COP30 Lessons + Our Annual Report
26/11/2025
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Dear Planetary Steward, dear friend of the Global Commons Alliance,
As we return from COP30, we see encouraging momentum on the energy transition, deforestation and Indigenous rights, even as fossil fuel phase-out commitments remain far below what science and justice require. Yet despite strong oil-industry lobbying — and the substantial work still ahead of COP31 — many discussions were grounded in collaboration and care for all beings.
COP30 has shown that progress is possible, but that we need to take a systems approach if we are going to pick up the pace and scale necessary. You can read our COP outcomes blog here, and see our pick of some of the key announcements from across COP, including from the Global Commons Alliance, below.
In this spirit of collective action, we’re proud to publish our annual report today. This summary of the incredible work delivered by our original members over the last year toward building a just world on a safe planet, would not be possible without the wider ecosystem of partners we work with. We invite you to explore the online report.
Key highlights include:
– Sharing ‘Safe and Just’ science – We worked to build cultures of planetary stewardship, reshape economic systems, and support new governance frameworks through events, reports, mutual learning and visual data tools. This meant translating groundbreaking new science from the Earth Commission into accessible insights for diverse audiences.
– Building a powerful narrative for safeguarding the global commons – Communications underpins the new Earth Public Information Collaborative (EPIC), a keystone project of Earth HQ among many. Together with partners we also released two major surveys of the G20 public opinion on economic transformation and the global commons, with results revealing strong appetite for systems change including taxing the wealthy, and holding polluters accountable.
– Empowering decision-makers to transform markets, finance, policy, and governance – The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), along with its external validator, the Accountability Accelerator, now provide companies with a clear framework for environmental action across Earth-system domains. Systems Change Lab continued to track global progress through workshops, interactive data, and a high-profile report outlining the transformations needed over the next decade to meet climate goals.
The report highlights both the achievements of the last year and why the Global Commons Alliance is evolving. Driving the systems change required for a just world on a safe planet demands collective stewardship and coordinated action. No single organization can solve the crises we face — only shared action, grounded in science and solidarity, can get us there.
As we move toward the end of the year and look to the possibilities ahead, we hope you will join us in this new era of global collaboration to equitably safeguard, restore, and govern Earth’s vital life-support systems, for all.
With all our best, Will Tucker, Co-Director (Communications and Resource Mobilization), and Sebastian Schienle, Co-Director (Partnerships and Programs)
JUSTICE + WELLBEING
Earth system experts from around the world convened for the COP30 Official Side Event: ‘Justice and Wellbeing within Planetary Boundaries: Pathways for COP30’, hosted by Earth4All, Earth Commission and Global Commons Alliance. Opening the session, co-chair Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Executive Chair of Earth4All warned: “We need to remember that data and science is under attack in many parts of the world. We need to bring forward that importance of data and science in everything we do, including in policy recommendations.”
READ THE FULL EVENT SUMMARY
A LEGAL DUTY TO ACT
Several Earth Commissioners contributed to a Nature Sustainability paper about the 2025 advisory opinions by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice, which affirm climate change is a human-caused existential threat, and that safeguarding the climate is a legal duty. These rulings offer a science-based legal framework for civil society to urge governments and corporations toward transformative change.
READ MORE
THE PEOPLE’S COP
The Brazilian Presidency formally launched the first Citizens’ Track cycle at COP30, including a permanent citizens assembly and links to thousands of community assemblies. This will be a transformative initiative that will bring the people who are most affected by the nature and climate crisis directly into global decision-making spaces, to ensure those on the frontlines of impacts can shape our collective future. Read more
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