A more equal distribution of limited resources and ecological space

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the bidirectional relationship between structural inequality and climate change, arguing that current economic systems and global environmental governance frameworks fail to address the inequitable distribution of resources and ecological space.

• There is a severe disparity in the consumption of the global carbon budget. Between 1990 and 2015, the wealthiest 10% of the global population were responsible for 52% of cumulative carbon emissions, which used up approximately 31% of the carbon budget required to limit warming to 1.5°C. In contrast, the poorest 50% of the population produced only 7% of emissions during that period.
• Resource appropriation is heavily skewed from the Global South to the Global North. Approximately 50% of the resources used by the Global North originate in the Global South. In 2015, the net appropriation from the Global South to the Global North was valued at 242 trillion constant 2010 USD, including 12 billion tons of embodied raw material equivalents and 822 million hectares of embodied land.
• Inequality and climate change are bidirectionally linked and mutually reinforcing. High resource consumption by the wealthy drives the climate crisis, while the resulting environmental impacts disproportionately affect the most oppressed and vulnerable communities, further deepening existing inequalities.
• Existing global environmental frameworks, such as the planetary boundaries, the global carbon budget, and Doughnut Economics, provide useful 'safe' environmental ceilings but fail to provide guidance on how to equitably allocate responsibility between different countries.
• Current climate governance and the Paris Agreement frame the transition as a technological challenge of reducing carbon quantities rather than a systemic challenge of changing power structures. This approach ignores the colonial legacies of the economic system and the fact that high-income countries dominate negotiations and research agendas.
• Effective climate solutions require the inclusion of diverse knowledge systems, particularly from Indigenous and marginalized communities, who are often excluded or exploited. For example, nearly 87% of climate research by outsiders used Indigenous knowledge without acknowledging the active participation of those communities.

APA

Nazareth, A., & Ghosh, E. (2022). A more equal distribution of limited resources and ecological space. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/equal-distribution-stockholm50backgroundpapers.pdf

Chicago

Nazareth, Anisha, and Emily Ghosh. A more equal distribution of limited resources and ecological space. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/equal-distribution-stockholm50backgroundpapers.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nazareth |first1=Anisha |last2=Ghosh |first2=Emily |title=A more equal distribution of limited resources and ecological space |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=May 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/equal-distribution-stockholm50backgroundpapers.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nazareth2022more, author = {Nazareth, Anisha and Ghosh, Emily}, title = {{A more equal distribution of limited resources and ecological space}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/equal-distribution-stockholm50backgroundpapers.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }