The vision of the International Panel on Social Progress has attracted the interest of the Editorial Board of an Italian magazine, “I Martedì.” It is published in Bologna, an old city in Northern Italy, by a catholic cultural association, and aims at supporting people’s thinking and their action in the society. The broad cultural and social engagement of the magazine has supported continuing efforts to focus on issues whose relevance is appreciated by the urban community, attracting the attention of readers beyond their religious and philosophical beliefs. Every issue of “I Martedì” includes a “Dossier”, assembling a series of contributions by qualified Authors, devoted to a specific theme of general importance.
The interest of “I Martedì” in IPSP stemmed from the Panel’s aim “to harness the competence of hundreds of experts about social issues and…deliver a report addressed to all social actors, movements, organizations, politicians and decision-makers, in order to provide them with the best expertise on questions that bear on social change”. Thus, the Editorial Board of “I Martedì” decided to devote an issue of the magazine to social progress and the dossier was structured in keeping with the interdisciplinary approach of IPSP. The synthetic view of the sustainable development objectives of the United Nations has framed the contributions in the dossier, where human beings and their activities are parts of the physical dimension of our planet.
IPSP, its composition, vision and scope have been approached in the contribution by Gian Paolo Rossini and Marc Fleurbaey (the English translation can be found here), including some general conclusions and perspectives of the IPSP Report. The growth of human population is discussed by Massimo Livi Bacci, with a focus onto issues it poses to sustainable development. The geographic heterogeneity of this process is considered with specific reference to its environmental and social impacts in a global dimension. Pier Giorgio Ardeni considers the multiple forms of inequality and the problems they pose to progress in social justice from different perspectives. The limits of development and of resources on our planet represent the starting point for Vincenzo Balzani’s discussion on the need that human activities fully incorporate the concepts of circular economy, to build a sustainable future for all, stressing that social sustainability and environmental sustainability are two aspects of a single issue. These considerations find further scope in the contribution by Nicola Armaroli, devoted to climate changes, the need to de-carbonize our energy supply and obtain energy from renewable sources, as the sole means to really support economic and social progress for all. The importance of a global ecological frame for social progress and economic developments is at the core of Giovanni Fini’s considerations. The acceleration of urbanization and soil sealing have been discussed in this contribution, with specific reference to environmental protection and the need to increase efforts for sustainable agricultural practices, as well as actions for mitigation and adaptation to climate changes. The dossier is completed by an interview of Romano Prodi, former President of the European Commission, focused on key contemporary issues of Labor.