Brundtland Revisited
IISD Chair Emeritus Jim MacNeill was the lead author of the Brundtland Commission's landmark report, Our Common Future, completed in 1988. Based on a mandate from the UN General Assembly, the report was widely endorsed by environmental and educational institutions and both public and private sector actors around the world. It became influential in the creation of environmental policy and the advancement of sustainable development as a concept. Twenty-five years later, MacNeill reflects on the legacy of the Commission's work.
Jim MacNeill is President of MacNeill and Associates and is the former chair of IISD. He was Secretary General of the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission). The views expressed are his own views and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD.
You might also be interested in
Major trade deals signed since 2025 are actively advancing climate cooperation, new tracker shows
Governments are actively leveraging economic agreements to drive the green transition: climate cooperation is explicitly mentioned in 59% of recent trade agreements whose texts are public. These are among the first findings of the Trade & Climate Tracker, launched today, which maps over 71 trade deals signed since 2025.
Financing the Energy Transition: Lower capital costs matter
The global energy transition requires low-interest financing options, debt relief, and an expansion of multilateral lending.
Stalemate on the Global Goal on Adaptation in Bonn: What it means
Countries couldn’t reach an agreement on the Global Goal on Adaptation, but it doesn't change the need for them to track and assess their efforts.
Solar Can Outcompete Grid Power in Rural India With the Right Planning
New research finds solar-based distributed renewable energy systems can generate electricity in rural India at a lower cost than conventional grid supply. Careful planning of local demand, storage, grid conditions, financing, and long-term operations is key to unlock these savings.