Transformations in Global Governance for Sustainability
Frank Biermann Chair, Earth System Governance Project Utrecht University
Why do we need a transformation in
global governance for sustainability?
“The earth operates well outside the normal state exhibited over the past 500,000 years. ... Human activities could … trigger severe consequences for Earth’s environment … … potentially switching the Earth System to alternative modes of operation that may prove irreversible and inhospitable to humans.” 2001 Amsterdam Declaration of the
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
Sustainability: An Accelerating Global Crisis
Crisis of Sustainability Governance
Multilateral system is outdated
Towards a Transformation of (Global) Governance for Sustainabilty
Calls for Action 2011 Nobel Laureate Symposium on Global Sustainability urgently called for “strengthening earth system governance”.
The 2012 State of the Planet Declaration called for “[f]undamental reorientation and restructuring of national and international institutions … and … to move to effective earth system governance.”
International Council for Science in 2012 requested governments to fundamentally “overhaul” the entire UN system.
Earth System Governance Project
A “Core Project” of “Future Earth”, launched in 2009
Main global research network on environmental governance
Developed through a 2-year global consultation and review process
~250 researchers and 12 institutes in closer network
~2500 researchers in broader network
450,000 unique URL visits in 2014
Governance reform at all levels: Local through global
Global governance National governance Local governance
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Scientific Steering Committee
Chair
International Project Office
Lead Faculty
Research Fellows
Research Centres
The Network
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A Global Alliance of Research Centres
Australian National University, Australia
Chiang Mai University, Thailand
Colorado State University, United States
University of Ghana, Ghana
Keio University, Japan
Lund University, Sweden
Norwich, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
Slovak Academy, Slovak Republic
Stockholm Resilience Centre, Sweden
University of Toronto, Canada
Utrecht University, Netherlands
VU University Amsterdam, Netherlands
Yale University, USA
International Project Office hosted by
Lund University, Sweden
We organize and endorse numerous workshops and conferences
Flagships are our annual Earth System Governance open science conferences.
Conferences and other events
Book Series with MIT Press Special Issues of journals Peer Reviewed Working Paper series
Publications
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Agency → The key agents in governance
Architecture → Institutional arrangements in earth system governance
Accountability and Legitimacy → Conditions for democratic earth system governance
Allocation and Access → Who gets what in earth system governance
Adaptiveness → Adaptation, resilience, social learning
Research Framework
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ESG ©2009
Frequently Asked Misconceptions
Earth system governance is
– … not about world government;
– … not about governing the earth system – it is about governing societal interactions with the earth system;
– … not necessarily technocratic, top-down, and centralized;
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Effective global governance for sustainability will be polycentric, involve private and public actors, and integrate local and global governance processes.
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www.earthsystemgovernance.org
facebook.com/earthsystemgovernance
twitter: @ESG_Project
LinkedIn: Earth System Governance Project