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responsibilities for Earth and state responsibilities for protecting human rights and
the Earth. All these responsibilities have their moral base in our belonging as human
beings to the community of life. Their legal expression is trusteeship. Humans and
states act as trustees and can in this way be held accountable for any failures in
meeting their responsibilities.
The objective now is to garner world-wide support for the idea that humanity
must accept trusteeship responsibilities for the community of life.
5 Conclusion
Earth governance breaks with the traditional rule that care for the environment ends
at national boundaries. Protection of the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems
must be a domestic concern as much as an international concern. In fact, not states,
but the well-being of Earth must determine degree and quality of environmental
protection. Such an Earth-centred viewpoint forces states into the logic of Earth
trusteeship.
At the 2019 Global Economic Forum in Davos and again at the United Nations
in New York, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, made the point
that to be on the right side of history world leaders must embrace guardianship of
the Earth. How true! Only then it may be possible to turn things around and avoid
global ecological collapse.
References
Barnes P (2001) Capitalism 2.0: who owns the sky? Our common assets and the future of capitalism. Island Press, Washington
Barnes P (2006) Capitalism 3.0: a guide to reclaiming the commons. Berret-Koehler, San
Francisco, p 34
Benvenisti E (2013) Sovereigns as trustees of humanity: on the accountability of states to foreign
stakeholders. Am J Int Law 107:295
Biermann F (2011) Reforming global environmental governance: the case for a United Nation’s
Environment Organisation (UNEO). Stakeholder Forum, Earth System Governance Project,
and VU University Amsterdam, p 5
Bollier D (2008) The commons: a neglected sector of wealth creation. In: Heinrich S (ed) Genes,
bytes and emissions: to whom does the world belong? Henrich Boll Stiftung, Berlin
Bollier D, Helfrich S (2019) Free, fair and alive: the insurgence power of the commons. New
Society Publishers, British Columbia
Bosselmann K (2015) Earth governance: trusteeship of the global commons. Edward Elgar
Publishing, Cheltenham, p 72
Bosselmann K (2016) The planetary integrity project: creating a safe operating space through law
and governance. New Zealand Center for Environmental Law, Auckland, p 24
Bosselmann K (2018) Reclaiming the global commons: towards earth trusteeship. In: Martin B, Te
Aho L, Humphries M (eds) Responsability: law and governance for living well with the earth.
Routledge, London, p 3
The Role of Trusteeship in Earth Governance
responsibilities for Earth and state responsibilities for protecting human rights and
the Earth. All these responsibilities have their moral base in our belonging as human
beings to the community of life. Their legal expression is trusteeship. Humans and
states act as trustees and can in this way be held accountable for any failures in
meeting their responsibilities.
The objective now is to garner world-wide support for the idea that humanity
must accept trusteeship responsibilities for the community of life.
5 Conclusion
Earth governance breaks with the traditional rule that care for the environment ends
at national boundaries. Protection of the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems
must be a domestic concern as much as an international concern. In fact, not states,
but the well-being of Earth must determine degree and quality of environmental
protection. Such an Earth-centred viewpoint forces states into the logic of Earth
trusteeship.
At the 2019 Global Economic Forum in Davos and again at the United Nations
in New York, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, made the point
that to be on the right side of history world leaders must embrace guardianship of
the Earth. How true! Only then it may be possible to turn things around and avoid
global ecological collapse.
References
Barnes P (2001) Capitalism 2.0: who owns the sky? Our common assets and the future of capitalism. Island Press, Washington
Barnes P (2006) Capitalism 3.0: a guide to reclaiming the commons. Berret-Koehler, San
Francisco, p 34
Benvenisti E (2013) Sovereigns as trustees of humanity: on the accountability of states to foreign
stakeholders. Am J Int Law 107:295
Biermann F (2011) Reforming global environmental governance: the case for a United Nation’s
Environment Organisation (UNEO). Stakeholder Forum, Earth System Governance Project,
and VU University Amsterdam, p 5
Bollier D (2008) The commons: a neglected sector of wealth creation. In: Heinrich S (ed) Genes,
bytes and emissions: to whom does the world belong? Henrich Boll Stiftung, Berlin
Bollier D, Helfrich S (2019) Free, fair and alive: the insurgence power of the commons. New
Society Publishers, British Columbia
Bosselmann K (2015) Earth governance: trusteeship of the global commons. Edward Elgar
Publishing, Cheltenham, p 72
Bosselmann K (2016) The planetary integrity project: creating a safe operating space through law
and governance. New Zealand Center for Environmental Law, Auckland, p 24
Bosselmann K (2018) Reclaiming the global commons: towards earth trusteeship. In: Martin B, Te
Aho L, Humphries M (eds) Responsability: law and governance for living well with the earth.
Routledge, London, p 3
The Role of Trusteeship in Earth Governance