Jørgen Randers (born 22 May 1945) is a Norwegian academic, professor emeritus of climate strategy at the
BI Norwegian Business School
BI Norwegian Business School () is a Norwegian specialized university that provides education and conducts research primarily in the fields of business and economics, marketing, strategy, management, and administration. BI is organized as a self ...
,
[ and practitioner in the field of future studies.][BI Norwegian Business School - Jørgen Randers](_blank)
Accessed Sept 13, 2015. His professional field encompasses model-based future studies, scenario analysis, system dynamics, sustainability, climate, energy and ecological economics
Ecological economics, bioeconomics, ecolonomy, eco-economics, or ecol-econ is both a transdisciplinary and an interdisciplinary field of academic research addressing the interdependence and coevolution of human economy, economies and natural ec ...
. He is also a full member of the Club of Rome
The Club of Rome is a nonprofit, informal organization of intellectuals and business leaders whose goal is a critical discussion of pressing list of global issues, global issues. The Club of Rome was founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in R ...
, a company director, a member of various not-for-profit boards, a business consultant on global sustainability matters and an author. His publications include the seminal work ''The Limits to Growth
''The Limits to Growth'' (''LTG'') is a 1972 report that discussed the possibility of exponential Economic growth, economic and population growth with finite supply of resources, studied by computer simulation. The study used the World3 computer ...
(co-author)'', and Reinventing Prosperity. He served, between 1994 and 1999, as deputy director general of the World Wildlife Fund International.
Early life and education
Randers is the son of the Norwegian physicist Gunnar Randers and the nephew of Norwegian mountaineer Arne Randers Heen. He received a Masters of Science in Solid State Physics at the University of Oslo
The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...
in 1968, and a PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management (branded as MIT Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree progra ...
in 1973, having originally been accepted to complete a PhD in physics. Whilst at MIT, he became one of the original four co-authors of The Limits to Growth
''The Limits to Growth'' (''LTG'') is a 1972 report that discussed the possibility of exponential Economic growth, economic and population growth with finite supply of resources, studied by computer simulation. The study used the World3 computer ...
, a "seminal text on the use of computer-modelling in simulating the consequences of economic and population growth in a finite world".
Academic career
In 1973, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management (branded as MIT Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree progra ...
. In 1974, he left MIT to pursue a career in business.
From 1981 to 1989 he served as president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
of the BI Norwegian Business School
BI Norwegian Business School () is a Norwegian specialized university that provides education and conducts research primarily in the fields of business and economics, marketing, strategy, management, and administration. BI is organized as a self ...
, and he served as a professor from 1985 to 2015. Since 2015, he has been Professor Emeritus.
From 2001 to 2012, he was a core member of the faculty of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Cambridge.
In 2013, he was appointed as Honorary Professor, Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public research university in the region of East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins date back to the Cambridge School of Art (CSA), founded by William John Beamont, a Fellow of Trinity College at the Unive ...
, Cambridge.
In 2016, he was appointed as Honorary Professor, Fudan Institute for Advanced Study in Social Science, Shanghai.
In 2018, he was appointed as Honorary Researcher, School of Marxism, Peking University
Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...
, Beijing.
In 2019, Randers was appointed as the inaugural co-chair of the Ecological Civilization Center at Peking University's Research Institute of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Randers' research interests are on climate issues, scenario planning
Scenario planning, scenario thinking, scenario analysis, scenario prediction and the scenario method all describe a strategic planning method that some organizations use to make flexible long-term plans. It is in large part an adaptation and gen ...
and system dynamics
System dynamics (SD) is an approach to understanding the nonlinear behaviour of complex systems over time using stocks, flows, internal feedback loops, table functions and time delays.
Overview
System dynamics is a methodology and mathematical ...
, especially on the topics of sustainable development, climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
and global warming mitigation.
Business career
In 1974, he left the MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management (branded as MIT Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree progra ...
and founded the Resource Policy Group, a system dynamics-based policy analysis institute based in Oslo, and served as director between 1974 and 1980.
In 1980, he was appointed to the Ministry of Long-Term Planning, in Oslo, involved with macroeconomic planning. Subsequently, he was appointed as deputy director of Deminex (NORGE) AS, an oil production company.
Between 1989 and 1991, he served as managing director of World City AS, a financial holding company based in Oslo.
Board appointments
During his career, he has served as Chair of a number of companies including:
* yA Bank AS, an internet bank (2006 to 2014)
* 8 eBok AS, an electronic publisher (1999 to 2003)
* 21st Venture AS, a radio and IT holding company (1999 to 2016)
* P4 Radio Hele Norge AS, commercial radio company (1992 to 1996)
* David Livsforsikrings AS, a life insurer (1992 to 1994)
* Green Business AS, an environmental goods and services business (1989 - 1991)
* Norwegian Bank for Industry (1988 to 1992)
* Åke Larson Construction AS (1988 to 1993)
* Sven Sejersted Bødtker & Co. AS, ship-owners (1983 to 1993)
* Sunnmørsbanken Oslo AS, a commercial bank (1981 to 1985)
Between 1988 and 1993, he also served as Chair of the Norwegian Institute for Market Research.
