Impacts of Meeting Minimum Access on Critical Earth Systems amidst the Great Inequality

The UN 2030 Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals towards improving access to resources and services, reducing environmental degradation and bringing down inequality. However, there is debate on the magnitude of the environmental burden that would arise from meeting the needs of the poorest, especially compared to much larger burdens from the rich. We first show that the ‘Great Acceleration’ of human impacts is characterized by a ‘Great Inequality’ in utilising and damaging the environment. We then operationalize ‘just access’ to minimum energy, water, food and infrastructure. Third, in an unequal world, we show that hypothetically meeting ‘just access’ would add 2-26% to current impacts on the Earth’s natural systems of climate, water, land and nutrients. These additional impacts, hypothetically caused by about a third of humanity, equal those currently caused by the wealthiest 1-4%. Nevertheless, achieving ‘just access’ calls for redistribution within stable Earth System Boundaries.