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Dear Planetary Steward, dear friend of the Global Commons Alliance,
It can be tricky to find the positives in a world powered by doom-algorithms – and of course it would be irresponsible to filter out bad news. On top of escalating conflict, India and Pakistan are experiencing ‘new normal’ heat, climate costs are expected to reach $145 billion this year, the US is accelerating deep sea mining, and a new study shows humans are driving biodiversity loss among every species on the planet.
Despite this, we don’t need to scroll much further to see that progress toward a Safe and Just future still flourishes. President Xi has committed China to bolder emissions reductions, as the country continues its streak as the world leader for clean power generation. Indigenous leaders are pushing for inclusion in the high seas treaty for the first time. Europe’s solar has surged 32% so far this year, and new data reveals Japan’s emissions dropped to a record low in 2023. Change for good is happening, whether we can easily see it or not.
While we face a challenging external environment on multiple fronts, the Global Commons Alliance sees the disruption in trade, political and international norms as an opportunity to join forces toward a future in which humanity and nature thrive. Our small and nimble team is reviewing how we can best respond to this opportunity and evolve the Global Commons Alliance to safeguard our global commons in the current context.
Humanity must work together across sectors at all levels to transform how we live our lives with nature. From workers to world leaders, we all inherit our shared responsibility to safeguard the global commons. As the Global Commons Alliance continues to grow, we look forward to working toward our collective vision of a Safe and Just future with you.
With all our best,
Sebastian Schienle, Director of Partnerships and Programs
Will Tucker, Director of Communications and Resource Mobilization
