University of Tokyo’s Center for Global Commons Releases Global Commons Stewardship Framework to Establish Vision and Pathways to Sustainability

The new Center for Global Commons lays out a strategic vision for safeguarding shared resources in a groundbreaking framework, in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, SYSTEMIQ, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and other collaborators.

Our planet can provide for a stable and prosperous future only if stakeholders around the world take immediate action to protect and repair the shared resources that enable well-functioning ecosystem services. Scientific research on Planetary Boundaries reveals troubling signs that human activities have deteriorated the state of our Global Commons – and that trends are headed in the wrong direction. Reversing the damage requires swift action before the Earth reaches any of several tipping points that could foreclose the possibility of a flourishing future.

Launched in August 2020, the Center for Global Commons at the University of Tokyo serves as a research hub, drawing on the expertise of several collaborators in order to lead the world toward a stable and sustainable future. Foundational to this mission, the Center recently launched the Global Commons Stewardship Framework , developed with support from SYSTEMIQ , the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research , and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). This framework provides a map, guiding decisionmakers from government, business and finance, civil society, and international organizations.

“To avert the collapse of the complex and interdependent Earth systems on which human health, prosperity and security rely, the world needs to make unprecedented progress across four system transformations simultaneously. The Global Commons Stewardship Framework cuts through the complexity of this daunting task by outlining concrete actions for decisionmakers that leverage political, social and economic forces to rapidly advance coordinated progress to preserve and restore our Global Commons.” — Naoko Ishii, Director for Center for Global Commons, explains.

Stakeholders will find four system transformations outlined in the Global Commons Stewardship Framework:

1. decarbonization of energy, industry, and transport;
2. sustainable cities and communities;
3. sustainable production and consumption; and
4. sustainable food, forests, land, water and oceans.

In order to propel effective efforts toward achieving these transformative goals, the framework puts four common action levels into the hands of stakeholders.

“The challenges of economic development, social inclusion, and the health of Earth systems are intimately linked, as are the sustainable development solutions. Economic wellbeing and environmental sustainability must not be in conflict. The Global Commons Stewardship Framework recognizes this core truth and establishes an action plan for a just and sustainable transition that benefits all parts of society and helps to reduce inequalities both within and among nations.”— Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University

As part of the Center for Global Commons’ mission to ensure healthy and resilient Global Commons, they have also partnered with the SDSN and the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy to produce the Global Commons Stewardship Index , a composite of the latest breakthroughs in sustainability indicators, focusing attention on how 100 countries are af­fecting the Global Commons both within their borders and through impacts embodied in trade and consumption (so-called “international spillovers”). The latest edition of the Index reveals that some countries are responsible for a disproportionate share of the impacts to our shared resources.

“The prosperity of rich countries partly depends on unsustainable production and consumption patterns that generate negative spillovers on poorer countries. Developed countries have the responsibility and the resources to lead the system transformations needed to safeguard the Global Commons. They must work together with all countries to develop equal and mutually beneficial partnerships built on diplomacy, investment and trade that value, preserve and restore the Global Commons.”— Guillaume Lafortune, Vice President, SDSN

>>> Download the Global Commons Stewardship Framework
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About SDSN:

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has been operating since 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. It mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. SDSN works closely with United Nations agencies, multilateral financing institutions, the private sector, and civil society. www.unsdsn.org

About the Center for Global Commons:

The Center for Global Commons was established in August 2020 to realize University of Tokyo President Makoto Gonokami’s vision that “universities should play a leading role in driving social change through collaborative creation with leaders in a wide range of fields that transcend the boundaries of academia in order to seek fundamental solutions to the challenges facing humanity.” The Center seeks to play a key role in catalyzing society transformation by mobilizing decision-makers across a broad spectrum—far beyond academia— in search for fundamental solutions to challenges to humanity. https://cgc.ifi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/

About the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy:

The Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, a joint undertaking between Yale Law School and the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, advances fresh thinking and analytically rigorous approaches to environmental decisionmaking across disciplines, sectors, and boundaries. In addition to its research activities, the center aims to serve as a locus for connection and collaboration by all members of the Yale University community who are interested in environmental law and policy issues. The center supports a wide-ranging program of teaching, research, and outreach on local, regional, national, and global pollution control and natural resource management issues. These efforts involve faculty, staff, and student collaboration and are aimed at shaping academic thinking and policymaking in the public, private, and NGO sectors. envirocenter.yale.edu