Stronger global governance is needed to mitigate human impact on the earth’s climate and to ensure sustainable development, according to 32 scientists who published a paper in Friday’s issue of the journal Science.
In “Navigating the Anthropocene: Improving Earth System Governance,” (summary), the scholars argue that current institutions, including the United Nations, have shown themselves inadequate to the necessities now facing humanity...
Welcome at the website of the Earth System Governance Project.
The Earth System Governance Project is the largest social science research network in the area of governance and global environmental change. Our international research programme takes up the challenge of exploring political solutions and novel, more effective governance systems to cope with the current transitions in the biogeochemical systems of our planet. The normative context of our research is sustainable development: We see earth system governance not only as a question of governance effectiveness, but also as a challenge for political legitimacy and social justice.
Navigating The Anthropocene: Improving Earth System Governance
16-03-2012In an article published in Science on 16 March 2012, 32 leading governance experts from the Earth System Governance research alliance argue for a fundamental overhaul of global environmental governance.
They state that in order to reduce the risk of potential global environmental disaster, a “constitutional moment” is required, comparable in scale and importance to the reform of international governance that followed World War II.
Stark increases in natural disasters, food and water security problems and biodiversity loss are just part of the evidence that humanity may be crossing planetary boundaries and approaching dangerous tipping points. A more effective environmental governance system needs to be instituted soon, according to the article.