In addition, he has served as a director of:
* Posten Norge
Posten Bring, formerly Posten Norge (), is the name of the Norway, Norwegian mail, postal service. The company, owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, had a monopoly until 2016 on the distribution of letters weighing less ...
ASA, the Norwegian Postal Service (2011 to 2015)
* anal 24Norge AS, a commercial radio company (2002 to 2003)
* Egroup ASA, an internet consulting business (1999 to 2005)
* Tomra Systems AS ( Tomra), a recycling company (1991 to 2010)
* Unique AS, Sandnes, a software house (1984 to 1987)
* Tiki Data AS, a PC producer (1983 to 1985)
* Åke Larson Construction AB, Stockholm (1982 to 1992)
Jorgen has also served as a member of various advisory boards and not-for-profit councils, including:
* 2019- The Club of Rome
The Club of Rome is a nonprofit, informal organization of intellectuals and business leaders whose goal is a critical discussion of pressing list of global issues, global issues. The Club of Rome was founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in R ...
China Chapter, Beijing (Board)
* 2015-18 The Club of Rome
The Club of Rome is a nonprofit, informal organization of intellectuals and business leaders whose goal is a critical discussion of pressing list of global issues, global issues. The Club of Rome was founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in R ...
, Winterthur (ExCom)
* 2014-17 AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca plc () (AZ) is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, UK. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includi ...
, London (Environmental Sustainability Council)
* 2004-08 WWF International, Gland (International Board and Exco)
* 2003-07 Miljøforskningssenteret AS (Board)
* 2003- The Global Footprint Network, San Francisco (Advisory Council)
* 2001-08 WWF-Norway, Oslo (Board chair)
* 2001-12 British Telecom plc, London (Leadership Panel)
* 2000-04 Norwegian Research Council (Committee on Environment and Development)
* 2000-06 Fondation du Tour du Valat, Sambuc, France (Board)
* 2000-15 The Dow Chemical Company, Midland MI (Corporate Environmental Advisory Council)
Government appointments
In the year 2005-06 he led the Norwegian Commission on Low Emissions, which proposed a path for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...
in Norway by two-thirds by 2050.Climatestrategy.org
. Accessed Jan 4, 2013.[ Randers is currently (2008) professor of climate strategy at the ]BI Norwegian Business School
BI Norwegian Business School () is a Norwegian specialized university that provides education and conducts research primarily in the fields of business and economics, marketing, strategy, management, and administration. BI is organized as a self ...
.[
He has also undertaken a number of other Government appointments, including:
* 2016-17 China Council for International Cooperation in Environment and Development, Beijing (Green Transition Strategy for China to 2050)
* 2015-17 ]Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
Metropolitan Government (Special advisor to Mayor Park Won Soon)
* 2014-16 Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Shanghai (Shanghai 2050 Plan)
* 2005-06 Norwegian Ministry of Environment (Chair Commission on Reduction of Climate Gases)
* 2004-07 Economic Development Board of Rotterdam (International Advisory Board)
* 2001-02 Global Reporting Initiative
The Global Reporting Initiative (known as GRI) is an international independent standards organization that helps businesses, governments, and other organizations understand and communicate their impacts on issues such as climate change, human rig ...
(GRI), Washington (Core Measurement Group)
* 1998-02 OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...
, Paris (Roundtable on Sustainable Development)
* 1985-87 Norwegian Ministry of Social Affairs (Commission on Health Sector Reform)
* 1979-83 OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...
, Paris (Social effects of forest investment projects)
* 1979 United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
(UNDP), Dacca (Planning a Petroleum Institute in Bangladesh)
Publications
* 1972. ''The Limits to Growth
''The Limits to Growth'' (''LTG'') is a 1972 report that discussed the possibility of exponential Economic growth, economic and population growth with finite supply of resources, studied by computer simulation. The study used the World3 computer ...
'' with Donella Meadows
Donella Hager "Dana" Meadows (March 13, 1941 – February 20, 2001) was an American environmental scientist, educator, and writer. She is best known as lead author of the books '' The Limits to Growth'' and '' Thinking In Systems: A Primer''.
...
and Dennis L. Meadows.
* 1980. ''Elements of the System Dynamics Methods''. Edited by Jørgen Randers. MIT Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts), .
* 1992. '' Beyond the Limits'' with Donella Meadows
Donella Hager "Dana" Meadows (March 13, 1941 – February 20, 2001) was an American environmental scientist, educator, and writer. She is best known as lead author of the books '' The Limits to Growth'' and '' Thinking In Systems: A Primer''.
...
and Dennis L. Meadows.
* 2012. '' 2052: A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years''. Chelsea Green Publications, White River Junction, Vermont, .
References
External links
www.bi.edu
2052 book supplement website www.2052.info
BI Norwegian Business School - Jørgen Randers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Randers, Joergen
1945 births
Living people
Norwegian business theorists
Non-fiction environmental writers
Club of Rome members
Ecological economists
People associated with criticism of economic growth
University of Oslo alumni
MIT Sloan School of Management alumni
Academic staff of BI Norwegian Business School
Rectors of BI Norwegian Business School
World Wide Fund for Nature
BT Group people
Dow Chemical Company employees
Malthusians