Climate negotiations have been ongoing for 35 years. Yet global temperatures have exceeded 1 °C above pre-industrial levels and are projected to surpass 1.5 °C, possibly reaching 3 °C, despite decades of scientific warnings. Six justice challenges dominate the climate negotiations: setting targets, sharing the carbon budget, managing stranded assets, adapting to climate impacts, and addressing market mechanisms and climate drivers. Beyond climate, humanity faces other crises, including biodiversity loss, water scarcity and pollution.

Balancing environmental sustainability with basic human needs remains a critical challenge; meeting the minimum needs of the poorest adds pressures comparable to the consumption of the top 4%. In this lecture organised by Maastricht University, Joyeeta Gupta (Professor of Environment and Development in the Global South, University of Amsterdam) will make clear that achieving sustainability and justice requires systemic transformation. One proposed long-term solution is a Global Constitution, drafted through public contributions and research, to address these intertwined crises with principles of Earth System Justice.