Environmental Justice and Sufficiency in the Anthropocene

The Anthropocene – a geological epoch defined by humanity's profound impact on the planet confronts science and society with fundamental questions about humanity’s future. The "Handbook of the Anthropocene: Humans between Heritage and Future", published in 2023, brings together over 300 contributions from international researchers exploring these questions from the perspectives of the social, cultural, political, and environmental sciences. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Sachs, Senior Expert at the Wuppertal Institut and renowned sustainability researcher, contributed two entries intended to encourage readers to reflect on the ethical, social, and environmental challenges of the Anthropocene. Both are now available open access: "Environmental Justice" and "Sufficiency".

Environmental Justice: Inequality in a finite world

In his entry "Environmental Justice", Sachs examines the profound inequalities that have emerged since the industrial revolution: the turning point that launched the fossil age and, simultaneously, widened the global gap between wealth and poverty. He shows that those least responsible for climate change often suffer its gravest consequences. Sachs therefore calls for justice that transcends national borders – rooted in redistribution, recognition, reciprocity, and redress. Sachs’ entry reveals that addressing environmental justice is inseparable from confronting the moral and political dimensions of the climate crisis.

Sufficiency: Living well within limits

In "Sufficiency", Sachs presents the idea of sufficiency as an alternative to expansive modernity: a strategy for shaping the Anthropocene in a humane and ecologically responsible way. He describes how a sufficiency-oriented approach in areas such as energy, mobility, nutrition, land use and data management can lead to more sustainable and equitable ways of living – from smaller, flexible housing to low-carbon mobility and mindful resource use.

Both of Wolfgang Sachs contributions are available to download as open-access articles via the following links.