Impacts of meeting minimum access on critical earth systems amidst the Great Inequality

Crelis F. Rammelt*, Joyeeta Gupta, Diana Liverman, Joeri Scholtens, Daniel Ciobanu, Jesse F. Abrams, Xuemei Bai, Lauren Gifford, Christopher Gordon, Margot Hurlbert, Cristina Y.A. Inoue, Lisa Jacobson, Steven J. Lade, Timothy M. Lenton, David I.Armstrong McKay, Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Chukwumerije Okereke, Ilona M. Otto, Laura M. Pereira, Klaudia ProdaniJohan Rockström, Ben Stewart-Koster, Peter H. Verburg, Caroline Zimm

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals aim to improve access to resources and services, reduce environmental degradation, eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. However, the magnitude of the environmental burden that would arise from meeting the needs of the poorest is under debate—especially when compared to much larger burdens from the rich. We show that the ‘Great Acceleration’ of human impacts was characterized by a ‘Great Inequality’ in using and damaging the environment. We then operationalize ‘just access’ to minimum energy, water, food and infrastructure. We show that achieving just access in 2018, with existing inequalities, technologies and behaviours, would have produced 2–26% additional impacts on the Earth’s natural systems of climate, water, land and nutrients—thus further crossing planetary boundaries. These hypothetical impacts, caused by about a third of humanity, equalled those caused by the wealthiest 1–4%. Technological and behavioural changes thus far, while important, did not deliver just access within a stable Earth system. Achieving these goals therefore calls for a radical redistribution of resources.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)212-221
Number of pages10
JournalNature Sustainability
Volume6
Issue number2
Early online date10 Nov 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The Earth Commission is hosted by Future Earth and is the science component of the Global Commons Alliance. The Global Commons Alliance is 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. The Earth Commission is also supported by the Global Challenges Foundation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. We also thank A. Beekman and L. Kollár for their assistance in preparing this paper.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).

Funding

The Earth Commission is hosted by Future Earth and is the science component of the Global Commons Alliance. The Global Commons Alliance is 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. The Earth Commission is also supported by the Global Challenges Foundation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. We also thank A. Beekman and L. Kollár for their assistance in preparing this paper.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Impacts of meeting minimum access on critical earth systems amidst the Great Inequality'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this