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Intergenerational equity can help to prevent climate change and extinction

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 2, pages 204–207 (2018)Cite this article

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An Author Correction to this article was published on 28 March 2018

This article has been updated

Intergenerational rights to a healthy environment are protected by the constitutions of 74% of the world’s nations. These explicit commitments and similar, ancient principles of sovereign public trust are often overlooked but, if enforced, they offer sustainable protection for the biosphere.

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Fig. 1: Categories of constitutional provisions for environmental protection2.
Fig. 2: Global atmospheric CO2 emissions by category of constitutional provisions for environmental protection.
Fig. 3: Bird and mammal diversity by category of constitutional provisions for environmental protection.

Change history

  • 28 March 2018

    The original Article mistakenly coded the constitutional rights of Australia as containing a governmental duty to protect the environment (blue in the figures); this has been corrected to containing no explicit mention of environmental protection (orange in the figures). The original Article also neglected to code the constitutional rights of the Cayman Islands (no data; yellow in the figures); this has been corrected to containing a governmental duty to protect the environment (blue in the figures).

    Although no inferences changed as a result of these errors, many values changed slightly and have been corrected. The proportion of the world’s nations having constitutional rights to a healthy environment changed from 75% to 74%. The proportions of nations in different categories given in the Fig. 1 caption all changed except purple countries (3.1%): green countries changed from 47.2% to 46.9%; blue countries changed from 24.4% to 24.2%; and orange countries changed from 25.3% to 25.8%. The proportion of the global atmospheric CO2 emitted by the 144 nations changed from 72.6% to 74.4%; the proportion of the world’s population represented by the 144 nations changed from 84.9% to 85%. The values of annual average CO2 emissions for blue countries changed from 363,000 Gg to 353,000 Gg and for orange countries from 195,000 Gg to 201,000 Gg. The proportion of threatened mammals endemic to a single country represented by the 144 countries changed from 91% to 84%. Figures 1–3 have been updated to show the correct values and map colours and the Supplementary Information has been updated to give the correct country codes.

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Acknowledgements

D. Bantlin, M. Rabenhorst and R. Treves helped with data and illustrations.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Adrian Treves & Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila

  2. Earth to Ocean Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada

    Kyle A. Artelle

  3. Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, British Columbia, PO Box 2429, V8L 3Y3, Canada

    Kyle A. Artelle, Chris T. Darimont & Paul Paquet

  4. Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, British Columbia, PO Box 309, V0P 1H0, Canada

    Kyle A. Artelle, Chris T. Darimont & Paul Paquet

  5. Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, PO Box 1700, Stn CSC, V8W 2Y2, Canada

    Chris T. Darimont

  6. George Perkins Marsh Institute, Clark University, Worcester, MA, 01610-1477, USA

    William S. Lynn

  7. The Reynolds Law Firm, PC, 225 SW Fourth St, Corvallis, OR, 97333, USA

    Rance Shaw

  8. School of Law, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA

    Mary C. Wood

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  1. Adrian Treves
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Correspondence to Adrian Treves.

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Additional information

A correction to this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0512-8.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary data for Figs 1–3

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Treves, A., Artelle, K.A., Darimont, C.T. et al. Intergenerational equity can help to prevent climate change and extinction. Nat Ecol Evol 2, 204–207 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0465-y

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