Social Europe

  • EU Forward Project
  • YouTube
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Newsletter
  • Membership

Young people and planetary justice

Guido Montani 14th September 2021

Ultimately, resolving the collective-action dilemma of preserving a liveable planet will require a UN ‘constitution of the Earth’.

planetary justice,global governance,United Nations,UN,COP26
DisobeyArt/Shutterstock.com

From September 28th to 30th, Milan will be hosting Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition, and from September 30th to October 2nd it will be the turn in the city of Pre-COP26, an initiative designed to enable young people to express their ideas in the run-up to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow (November 1st to 12th). It’s an important opportunity to discuss long-term strategies to face the environmental challenges of what scientists have called the Anthropocene—humanity being responsible for the ecological crisis which could lead to the collapse of the biosphere.

For decades national governments, particularly the great powers, have ignored scientists’ warnings, despite the creation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the Rio de Janeiro conference in 1992. One consequence of their inactivity has been a gradual change in the meaning of the public good ‘security’. People can now be killed not only by atomic or conventional bombs, as hitherto, but also by a forest fire, a flood or a prolonged heatwave—and indeed more and more are dying as a direct result of the environmental crisis.

Nation-states originally came into being with the aim of safeguarding the lives and guaranteeing the security of their citizens. Yet they are now spending more on weapons and the battle for planetary political supremacy than would be needed to fund an effective UN plan to combat climate change and the loss of biodiversity.

Global green deal

The Glasgow conference could represent a turning point. There is reason to believe that the United States, China and the European Union will reach an agreement on a global ‘green deal’. Together, these three powers are responsible for 48 per cent of the greenhouse gases (GHG) pumped into the atmosphere. An agreement among them would create momentum capable of pulling other countries along.

We cannot however yet know whether such an agreement would be adequate and what institutional mechanisms would be activated to prevent each country, once the conference is over, returning to business as usual. This is what happened after the Paris Agreement of 2015, which did nothing to halt the increase of atmospheric GHG.



Don't miss out on cutting-edge thinking.


Join tens of thousands of informed readers and stay ahead with our insightful content. It's free.



So it is useful to look beyond the impending deadlines to explore a political approach which could consolidate, and if possible extend, any unity of intent forged in Glasgow. This is based on the idea of planetary justice, a notion which embraces all the major socio-political issues of the Anthropocene.

The idea has to be translated into concrete projects to make sure justice equates to fairness between individuals and communities. Justice as equity never arises spontaneously in civil society among the citizens of a state. To achieve it there have to be institutions of solidarity, as the history of the welfare state proves.

Implementing projects

On a planetary level it is therefore necessary to create global institutions—a global governance—to implement projects which transform the idea of justice into solidarity. The objectives can be grouped under sustainable development and international justice.

Sustainable development means that all human activities concerning the production of public and private goods, including the exploitation of natural resources, have to be compatible with planetary boundaries—a set of parameters, based on Earth System Science, defining a safe zone for human action. On climate, for example, the outer limit has been set at 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and there are other parameters concerning use of fresh water, ocean acidification, biodiversity loss and so on.

Such boundaries do not represent policies but the limits within which humanity must operate to safeguard life on the planet. Sustainable development thus indicates what needs to be done to guarantee intergenerational solidarity, ending what the philosopher Stephen Gardiner calls the ‘tyranny of the contemporary’, where ploughing resources into satisfying excessive current demands makes it harder for future generations to fulfil their needs. For example, the planetary boundaries include a threshold—one we have already far exceeded—to prevent further loss of biodiversity.

International justice is the second key aspect. The costs involved in the ecological transition of our industrial economy must not be borne equally by the inhabitants of rich, already industrialised countries and those in the developing world. The former have polluted the environment for centuries, while the latter can avoid doing so only if helped. Nor should the costs of renewal in industrialised countries be borne by workers or the industrial sectors forced to cut down on or abandon environmentally harmful products, such as coal or certain chemicals.

Serious crises

In short, social tensions within and among states could intensify in the coming years, sparking serious political crises, if governments do not strike a global green deal which includes sufficient domestic and international financial support to alleviate the costs of the transition. Marginal reforms of the World Trade Organization or the International Monetary Fund will not be enough.

The acceleration of the global environmental crisis requires a leap forward in international relations. The EU has shown that different national publics can coexist peacefully if they agree to share certain powers—national independence is compatible with international co-operation. The principle of unity in diversity must become the moral basis for a peaceful, prosperous world which respects the natural environment.

A report by the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, in 2018 reviewed gaps in international environmental law and instruments. ‘There is no single overarching normative framework in the area of international environmental law that sets out what might be characterized as rules and principles of general application,’ it concluded.

Guterres warned: ‘The proliferation of multilateral environmental agreements and the resultant distinct and separate mandates ignore the unity, interconnectedness and interdependence of the Earth’s ecosystem … Institutional fragmentation and a lack of coordination are key challenges with regard to the current international environmental governance.’ And he said: ‘Gaps relating to the implementation and effectiveness of international environmental law have appeared in several aspects of inter-state dispute settlement, in the absence of an international environmental court.’

