A just world on a safe planet: a Lancet Planetary Health–Earth Commission report on Earth-system boundaries, translations, and transformations

This groundbreaking and comprehensive report explains that the Earth's safe and just space for humanity to survive and thrive within is shrinking. The authors assert that the only way to provide for everyone and to ensure societies, businesses, and economies thrive without destabilising the planet is to reduce inequalities in how critical Earth system resources (such as freshwater and nutrients) are accessed and used and to radically transform our economic systems and technologies.

Building on the work of the Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries report, scientists have added a “foundation” by quantifying the safe and just Earth-system boundaries (ESBs) that the global population depends upon to live a life free from poverty. The report describes a safe and just corridor that is essential to ensuring sustainable and resilient human and planetary health and defines eight ESBs across five domains; discusses the need for translating ESBs across scales to inform science-based targets for action by key actors; identifies the system transformations necessary to bring about a safe and just future; and more.