“A System Change Compass: Implementing the European Green Deal in a time of recovery”, co-written by The Club of Rome and SYSTEMIQ, with a foreword by President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen, sets out the guiding principles and systemic orientations to help address barriers to a rapid and successful rollout of the EGD along all dimensions of the European policy sphere. The European Green Deal (EGD) sets a vision for Europe to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. It is also Europe’s best plan to recover from the Covid-19 crisis by creating a more prosperous, sustainable and resilient economy. But delivering this bold vision requires an equally bold framework for implementation. Based on the unique Compass framework, the report provides a set of clear policy interventions to redefine prosperity, progress, the metrics used to measure success, governance, leadership and the enabling role of finance. It also identifies over 50 emerging industry “champions” that will drive Europe’s transformation towards a more competitive, resource-efficient economy in line with societal needs. These champions – from urban agriculture to seaweed farming and hydrogen technologies – represent scalable sustainable industries that will form Europe’s economic backbone in a net-zero world. Recognising that Europe’s environmental, social and health challenges are rooted in the unsustainable use of natural resources, lead authors Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Janez Potočnik and Martin R. Stuchtey demonstrate how radical resource decoupling, dematerialisation and rethinking ownership can lead to human wellbeing and economic resilience.
