Harnessing the Power of Today’s Social Contract to Protect the Environment
Societies today are generally underpinned by notions of a social contract - an implicit or explicit agreement within a society, where, according to classical notions, individuals surrender some natural liberties to a governing authority in exchange for security, stability, and the protection of their remaining rights and interests. However, classical iterations of the social contract paradigm were developed at a time before humanity faced grave societal and existential threats from environmental risks.
What would it mean to update the social contract for the age of climate breakdown, biodiversity collapse, and deepening inequality?
On 18 February 2026, the London School of Economics hosted a launch event for the book “Eco-Social Contracts for Sustainable and Just Futures,” a volume written by various authors. Chapter 8 of the book, titled “Advancing Earth System Governance: Key Achievements and Propositions for Meaningful Progress Towards a Global Eco-Social Contract,” was authored by Maja Groff, Georgios Kostakos, and Patrick Huntjens. Maja Groff serves as the Executive Director of the Climate Governance Commission (CGC) and Executive co-Chair of Mobilizing an Earth Governance Alliance (MEGA).
In the chapter, the authors introduce the idea of an “eco-social contract”: a collective agreement across local, national, and global levels aimed at confronting the twenty-first century’s “polycrisis.” Unlike traditional social contracts, which focus largely on relations between citizens and the state, eco-social contracts also embed notions of sustainability, equity, and justice.
In today’s Anthropocene, humanity has become a geological force. Research by leading scientists shows that seven of nine planetary boundaries essential to Earth’s environmental stability – and keeping humanity within a “safe operating space” – have already been breached. The triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution is no longer an abstract threat, but rather a reality.
The idea of an “eco-social contract” responds to this ecological and social challenge by insisting that sustainability, collective good and civic justice are inseparable. It draws inspiration from frameworks like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the 2015 Paris Agreement, but also recognizes their limitations: most global commitments remain voluntary, fragmented, and weakly enforced.
While there are now estimated to be over 3,000 environmental agreements worldwide, international environmental law remains a patchwork and difficult to implement. To move from aspiration to implementation, the authors outline nine bold propositions supported by MEGA.
Various of these propositions aim to build moral and political momentum. A UN General Assembly Declaration of Planetary Emergency, paired with a coordinated Earth System Risk Response Mechanism, for example, could align climate, biodiversity, and development agendas with a unified sense of urgency. Other proposals focus on legal transformation, for example strengthening the role of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court to better address environmental issues, or establishing an International Environment Court—an institution that could consolidate fragmented environmental regimes and employ approaches to grant standing to individuals, communities, and NGOs. Another proposal suggests incorporating Earth Trusteeship and the “Rights of Nature” into international law, following the lead of countries like Ecuador and New Zealand, and echoing ethical frameworks such as the Earth Charter, which affirms the interdependence of environmental protection, human rights, and peace. Yet another proposition suggests updating the United Nations Charter itself to add environmental protection as a core pillar and potentially repurposing the Trusteeship Council as a guardian of global commons.
Institutionally, the chapter proposes an International Panel on Planetary Boundaries to integrate Earth system science with policymaking, building on the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services but encompassing all core Earth system functionalities. A possible Global Resilience Council (linked, for example, to the current Security Council) could reframe security around human and planetary well-being, shifting attention from military threats to systemic risks like pandemics, food insecurity, and climate disruption. Financial transformation is equally central: transitioning to a green economy will require trillions in investment, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund exist, but they are underfunded and not yet operating at the speed and scale necessary. The authors call for more ambitious public finance, debt relief, global carbon pricing, and accountability for corporations, many of which are responsible for a disproportionate share of historical emissions. Corporations are not only part of the problem; they could be part of the solution—if voluntary initiatives are complemented by mandatory transparency and enforcement.
Ultimately, the chapter highlights that the recent UN Summit of the Future and its outcome document, the Pact for the Future, largely sidestepped transformative proposals such as those outlined here. Environmental governance received only limited, declaratory attention, reflecting persistent North–South tensions, unmet climate finance promises, and a geopolitical climate dominated by war and economic anxiety.
Yet the authors remain cautiously hopeful. Eco-social contracts are not static; they evolve with context. Just as welfare states emerged from the crises of the early twentieth century, a new global settlement may emerge from today’s planetary emergency. The question is no longer whether we need such a contract. It is whether we can summon the socio-political imagination and the collective will to build it in time. But such a new contract for people and planet will not emerge automatically; it must be built. Thus, MEGA is actively seeking partners across all sectors to help operationalise such proposals. With its partners, MEGA hopes to translate these ideas into actionable reforms that can secure a safe, just, and resilient future for all.
