The Guardian view on climate equality: a richer life and real public abundance, not just more stuff | Editorial

<p>The Global Justice Report offers a hopeful bargain: tax extreme wealth and replace consumer excess with social and economic security for all</p><p>Humanity can raise living standards, reduce inequality and keep global heating within a 2C rise, according to a sweeping vision for planetary survival, the Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/04/world-inequality-lab-equality-academics-planetary-survival">reported</a> last week. In an age of ecological dread, that is a bracingly hopeful claim. The optimism came courtesy of the Global Justice Report, produced by Thomas Piketty’s World Inequality Lab.</p><p>It arrives against the grain of the times. Anti‑migrant demagoguery, fossil-fuel revivalism, attacks on multilateralism and billionaire capture all militate against the redistributive state capacity that the report requires. Yet Prof Piketty’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/04/a-good-life-for-the-99-isnt-a-pipe-dream-it-can-be-done-heres-how">team</a> insists that decarbonisation, “sufficiency” and equality can mean&nbsp;a good life for most people.</p><p><em><strong>Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tone/letters"> letters</a> section, please <a href="mailto:guardian.letters@theguardian.com?body=Please%20include%20your%20name,%20full%20postal%20address%20and%20phone%20number%20with%20your%20letter%20below.%20Letters%20are%20usually%20published%20with%20the%20author%27s%20name%20and%20city/town/village.%20The%20rest%20of%20the%20information%20is%20for%20verification%20only%20and%20to%20contact%20you%20where%20necessary.">click here</a>.</strong></em></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/08/the-guardian-view-on-climate-equality-a-richer-life-and-real-public-abundance-not-just-more-stuff">Continue reading...</a>

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