Human ingenuity has delivered an integrated global economy, weapons of mass destruction, and threats to the biosphere on which we rely. Yet human nature remains that of an instinctively tribal primate. This contradiction is becoming more important than before, as interdependence deepens and superpower rivalry grows.
This raises a sobering question: is it possible for a divided humanity to provide essential global public goods? Since Xi Jinping, leader of the country with the largest emissions of greenhouse gases, has decided not even to attend COP26 in Glasgow, the answer does not appear encouraging.
The core global public goods are prosperity, peace and protection against planetary disasters, such as climate change or serious pandemics. These goods are interconnected: without peace among great powers, prosperity is at best fragile; and neither peace nor prosperity will last in a world ravaged by environmental catastrophes.