The World System Ledger (PPT) (PDF)
The Ecosocialist World System (PPT) (PDF)
Deep Dive | Why the Global North drains the South
Debate | Capitalism Versus Global Ecological Survival
Critique | Blueprints for the Global Ecosocialist Transition
Explainer | The Double Crisis
Cinematic | The Anatomy of Unequal Exchange
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Key Indicators of Global Inequality and Ecological Crisis
Please scroll to the right to see the right columns| Indicator Category | Global South Status | Global North Status | Planetary Boundary Impact | Human Well-being Thresholds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material Use | Net appropriation of 10 billion tons of raw materials annually to the Global North; levels generally remain below safe per capita boundaries. | Primary driver of the crisis of excess material use; net appropriator of resources from the Global South. | Global sustainable limit is approx. 50 billion tons; world economy currently exceeds this through excess material throughput. | Decent Living Standards (DLS) for 8.5 billion people can be met with 27.8 gigatons (approx. 30% of current global use). |
| Energy Use | Net appropriation of 140 exajoules by the Global North; many low-income countries consume too little to meet DLS requirements. | Consumption levels far in excess of thresholds; requires approx. 50% reduction in energy use to meet Paris Agreement objectives. | Current global use is over 400 exajoules; exceeding levels compatible with rapid decarbonization. | DLS requirements for 8.5 billion people estimated at approx. 125 exajoules using currently available technology. |
| Cumulative Carbon Emissions | As a group, they have not exceeded their fair share of the carbon budget; suffer 82–92% of the economic costs of climate breakdown. | Overwhelmingly responsible for driving climate breakdown; exceeded fair share of the planetary boundary in the 1940s. | Planetary boundary is 350 ppm; exceeded in the mid-1980s; current trajectory exceeds $2^{\circ}C$ by 2050. | Meeting human needs requires shifting production away from profit-maximization toward democratic ecosocialist planning. |
| Decent Living Standards (DLS) Deprivation | Approx. 96% of people in low and middle-income countries do not achieve DLS; 30% lack secure access to food. | Deprivation persists despite high capacity; approx. 100 million people in the US and EU combined suffer food insecurity. | Existing productive capacity is sufficient to eliminate deprivation while remaining within planetary boundaries. | Includes universal healthcare, education, clean cooking, refrigerators, durable housing, 125 exajoules energy, and 27.8 gigatons materials. |
| Land and Labor Appropriation | Net export of 800 million hectares of land (2x the size of India) and 420 million person-years of embodied labor annually. | Sustains growth and accumulation in the core through the net appropriation of labor and land from the Global South. | Economic system relies on continuous expansion and appropriation, driving global ecological pressures. | Appropriated land could feed 6 billion people; appropriated labor could provide universal healthcare, education, and housing in the South. |
