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Multilateral system is outdated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

IPO@earthsystemgovernance.org