The Science
Find explainer videos, research, and educational resources about the global commons – and the scientific foundations guiding our vision of a just world, on a safe planet.
What are the global commons?
The global commons are Earth’s shared, interconnected natural systems — the ocean, climate, rainforests, freshwater, and nutrient cycles — that regulate the conditions for life on Earth. They sustain planetary health, biodiversity, and climate stability. Maintaining their integrity is critical to ecological balance and a just, liveable world for all. Watch our video to learn more.
How Earth's systems are connected
Earth’s life-support systems — from oceans and rainforests to our climate — are deeply interconnected. Understanding how they function together, and how human decisions affect them, is essential for protecting planetary health, biodiversity, and ecological balance for every species and generation to come.
Safe and just science
Science from the Earth Commission has identified the elements of the Earth system that are critical, and the boundaries that we must stay within, to ensure a world that is both safe (biophysically stable) and just (minimizing harm to people and ensuring basic standards for all).
Yet, we’ve already breached most of the Safe and Just Boundaries and risk crossing irreversible tipping points in climate and nature that will destabilize the global commons with devastating consequences for life on Earth.
The world needs systemic change so that people everywhere can prosper and thrive.
But governance gaps, systemic injustice, lack of ambition, geopolitical conflicts, and the politicization of environmental and social agendas are all blocking meaningful change.
At the heart of these challenges is a deeper issue: the systems-change ecosystem itself — partners and allies across civil society, philanthropy, business, media, and public institutions — is fragmented, misaligned, and underpowered.
That is why the Global Commons Alliance is bringing together civil society, philanthropy, business networks, and science around a shared mission: to safeguard and restore Earth’s life-support systems, equitably, now.
Our vision
Read more about what we’re doing to safeguard the global commons for a just world, on a safe planet.
Collaboration
We hope you enjoy our explainer videos: a clear, accessible look at what the global commons are and why they matter. Featuring beautiful footage from Open Planet, our video series is designed to demystify the science, systems change, and frameworks which lie at the core of our mission. The videos are made with the expert input and support of the diverse members and partners that make up the Alliance. Together we can make planetary stewardship accessible and compelling to all.
Credits
Video 1: Home
– Narration by Lisa Jacobson, Future Earth and Earth Commission
– Narrative support from Elise van Breda and Joy van Breda, Somewhat Greener
– Photos from Open Planet footage – images are freely available at OpenPlanet.org
– Music: Traveling Around The World by Alex-Productions, Onsound.eu promoted by Free Stock Music | Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)
Video 2: Interconnected systems
– Narration by David Akana, Mongabay
– Narrative support from Joy van Breda and Elise van Breda, Somewhat Greener
– Open Planet footage – images are freely available at OpenPlanet.org
– Music: Signal To Noise by Scott Buckley | Royalty Free Music Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)