability for all, regulation easily may go “in the wrong direction”. Nakicenovic warns of a “marginalization of science”, which he observes in many areas and which to his account may lead to wrong political decision making.

The current challenge is that despite "a much greater wealth in the world, few benefit from this wealth," says Nakicenovic. The changes are basically not priceless: "We only need $80 billion per year to provide supply to the billion people without access to electricity." This is necessary because otherwise many people in the world will not benefit from technological progress: "It is of no use to us if those excluded get a mobile phone but they cannot recharge it," says Nakicenovic.

These changes can only be achieved with the "strong commitment of civil societies". The youth movement for the climate is a first, encouraging approach. Together with the private sector, the changes must be driven forward.

A special role is played by the military, whose initiative led to the Internet: "Costs generally play a much smaller role for the military than for the civilian sector, where investments must also pay off. It is therefore conceivable that different innovations could be used for military purposes but not for private purposes, thus it is important they be commercialized for the benefit of all" says Nakicenovic.