What a Norwegian playwright tells us about global leadership

The author asserts that climate change is an existential threat requiring bold political commitment, the removal of fossil-fuel subsidies, and carbon taxation. They argue that the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals provide the necessary framework for global safety, emphasizing that health is a public good and that sustainable development is inseparable from justice and human rights.

• Effective climate action requires specific economic and political measures, including the taxation and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, the elimination of subsidies for fossil-fuel industries, and the provision of financial aid to the least-developed countries most vulnerable to climate impacts.
• The author contends that bold climate strategies require political courage and must be updated to address contemporary socioeconomic factors such as artificial intelligence, globalization, and discrimination based on race and gender to maintain public support, particularly among youth.
• The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by 193 member states in 2015, serve as a comprehensive guide for human development and refute the notion that prioritizing a single country's interests over others maximizes security or prosperity.
• Using India's Mohalla Clinics as an example of innovative reform, the author argues that health should be treated as a public good and that effective healthcare systems are built on the principle of social solidarity.
• Achieving the SDGs and resolving the climate crisis necessitates confronting vested economic and political interests, addressing rapid population growth, and overhauling unsustainable patterns of consumption and production.

APA

Brundtland, G. H. (2018). What a Norwegian playwright tells us about global leadership. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/social-solidarity-for-sustainable-development/

Chicago

Brundtland, Gro Harlem. What a Norwegian playwright tells us about global leadership. World Economic Forum, 2018. https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/social-solidarity-for-sustainable-development/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Brundtland |first1=Gro Harlem |title=What a Norwegian playwright tells us about global leadership |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=1 October 2018 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/social-solidarity-for-sustainable-development/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{brundtland2018what, author = {Brundtland, Gro Harlem}, title = {{What a Norwegian playwright tells us about global leadership}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/social-solidarity-for-sustainable-development/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }