Researchers propose paradigm shift with "planetary commons" to safeguard earth's critical systems
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 14-Jun-2024 12:09 ET (14-Jun-2024 16:09 GMT/UTC)
A groundbreaking research paper, published this week in the renowned journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), challenges conventional notions of global commons and advocates for a more expansive framework called the "Planetary Commons".
The study, conducted by a collaborative team of 22 leading international researchers - including Professor Louis Kotzé, Senior Professorial Fellow in Lincoln Law School and Professor Duncan French, Head of College of Health & Science and Professor of International Law - over nearly two years, calls for a paradigm shift in global governance to effectively safeguard the Earth's critical systems.
Tipping elements of the Earth system should be considered global commons, researchers argue in a new paper published in the renowned journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Global commons cannot - as they currently do- only include the parts of the planet outside of national borders, like the high seas or Antarctica. They must also include all the environmental systems that regulate the functioning and state of the planet, namely all systems on Earth we all depend on, irrespective on where in the world we live. This calls for a new level of transnational cooperation, leading experts in legal, social and Earth system sciences say. To limit risks for human societies and secure critical Earth system functions they propose a new framework of planetary commons to guide governance of the planet.