Earth at risk: An urgent call to end the age of destruction and forge a just and sustainable future

Charles Fletcher; William J Ripple; Thomas Newsome; Phoebe Barnard; Kamanamaikalani Beamer; Aishwarya Behl; Jay Bowen; Michael Cooney; Eileen Crist; Christopher Field; Krista Hiser; David M Karl; David A King; Michael E Mann; Davianna P McGregor; Camilo Mora; Naomi Oreskes; Michael Wilson

doi:10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae106

Earth at risk: An urgent call to end the age of destruction and forge a just and sustainable future

PNAS Nexus. 2024 Apr 2;3(4):pgae106. doi: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae106. eCollection 2024 Apr.

Authors

Charles Fletcher¹, William J Ripple², Thomas Newsome³, Phoebe Barnard^{4

5}, Kamanamaikalani Beamer^{6

7}, Aishwarya Behl¹, Jay Bowen^{8

9}, Michael Cooney¹⁰, Eileen Crist¹¹, Christopher Field¹², Krista Hiser^{13

14}, David M Karl^{15

16}, David A King¹⁷, Michael E Mann¹⁸, Davianna P McGregor¹⁹, Camilo Mora²⁰, Naomi Oreskes²¹, Michael Wilson²²

Affiliations

¹ School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
² Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
³ School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
⁴ Center for Environmental Politics and School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
⁵ African Climate and Development Initiative and FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7700, South Africa.
⁶ Hui 'Āina Momona Program, Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
⁷ Hawai'inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
⁸ Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM 87508, USA.
⁹ Upper Skagit Tribe, Sedro Woolley, WA 98284, USA.
¹⁰ School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Hawai'i Natural Energy Institute, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
¹¹ Department of Science Technology and Society, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.
¹² Doerr School for Sustainability, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
¹³ Department of Languages, Linguistics, and Literature, Kapi'olani Community College, Honolulu, HI 96816, USA.
¹⁴ Global Council for Science and the Environment, Washington, DC 20006, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Oceanography, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
¹⁶ Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography, Research and Education, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1DQ, UK.
¹⁸ Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
¹⁹ Department of Ethnic Studies, Center for Oral History, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
²⁰ Department of Geography and Environment, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
²¹ Department of the History of Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
²² Associate Justice, Hawaii Supreme Court (retired), Honolulu, HI 96813, USA.

Abstract

Human development has ushered in an era of converging crises: climate change, ecological destruction, disease, pollution, and socioeconomic inequality. This review synthesizes the breadth of these interwoven emergencies and underscores the urgent need for comprehensive, integrated action. Propelled by imperialism, extractive capitalism, and a surging population, we are speeding past Earth's material limits, destroying critical ecosystems, and triggering irreversible changes in biophysical systems that underpin the Holocene climatic stability which fostered human civilization. The consequences of these actions are disproportionately borne by vulnerable populations, further entrenching global inequities. Marine and terrestrial biomes face critical tipping points, while escalating challenges to food and water access foreshadow a bleak outlook for global security. Against this backdrop of Earth at risk, we call for a global response centered on urgent decarbonization, fostering reciprocity with nature, and implementing regenerative practices in natural resource management. We call for the elimination of detrimental subsidies, promotion of equitable human development, and transformative financial support for lower income nations. A critical paradigm shift must occur that replaces exploitative, wealth-oriented capitalism with an economic model that prioritizes sustainability, resilience, and justice. We advocate a global cultural shift that elevates kinship with nature and communal well-being, underpinned by the recognition of Earth's finite resources and the interconnectedness of its inhabitants. The imperative is clear: to navigate away from this precipice, we must collectively harness political will, economic resources, and societal values to steer toward a future where human progress does not come at the cost of ecological integrity and social equity.

Keywords: biodiversity loss; climate change; environmental policy; global economics; socioeconomic inequality.

Publication types

Review