Our world is reaching the limits of what it can provide sustainably. All life on Earth depends on clean air and water, biodiversity, and a stable climate. These global commons are the very foundation of our global economy, and are facing an all-too-familiar tragedy of over-exploitation and rapid degradation.
With increasing pressures from humanity, our window of opportunity to act is closing quickly. Conservation and the shift to more sustainable practices have proven successful at small scale, but we are still losing ground at the planetary level.
It is urgent that we bring about transformations in our key economic systems and leverage evidence and new information technology, political leadership, coalitions for change and innovation.
The global commons are the basis of all opportunity, so the question is: how do we turn the tide on the commons from tragedy to opportunity?
To discuss this, the Global Environment Facility and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) hosted an International Dialogue on the Global Commons.
The 'Science Day' on October 11 - supported by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Stockholm Resilience Centre, World Resources Institute, and the World Economic Forum - gathered leaders, experts, and innovative thinkers to review new scientific assessments and discuss transformative solutions to rethink the global commons and the risks and opportunities they represent to a prosperous, but crowded, planet.
Watch the video below for a recap of the event.