Governing Our Planetary Emergency: Charting a Safe Path for a Workable Future

The world has already overshot six of nine scientifically identified Planetary Boundaries and is now facing a deepening planetary emergency

By Mary Robinson Lead Co-Chair • María Fernanda Espinosa Co-Chair • Johan Rockström Scientific Co-Chair • Maja Groff Convenor and Author

Resilience & Sustainability

November 27, 2023

The world is currently experiencing the initial impacts of catastrophic climate change. Facing a crossroads in human history, we need novel approaches to global governance in support of unprecedented policy, private sector, and citizen-led actions, to shift course this decade and avert the worst of the emergency. Human interference in the life-supporting functions of our planet have already caused intense suffering and heightened inequality. Employing new and existing governance levers in more creative and technically robust ways—that harness the combined talents and commitments of governments and non-state actors—is necessary to meet our shared, colossal challenges. The Commission aspires to contribute to the thought leadership and norm entrepreneurship necessary to safeguard humanity’s future. Our current challenges—although daunting —are solvable, and there are many powerful, positive trends on which to build our efforts. This Report sets forth near- and medium-term proposals for vital and substantial governance improvements across the international system. The Commission will form diverse, high-level working groups to refine its recommendations and advocate for their associated transformations; we value our myriad partners in this important effort for just climate governance.

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Against the complex backdrop of Great Power tensions, human rights violations, expanding poverty, deepening inequality, and more concurrent violent conflicts than at any time in decades, the climate crisis, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), requires rapid global action to transform the world economy at a speed and on a scale unprecedented in human history. In response, calls abound for large-scale global resource mobilization efforts analogous to the Marshall Plan or World War II. While some jurisdictions have declared a state of climate emergency, this has not translated into widespread concrete action plans and the governance reforms needed.

Innovative global governance solutions to effectively combat climate change and to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution are humanity’s chief moral and practical imperative. A continued failure to address the underlying causes of this emergency—such as a lack of concerted, accountable collective action, economic short-termism, greed, flawed definitions of economic success, entrenched dependence on fossil fuels, resource waste, overconsumption, and the destruction of nature—will have further devastating effects for all of humanity.

A basic premise of the Climate Governance Commission is that new perspectives on global governance— deploying new levels of collective wisdom and political courage—are required to tackle current existential planetary risks. Such efforts should complement and enhance ongoing intergovernmental negotiations. By prioritizing fundamental global collective action innovations, we can protect our common home for present and future generations in a just, equitable, and sustainable manner. We therefore set forth near- and medium-term governance reform proposals in Parts III and IV of this Report for consideration at upcoming Conferences of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the September 2024 Summit of the Future, and other policy fora. Together, our recommendations strive to harness the talents and respond to the exigencies of all peoples and nations, while repairing our relationship with the natural systems on which we all depend.