Earth for All
A Survival Guide for Humanity
Earth For All is an antidote to despair. Combining the global economy, population, inequality, food, and energy in a state-of-the art computer model, a leading group of scientists and economists present a plan of five system-shifting steps to achieve prosperity for all within planetary limits in a single generation.
The economic operating system keeps crashing. It’s time to upgrade to a new one.
Five decades ago, The Limits to Growth shocked the world by showing that population and industrial growth were pushing humanity towards a cliff. Today the world recognises that we are now at the cliff edge: Earth has crossed multiple planetary boundaries while widespread inequality is causing deep instabilities in societies. There seems to be no way out.
Earth For All is both an antidote to despair and a road map to a better future. Using powerful state-of-the-art computer modelling to explore policies likely to deliver the most good for the majority of people, a leading group of scientists and economists from around the world present five extraordinary turnarounds to achieve prosperity for all within planetary limits in a single generation. Coverage includes:
- Results of new global modelling that indicates falling well-being and rising social tensions heighten risk of regional societal collapses
- Two alternative scenarios – Too-Little-Too-Late vs The Giant Leap – and what they mean for our collective future
- Five system-shifting steps that can upend poverty and inequality, lift up marginalised people, and transform our food and energy systems by 2050
- A clear pathway to reboot our global economic system so it works for all people and the planet.
Written in an open, accessible, and inspirational style using clear language and high impact visuals, Earth For All is a profound vision for uncertain times and a map to a better future.
This survival guide for humanity is required reading for everyone concerned about living well on a fragile planet.
Sandrine Dixson-Declève, is co-president of the Club of Rome, and has over 30 years' experience with European and international policy, business leadership, and strategy, with a particular focus on EU and international climate change, sustainable development, green growth, conventional and sustainable energy solutions, and sustainable finance. Recognised by GreenBiz as one of the 30 most influential women across the globe driving change in the low-carbon economy and promoting green business, she has spent her career bringing together business leaders, policy makers, academia, and NGOs. A member of the Guardian's Sustainable Business Advisory Board, Dixson-Declève is a TED and TEDx speaker and has published numerous articles and book chapters and given presentations on green growth and competitiveness, innovation, energy solutions, climate change, sustainable development, transport, and conventional and alternative fuel quality legislation, as well as on trade and environment. She is the author of Quel Monde Pour Demain?
Owen Gaffney is a writer, editor, and global sustainability analyst at Stockholm Resilience Centre, and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. He is a science journalist and filmmaker who has spent the last two decades embedded in Earth system research, publishing research relevant to international policy. Gaffney is founder of the Exponential Roadmap Initiative and Gaiaxia, a new multimedia company. He was an associate producer on the recent Netflix documentary Breaking Boundaries and has advised on BBC and Netflix series including EarthShot (2021) and Our Planet. As well as academic publications, he writes and edits articles, features, and speeches, and has produced high-impact productions for TED, World Economic Forum, and WWF.
Jayati Ghosh taught economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and is professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts. In 2021, the United Nations nominated her to the High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs. She has authored and/or edited 19 books and nearly 200 scholarly articles. Ghosh has received several national and international prizes, including the International Labour Organisation's Decent Work Research Prize for 2010. She has advised governments in India and other countries, including as chairperson of the Andhra Pradesh Commission on Farmers' Welfare in 2004 and as a member of the National Knowledge Commission of India (2005-09). Ghosh is the Executive Secretary of International Development Economics Associates. She has consulted for international organisations including ILO, UNDP, UNCTAD, UN-DESA, UNRISD, and UN Women, and is a member of several international commissions. She contributes regularly to many high-profile newspapers, journals, and online blogs.
Jørgen Randers is professor emeritus of climate strategy at the BI Norwegian Business School and was deputy director general of WWF International (World Wildlife Fund) in Switzerland. A prominent leader on the intersections of economy, the environment, and human well-being, he lectures internationally on sustainable development and climate and advises governments, businesses, and NGOs all over the world. In 1972, Randers co-authored the international bestseller The Limits to Growth. He also co-authored the highly successful 30-year update to the book. Jorgen's book 2052, released in 2012, sold more than 100,000 copies across the world in its first year. Randers is a member of the Club of Rome and is the founding chair of the China Association for the Club of Rome.
Johan Rockström is the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, one of the world's leading centres for climate science, and is founder of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. He led the international team of scientists that proposed the influential planetary boundaries framework. Rockström is a regular speaker at the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, and the United Nations. He has given four TED talks attracting a total of 5.5 million views. In 2021, Rockström was the subject of a major Netflix documentary, Breaking Boundaries, narrated by David Attenborough.
Per Espen Stoknes directs the Center for Sustainability and Energy at the BI Norwegian Business School. A leading economist, he also works closely with business leaders throughout Scandinavia, the European Union, the Americas, and Asia. Stoknes has represented the Green Party in the Norwegian parliament (2017-2018), co-founded clean-energy companies, and worked both as a clinical and organisational psychologist. He is the author of several books including the recently released Tomorrow's Economy. His 2015 book, What We Think About When We Try Not to Think About Global Warming became the focus of a TED talk that has more than 3.2 million views and prompted public debate about the way we communicate about climate. The book received the American Library Association's Outstanding Academic Title award.