Evolving Global Commoning

The Global Aim• Everyone has a right to play a part in the management of a unique place –

a relationship with the earth – this means participation in land commons..

• Each place has to be managed for its water resources and that involves sharing a larger area of management responsibility – watershed and ocean management

• What all of humanity share is the sky and all have a right and responsibility to share in the management of the sky responsibly – this involves sharing in the management of fire (energy) responsibly – and therefore in the management of air (climate as well as local air quality)

• Land commons need to be nested in water commons and these in turn need to be nested in the common arrangements for the management of fire and therefore air

The future of humanity - if humanity is to have a future - will be when the land and water commons come together to support each other and share the creation of air and fire (energy) commons in which they need to be nested.

How to get there?Programme of two way North/South and South/South visits whose aims are:(1)Sharing experience of management of landscapes, seascapes and waterscapes within ecological limits. E.g. What principles are used and needed? What problems are encountered?(2)What are the energy arrangements of each commons and how are these thought about?(3)What external interventions/assistance would be helpful to each commons? (If a wider support system existed what kind would be most helpful and acceptable?)(4)What current problems of (unhelpful) external intervention do they need allies to help with?(5)What kind of communications systems would be most helpful to be able to participate in an emerging network?

Note:

• This is not intended as another dialogue/speaking tour for “commons experts” – but as exchanges between practitioners and participants in actually existing commons and commons projects.

Documenting the conversations

Compilation – drawing up a synthesis – with the aim of evolving things like:– Global commoners minimal political

programme– Global commoner litigation projects– Global commoner infrastructure programme– Common principles for organising global

commons organisations...

Financial resources?1. A strategic alliance with the global co-operative movement?

Can they spare a few dollars/pounds/euros/rupees to enable commoners to organise? (There are 328 million people who own shares, compared to 1 billion who are member owners of co-operative enterprises. The International Co-operative Alliance estimates that co-operatives employ 100 million people – more than all the transnational corporations put together.

2. Use the internet to crowd source fund a North/South and South/South dialogue between commoners – leading into global meta arrangements...

Additionally consider the following potential projects

Ad hoc alliances – with digital commoners in the design and establishment of communication networksData base resources – identifying and documenting corporate offences, land grabbing, environmental toxicity and locations where carbon enters the world economy.Developing resources for litigation and legal strategies for particular coalitions (eg coastal and island communities). Documenting and developing land commons bylaws and governance arrangements (as described earlier) but collectively exploring how to extend these to water, air and fire, and to national legislation.