CERES

To maintain the basis of human life on Earth, the global commons such as the atmosphere, the oceans and the biosphere must be managed so that planetary boundaries are not exceeded. This requires a paradigm shift in the definition of wealth, which should explicitly include natural capital in addition to physical and human capital. The FutureLab CERES – Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, is also described as a legislator – conducts research at the interface between natural resources and state capacity, and explicitly addresses the interactions between them. Against the backdrop of climate change and the overexploitation of natural resources, the research programme aims at changing the understanding of wealth that incorporates natural capital. This also incorporates the analysis of suitable policy instruments to enable inclusive wealth governance. The research focusses on countries that play a key role in the protection of natural resources, such as Brazil, Indonesia, Colombia or the Congo. They are severely threatened by climate damage, have a high level of biodiversity and accrue high economic profits from fossil resources, rare earths and/or deforestation.