The Global Commons, stable and resilient earth system, are increasingly at risk, and actions are needed now. Global Commons Stewardship Index (GCSI), jointly developed by Center for Global Commons (CGC) at The University of Tokyo, Yale University and SDSN, provides information on environmental stress incurred by 150 counties and emphasizes how unsustainable production systems – but also unsustainable consumption in high-income countries – drive negative impacts on the Global Commons. Taking advantage of the latest advances in trade data, environmental research, and industrial ecology, the GCSI provides detailed analyses of impacts embodied in international trade flows. The G20 presidencies of Brazil (2024) and South Africa (2025) can provide momentum for concerted global actions and further efforts to reduce negative impacts on the Global Commons.

At this session, Yale University and SDSN will present the key messages from the report, followed by discussion by experts on policy implications of the research.

Speakers:

• Dan Esty, Professor, Yale University
• Naoko Ishii, Director, Center for Global Commons at The University of Tokyo
• Guillaume Lafortune, Vice President, UN SDSN
• Luciana Gatti, Senior Researcher, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) - tbc
• Raphael Tshimanga, Professor, University of Kinshasa, DRC - tbc
• Éliane Ubalijoro, CEO, CIFOR-ICRAF