Today, locally and globally, the physical environment is being degraded and biological diversity is being lost on a large scale. It is important to implement the “planetary bargain,” by which developed nations share the cost of environmental protection in the developing world.

Achievement of economic and social justice includes the need for reducing the enormous gaps between the rich and the poor among and within societies. Access to resources, justice, education, technology, and security is often very unequal, and these inequalities are often associated with differences in race, ethnicity, gender, age, and nationality.

In addressing these and other crucial challenges, their interdependence must be recognized. Yet our transnational and national institutions deal with them in a compartmentalized way. There is no integrative strategy. In addition, the bureaucracies need to pursue their goals with greater adaptability, including accountability and transparency, responsiveness to criticism, and flexibility in the face of change.