Report outlines path to prosperity for planet and people if Earth’s essential resources are better shared

The Earth will only be able to provide a basic standard of living for all in the future if economic systems and technologies are radically transformed and essential resources are used, managed and shared more equitably, according to an international research team including scientists from the Australian National University (ANU).

The report, published in Planetary health in The Lancetdescribes how cities and businesses have the power to play a crucial role and become ‘stewards’ of essential Earth systems by demonstrating how they can reduce their environmental impact on the planet. The report summarises the key findings of the first phase of the Earth Commission, founded in 2019 with a team of 18 world-renowned interdisciplinary academics as commissioners, involving over 40 researchers in various working groups.

The report builds on the Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries report published in Nature Last year we saw that most of the vital limits within which people and the planet can thrive have been exceeded.

One of the three lead authors, ANU Distinguished Professor Xuemei Bai, who led the translation working group, said businesses and cities have the means to act and radically transform and reduce pressure on the planet.

“Businesses and cities have enormous potential to make a difference, especially if they work towards the same goal, which is to ensure that the planet can support everyone in the long term,” she said.

“They are more agile and flexible than states and can reduce their pressure on the planet by setting scientific targets consistent with our findings.”

Professor Stuart Bunn of Griffith University co-led one of the working groups, which focused on the limits of freshwater pollution and nutrient pollution.

The report reveals that the planet’s capacity to provide and protect is being stretched beyond its limits, although it remains possible for humans to escape poverty and the damage caused by Earth system change, if urgent action is taken.

She discovered that the only way to provide for all and ensure that societies, businesses and economies thrive without destabilizing the planet is to reduce inequalities in how essential Earth system resources, such as fresh water and nutrients, are accessed and used, and in how responsibilities, such as reducing carbon emissions, are shared, alongside economic and technological transformation.

By 2050, unless urgent transformations are implemented, researchers say the Earth’s climate will deteriorate to the point where there will be no “safe and just space.”

This means that even if everyone on the planet had access to only the resources needed for a basic standard of living in 2050, the Earth would still be outside the climate limit.

Researchers say Earth’s systems are at risk of crossing dangerous tipping points that could cause significant further harm to people around the world unless energy, food and urban systems are urgently transformed.

The document presents a series of recommendations aimed at ensuring that the Earth’s climate remains within what is called the “safe and just space.”

First, a well-coordinated and intentional effort between policymakers, businesses, civil society and communities can transform the way we manage the economy and find new policies and financing mechanisms that can address inequalities while reducing pressure on nature and the climate.

Second, transformation requires more efficient management, sharing and use of resources at all levels of society, including addressing overconsumption in some communities, which limits access to basic resources for those who need them most.

Third, investing in sustainable and affordable technologies is essential to help us use fewer resources and reopen safe and just space for all, especially where there is little or no space left.

The report was co-authored by more than 60 leading natural and social scientists from around the world.