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

A few words from Maja: 

“All sections were refined, and the great importance of the topic was underlined by conversations with other residents at Bellagio.”

Quote from Governing Our Planetary Emergency: 

“The climate crisis is evident in the devastating impacts we witness and in the unequivocal science we are all aware of. What eludes us is political will and ambition; it is fundamentally a crisis of governance. This Report offers crucial insights toward the urgent reforms necessary to address our escalating planetary emergency.”

Synopsis:

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.