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Earth system justice needed to identify and live within Earth system boundaries

Nature Sustainability volume 6, pages 630–638 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Living within planetary limits requires attention to justice as biophysical boundaries are not inherently just. Through collaboration between natural and social scientists, the Earth Commission defines and operationalizes Earth system justice to ensure that boundaries reduce harm, increase well-being, and reflect substantive and procedural justice. Such stringent boundaries may also affect ‘just access’ to food, water, energy and infrastructure. We show how boundaries may need to be adjusted to reduce harm and increase access, and challenge inequality to ensure a safe and just future for people, other species and the planet. Earth system justice may enable living justly within boundaries.

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Fig. 1: Adding a justice perspective on boundaries.
Fig. 2: Conceptualization of ESJ through just ends and just means.
Fig. 3: Mapping exposure to harm from air pollution.
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6: Creating a corridor.

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Acknowledgements

This paper was made possible through the voluntary commitment of time and research by the Earth Commissioners and the support of the researchers and secretariat from the Global Challenges Foundation; the Global Commons Alliance, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (with support from Oak Foundation, MAVA, Porticus, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Herlin Foundation and the Global Environment Facility); EC GA 884565; and ERC 101020082 that supported the work of some Commissioners.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Joyeeta Gupta, Klaudia Prodani, Daniel Ciobanu, Joeri Scholtens & Crelis Rammelt

  2. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Diana Liverman & Lauren Gifford

  3. University of Chile and Center for Climate and Resilience Research, Santiago, Chile

    Paulina Aldunce

  4. Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

    Xuemei Bai

  5. Future Earth Global Hub Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden

    Wendy Broadgate, Lisa Jacobson, Steven J. Lade & Juan Rocha

  6. Institute for Environment and Sanitations Studies, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

    Chris Gordon

  7. Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

    Margot Hurlbert

  8. Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Cristina Y. A. Inoue

  9. Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan

    Norichika Kanie

  10. Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Steven J. Lade & Juan Rocha

  11. Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

    Steven J. Lade

  12. Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

    Timothy M. Lenton

  13. CORDIO East Africa, Mombasa, Kenya

    David Obura

  14. Centre for Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Abakaliki, Ebony State, Nigeria

    Chukwumerije Okereke

  15. Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change, University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Ilona M. Otto

  16. Global Change Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Laura Pereira

  17. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany

    Johan Rockström

  18. Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Ben Stewart-Koster

  19. Global Climate Forum, Berlin, Germany

    J. David Tàbara

  20. Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    J. David Tàbara

  21. VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Peter H. Verburg

  22. WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

    Peter H. Verburg

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  1. Joyeeta Gupta
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the work presented in this paper. J.G., D.L., L.J. and K.P. conceptualized and wrote the paper. J.S. and C.R. heavily reviewed the content of the paper. C.O., M.H., D.O., I.M.O., J.D.T., P.A., X.B., W.B., D.C., L.G., C.G., C.Y.A.I., N.K. and L.P. gave specific feedback on different aspects of the paper. J. Rocha contributed to the map in the paper. S.J.L., T.M.L., J. Rockstrom, B.S.-K. and P.H.V. ensured that there were good links with the rest of the Earth Commission work.

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Correspondence to Joyeeta Gupta.

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Gupta, J., Liverman, D., Prodani, K. et al. Earth system justice needed to identify and live within Earth system boundaries. Nat Sustain 6, 630–638 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01064-1

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