Johan Rockström, with Louis Kotzé, recently penned a call for embracing the framework of the “planetary commons” in Context (“‘Planetary commons’ needed to safeguard humanity’s future on Earth“):
That is why we – an interdisciplinary team of natural and social scientists – have put forward a new concept: the “planetary commons”, which we believe holds considerable promise to rethink, design and implement global governance regimes to protect the planet.
Our new approach complements the conventional understanding of global commons, which are defined for systems or areas that are geographically located outside of national jurisdictions – things such as the oceans, the atmosphere and Antarctica. It expands this notion to include all of Earth’s critical biophysical systems and their functions.
These planetary commons would include, among other things, rivers and oceans, giant glaciers, mangrove forests and tidal flats, the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, monsoon systems, forests, and permafrost regions.
