Charting a Safe and Just Future
23/06/2026
The Earth Commission has published a new paper outlining its vision and scientific roadmap for safeguarding our planet’s life-support systems while ensuring equitable access to resources for all.
More than 50 researchers from around the globe produced the paper, marking an important step in the Commission’s effort to combine cutting-edge science with a commitment to justice.
Building on its first global assessment, which revealed that multiple Safe and Just Boundaries have already been transgressed, the Commission will focus more on translating science into practical pathways for transformation.
“Humanity is at a critical juncture. We are pushing the Earth system beyond its safe limits, and the risks are compounding,” said co-lead author and Earth Commission co-chair Johan Rockström. “The key challenge now is implementation: translating Safe and Just Boundaries into environmental budgets and equitable pathways that governments, cities and companies can use to set targets and act before those limits are breached.”
New Boundaries, New Pathways
Key areas of focus include establishing two new boundaries for novel entities (chemical pollution) and the ocean. Commissioners and contributors will also quantify minimum and maximum levels of resource access, aiming to ensure that everyone can live a life free from poverty while staying within planetary limits.
“A safe planet and a just society are inseparable,” said co-lead author and Earth Commission co-chair Fatima Denton. “At a time of widening inequalities within and across countries, shaped by entrenched power structures and deepening ecological crises, the Commission emphasises that the transformations humanity needs are urgent and systemic, but within reach if they are driven by collective action and anchored in fairness, justice, and shared responsibility.”
The Commission’s approach bridges global research with local action, providing the scientific foundation for governments, cities, companies, and communities to operationalize safe and just boundaries. Through coordinated research, stakeholder engagement, and integrated modelling, the Commission aims to identify transformation pathways that guide society away from current unsustainable states toward a fairer, more viable future.
The work will emphasize the structural inequalities and power dynamics that shape environmental harm and humanity’s ability to respond to them.
The paper, Charting a Transformational Course Toward a Safe and Just Future: The Earth Commission’s Contribution, is available under open access in the journal Earth’s Future.
