ABSTRACT
The twenty-first century began with the seminal Millennium Summit. The Summit aimed to specify targets and goals for action in many areas of social concern and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as they were known set the tone for much discussion and debate that followed. Growing social responsibility to the citizens of Earth and to the natural environment played a large part in harnessing consensus for change. Gone were the days when the environment could be pillaged with impunity, as new ecological accounting paradigms attempted to promote accountability. Furthermore, this was another decade in which genetically modified organisms (GMOs) once again came under fire as nations battled with legislation. Lastly, a financial crisis following quickly on the tail of a partially human-made food price bubble gave governments a pause for thought. It seemed, for some at least, the very foundations of capitalist economics was being called into question.