‘Constitution of the Earth’

The UN General Assembly should thus nominate a commission to formulate a proposal for global environmental governance. This ‘constitution of the Earth’ would set out the principles, political objectives and institutions involved.

The constitution of the Earth would become the North Star for planetary justice. It would not only specify the duties of governments and citizens but would also enable the world’s citizens to claim their rights for environmental protection in an international environmental court. Without the active co-operation of the world’s citizens and their representatives, the UN’s goals will not be achieved.

Of course, in other policy areas the UN would continue to operate on existing rules. But perhaps the spirit of international co-operation made possible by this initiative might extend over time to other domains.

Guido Montani
Guido Montani

Guido Montani is professor of international political economy at the University of Pavia. He is a former president of the European Federalist Movement in Italy. He founded in 1987, in Ventotene, the Altiero Spinelli Institute for Federalist Studies. His latest book is Anthropocene and Cosmopolitan Citizenship: Europe and the New International Order (Routledge, 2024).

Harvard University Press Advertisement

Social Europe Ad - Promoting European social policies

We need your help.

Support Social Europe for less than €5 per month and help keep our content freely accessible to everyone. Your support empowers independent publishing and drives the conversations that matter. Thank you very much!

Social Europe Membership

Click here to become a member

Most Recent Articles

u421983d2 3 The EU’s Landmark Mercosur Deal Promises Much But Delivers LittleSimela Papatheophilou, Werner Raza and Bernhard Tröster
u4219834af 1 Will Denmark Lead Europe Towards a Super-Rich Tax?Isabelle Brachet
611e8de7e149c8763c9d58fc537549c18d20044a0abfeadd41919a1a731b6e64 Britain Rediscovers Europe as Macron and Merz Lead a Democratic ReawakeningPolly Toynbee
u42198346b1 1 Europe’s Appeasement Dilemma: The Price of Standing Against PutinFrank Hoffer

Most Popular Articles

u4219834676 bcba 6b2b3e733ce2 1 The End of an Era: What’s Next After Globalisation?Apostolos Thomadakis
u4219834675 4ff1 998a 404323c89144 1 Why Progressive Governments Keep Failing — And How to Finally Win Back VotersMariana Mazzucato
09d21a9 The Future of Social Democracy: How the German SPD can Win AgainHenning Meyer
u421983462 041df6feef0a 3 Universities Under Siege: A Global Reckoning for Higher EducationManuel Muñiz

S&D Group in the European Parliament advertisement

Cohesion Policy

S&D Position Paper on Cohesion Policy post-2027: a resilient future for European territorial equity

Cohesion Policy aims to promote harmonious development and reduce economic, social and territorial disparities between the regions of the Union, and the backwardness of the least favoured regions with a particular focus on rural areas, areas affected by industrial transition and regions suffering from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps, such as outermost regions, regions with very low population density, islands, cross-border and mountain regions.

READ THE FULL POSITION PAPER HERE

ETUI advertisement

HESA Magazine Cover

With a comprehensive set of relevant indicators, presented in 85 graphs and tables, the 2025 Benchmarking Working Europe report examines how EU policies can reconcile economic, social and environmental goals to ensure long-term competitiveness. Considered a key reference, this publication is an invaluable resource for supporting European social dialogue.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Eurofound advertisement

Ageing workforce
The evolution of working conditions in Europe

This episode of Eurofound Talks examines the evolving landscape of European working conditions, situated at the nexus of profound technological transformation.

Mary McCaughey speaks with Barbara Gerstenberger, Eurofound's Head of Unit for Working Life, who leverages insights from the 35-year history of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS).

Listen to the episode for free. Also make sure to subscribe to Eurofound Talks so you don’t miss an episode!

LISTEN NOW

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

Spring Issues

The Summer issue of The Progressive Post is out!


It is time to take action and to forge a path towards a Socialist renewal.


European Socialists struggle to balance their responsibilities with the need to take bold positions and actions in the face of many major crises, while far-right political parties are increasingly gaining ground. Against this background, we offer European progressive forces food for thought on projecting themselves into the future.


Among this issue’s highlights, we discuss the transformative power of European Social Democracy, examine the far right’s efforts to redesign education systems to serve its own political agenda and highlight the growing threat of anti-gender movements to LGBTIQ+ rights – among other pressing topics.

READ THE MAGAZINE

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. The background to this is the implementation of the European Minimum Wage Directive, which has led to a reorientation of minimum wage policy in many countries and is thus boosting the dynamics of minimum wages. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50 % of the average wage. However, for Germany, a structural increase is still necessary to make progress towards an adequate minimum wage.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Social Europe

Our Mission

Team

Article Submission

Advertisements

Membership

Social Europe Archives

Themes Archive

Politics Archive

Economy Archive

Society Archive

Ecology Archive

Miscellaneous

RSS Feed

Legal Disclosure

Privacy Policy

Copyright

Social Europe ISSN 2628-7641

BlueskyXWhatsApp