Building a Fairer and Greener World Through Radical Change

For many years, the debate about climate change has presented a difficult choice between two unhappy futures. One option suggests that the world will continue to consume resources and emit greenhouse gases until the planet becomes unstable. The other option suggests that society must cut back sharply on consumption. This would force ordinary people to accept a lower standard of living. However, a major new report from the World Inequality Lab offers a very different possibility. It argues that humanity can raise living standards for most people. It also argues that we can reduce extreme inequality. Crucially, we can still keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

The Global Justice Report, published in January 2025, outlines what its authors call a "plan for equality and prosperity within planetary boundaries." This document is not a simple forecast of what might happen. Nor is it a small, modest adjustment to current policies. Instead, it is an ambitious model for how the global economy could be reorganized between now and 2100. In this model, well-being, equality, and climate stability are treated as part of the same project. They are not competing goals.

At its heart, the report relies on a simple idea: people do not need endless material consumption to live good lives. Instead, the report argues for "sufficiency." This means a shift toward shorter working hours. It also means better health and education, cleaner energy, changed diets, and reduced pressure on the land. Furthermore, it calls for a much narrower gap between the very rich and everyone else.

Under the report’s central scenario, average monthly income would converge toward about €5,000 (£4,250) per person in every country by 2100. This would mean much faster income growth in poorer regions. It would also mean much slower growth in today’s richest economies. The authors argue that most people in wealthy countries would still gain from this shift. This is because income would be distributed more evenly. People would also have more free time outside of paid work.

According to the model, nearly 90% of the world’s population would double their monetary income by the end of the century. When the value of extra leisure time and the avoided damage of runaway heating are included, the report says more than 99% of people would be better off. The report states, "Average monthly income would converge towards about €5,000 (£4,250) per person in every country by 2100."

One of the most striking proposals in the report is a dramatic reduction in working time. The number of annual labor hours per employed person would fall from about 2,100 hours today to around 1,000 hours by 2100. This change would roughly continue the long historical trend that has already seen working hours fall sharply in many countries since the 19th century. The aim is not simply to work less for its own sake. The goal is to redirect human effort toward care, education, health, culture, and other lower-carbon parts of the economy.

The report also links this shift in work hours to gender equality. Its model envisions men and women converging on equal pay and an equal share of both paid work and domestic labor. The authors argue that a fairer distribution of work inside and outside the home is central to any credible vision of social progress. They state, "The aim is not simply to work less, but to redirect human effort towards care, education, health, and culture."

To stay within climate limits, the authors say that rapid decarbonization is still essential. Energy systems would need to move quickly away from fossil fuels. Electricity must be generated from low-carbon sources by mid-century. There would also need to be major investments in renewable energy, electrification, and cleaner industrial processes. However, the report argues that technology alone is not enough. Without changes in consumption, land use, and inequality, the energy transition becomes harder to finance. It also becomes harder to sustain politically.

The report proposes a Global Justice Fund to support these changes. This fund would be financed by a global wealth tax and a top income tax levied on the richest 1% of the world’s population. The fund would support climate investment, health, education, and country-level dividends. These dividends would go particularly to poorer countries. The report also proposes a world sovereign fund, new forms of international currency, and a rebalancing of voting power in institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

The Global Justice Fund would spend an average of 10.3% of world GDP each year between 2026 and 2060. This is a huge increase compared to the less than 0.4% currently represented by official development aid. It is also higher than the combined budgets of the UN, IMF, and World Bank. The report argues that this larger investment reflects the scale of the challenge. Climate investment alone is expected to require 3% to 4% of world GDP annually in the coming decades.

The effect on wealth distribution would be profound. The bottom half of humanity would see its share of global wealth rise from 2% to 30%. Meanwhile, the share of wealth held by billionaires would fall from 6% to just 0.05%. The report’s authors argue that this is not only a question of fairness. It is also a matter of climate logic. The richest people have disproportionately benefited from high-carbon growth. They also hold much of the capital needed for the transition to a greener economy.

Writing in the Guardian, several of the report’s authors, including Thomas Piketty and Lucas Chancel, described the plan as "radical." However, they argued that the alternative is to accept a future shaped by deepening inequality, climate breakdown, and political instability. They wrote that the obstacle is "not technical impossibility," but political choice.

This political reality is also the report’s greatest vulnerability. It sets out what could be done, not what is currently likely to happen. Global wealth taxes, a new international financial order, and a managed shift away from overconsumption would face fierce political resistance. This resistance would come particularly from those who benefit most from the present system. Even the authors acknowledge that achieving this vision would require major coalition-building, strong social movements, and significant legislative action.

However, the report is important because it challenges a familiar mood of defeat. It does not claim that a fair, healthy, and sustainable world will arrive naturally. It does not claim that the transition will be easy. Instead, it shows that the figures can be made to add up. It demonstrates that climate safety does not have to mean worse lives for most people. Furthermore, it argues that equality is not a distraction from the environmental crisis. Instead, equality is one of the necessary conditions for solving it.

The report suggests that rising living standards, shorter working hours, and a liveable climate are not competing dreams. They are parts of the same future, provided the world is willing to tackle extreme inequality. This perspective shifts the debate from sacrifice to opportunity. It invites readers to consider a future where prosperity is defined not by how much one owns. It is defined by how well one lives, how much time one has, and how secure the planet remains for future generations.

While the path to such a world is uncertain, the report provides a clear map of the terrain. It highlights the connections between economic justice and environmental health. It shows that the tools for change already exist. These tools range from renewable technologies to concepts of fair taxation. The missing piece is the collective will to implement them. By framing equality and sustainability as twin goals, the Global Justice Report offers a hopeful, if challenging, vision for the 21st century.

The authors urge policymakers and citizens alike to look beyond the immediate constraints of current politics. They ask us to imagine a world where progress is measured by shared well-being rather than isolated wealth. This requires a fundamental rethinking of how societies value work, time, and community. It requires a commitment to redistributing power and resources in ways that benefit the many, not just the few.

As the world faces the dual crises of climate change and inequality, the choices made in the coming decades will shape the future for centuries to come. The Global Justice Report argues that we do not have to choose between a healthy planet and a just society. We can build both, if we dare to aim higher and work together. The report stands as a call to action, challenging us to envision and create a future that is not only sustainable but also deeply fair.

In conclusion, the report serves as a reminder that the future is not predetermined. It is shaped by the decisions we make today. By addressing the root causes of inequality and overconsumption, we can unlock the potential for a world that thrives within planetary boundaries. This is a vision of radical change, but it is a change that is both necessary and possible. It offers a path toward a greener and fairer world for all.