MaD 2012 Talk Chandran NAIR:Has Western Capitalism Failed ? (Subtitled)

Chandran NAIR
Founder
Global Institute For Tomorrow (HK)
Advocating a critical view on Asia's development

About the speaker
Most think Asia is booming. Chandran NAIR thinks we are heading for catastrophe if we go on with more and more consumption. But he is optimistic—the title of his latest book, Consumptionomics: Asia's Role in Reshaping Capitalism and Saving the Planet, makes the point. An unreserved advocate for a more sustainable approach to development in Asia, Chandran has advised governments and multinational corporations, served as Chairman of Asia's leading environmental consultancy Environmental Resources Management (ERM), and founded the Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), an independent social venture think tank dedicated to advancing the understanding of the impacts of globalization through thought leadership and positive action to effect change. In 2008 he also set up Avantage Ventures, a social investment advisory firm based in Hong Kong.

About the talk
Has Western Capitalism failed?
The triumph of consumption based capitalism in the West has created the crisis of the 21st century: massive environmental damage, depletion of natural resources, a growing gap between the rich and poor and most recently an awareness that it is dependent on facilitating people and nations to live beyond their means, thereby creating unmanageable debt and banks too big to fail. The leaders of the Western world are in denial and refuse to make the hard decision now to change the expectation within their economies. Rhetoric about short term austerity plans with suggestions that the good times are around the corner or a quarter away will not help. The brutal truth needs to be outlined that short term fiscal and monetary policies will only postpone the inevitable reality check. The developing nations aspiring to emulate the Western model should take dramatic steps to reverse course and start by rejecting the Western consumption-led growth model. It will be their key to remaining legitimate and not creating a bleak future, not just for their citizens but for the world too. Needless to say Asia with its large population will be at the heart of this 21st century struggle to redefine and reshape capitalism. Chandran NAIR is the Founder and CEO of the Global Institute For Tomorrow. He is also Chairman of Avantage Ventures. His book is entitled Consumptionomics: Asia's role in Reshaping Capitalism and Saving the Planet.

Chandran NAIR
Global Institute For Tomorrow創辦人（香港）
新角度看亞洲發展

關於講者
多數人認為亞洲正在崛起，Chandran NAIR卻認為如果我們繼續不斷消費，亞洲將面臨災禍。但他仍是樂觀的──他的新書C­onsumptionomics: Asia's Role in Reshaping Capitalism and Saving the Planet 探討亞洲在21世紀重塑資本主義的重要角色。Chandran一直全力支持以可持續的­方法式發展亞洲，作為環境顧問Environmental Resources Management (ERM) 的主席，他曾多次為政府及跨國公司提供顧問服務，並創立了獨立社會創新智庫Globa­l Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT)，致力以領袖思維和正面行動加深各界對全球化影響的理解。在2008年，­他創立了以香港為基地的社會投資諮詢公司Avantage Ventures。

演講簡介
西方資本主義失敗了嗎？
消費主導的西方資本主義表面成功，卻引致了21世紀的危機：大規模的環境破壞、自然資­源的過度消耗、日益嚴重的貧富差距，以及過度消費造成無法償還的巨額負債，甚至銀行大­到不能倒。至今，西方世界的領袖仍拒絕將經濟預期調整到一個合理範圍。主張經濟好轉即­將來臨的短期緊縮計劃等言論無助解決現實問題。殘酷的真相需要揭露——經濟衰退無可避­免，短期財政和金融政策只會延遲其來臨而已。以西方模式為藍本的發展中國家應另闢蹊徑­，及早拒絕西方消費主導的發展模式。這不僅為其國家，更為全世界保持合理經濟增長而非­慘淡未來至為關鍵。無可否認人口龐大的亞洲將會是21世紀重新定義及重塑資本主義的核­心角色。Chandran NAIR創辦了全球未來研究所，也是Avantage Ventures的主席，他的書作名為《Consumptionomics: Asia's role in Reshaping Capitalism and Saving the Planet》。

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  Nonprofits & Activism