Prosperity Within Planetary Limits
16/01/2026
As political and business leaders gather in Davos for the World Economic Forum, a coalition of members from the Earth Commission, economists, business leaders, and others has issued a powerful call for action.
Their open letter warns that continued reliance on fossil-fuelled, extractive growth is accelerating climate and ecological breakdown, worsening inequality, and increasing global instability.
The Earth Commission is among the leading scientific voices behind the letter.
Signatories include Co-Chairs Fatima Denton and Johan Rockström, Commissioners Joyeeta Gupta and David Obura, and Executive Director Wendy Broadgate, alongside former Brazilian Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira and other global leaders spanning science, policy and finance.
The letter urges leaders to move beyond narrow economic metrics and instead align economic decision-making with Earth’s safe and just operating space to safeguard climate and nature while prioritizing human wellbeing, resilience and shared prosperity.
It highlights that continuing on the current economic path is costly, with multi-trillion-dollar losses already mounting, while evidence shows that economies designed within Safe and Just Boundaries can deliver more sustainable and equitable societies.
The message to leaders in Davos is clear: the era of fossil-fuelled growth is over. Real prosperity depends on bold, science-based leadership that puts people and the planet first.
