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Dear friend of the Global Commons Alliance, dear Planetary Steward,
As record-breaking floods destroy towns in Africa, Asia and central Europe, and the death toll creeps up in the wake of Hurricane Helene in the US, we are reminded yet again how late we are. How late we are in implementing science. How late in transitioning away from fossil fuels. How late in adapting vulnerable communities. But it’s not too late to look across at our peers and other industries to accelerate working together. It’s never too late to collaborate.
And that is what was demonstrated unmistakably in New York last week, as world leaders adopted a Pact for the Future which, while not fully addressing the scale of risks people and planet are facing, does reinforce the urgent need for a transition away from fossil fuels “in a just, orderly and equitable manner”, and the value of action on deforestation and nature loss. António Guterres, UN Secretary-General said: “The Pact for the Future is about turbocharging the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, accelerating a just transition away from fossil fuels, and securing a peaceful and livable future for everyone on our planet.”
This collaboration was reflected at events for Climate Week NYC and the UN Summit of the Future across the city, and proudly so at the Global Commons Alliance’s events – read our summary here. ‘It’s time for collective action’ was a key theme, as we convened scientists, business leaders, policy makers and civil society to focus on systems transformation in line with the latest Safe and Just science by integrating social justice at its heart.
At the start of the week, the Earth Commission co-hosted a high-level roundtable to address the links between planetary stability, inequality, justice and human well-being. This was followed by the unveiling of the Planetary Health Check, a first-of-its-kind scientific report on the health of the Planet from Earth HQ and partners. The Earth Public Information Collaborative launched the ‘Most important brief’ which aims to drive wide scale behavioral change, and the GCA co-hosted an event at art auction house Christie’s with ClientEarth about the latest innovations in law and science to protect all life on Earth, which you can watch a video summary of here.
Systems Change Lab organized a session on driving food systems transformation, including a glimpse of the new food system launching on the data platform soon. Sustainability leaders gathered to hear the impressive insights from companies who had taken part in piloting the first science-based targets for nature at an event organized by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and co-hosted by the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN). Last week the SBTN published outcomes from its year-long corporate pilot program, proving that companies now have a clear and credible pathway to take ambitious action for nature.
Making time to work together, collaboratively, matters.
Thank you for sharing your time with us and working toward our collective vision of a safe and just future for all. With all my best,
Jane
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