The Global Commons

An open initiative, started at the COP31 Climate Campus in Antalya in November 2026, to map the world's shared resources, strengthen the rules that govern them, and pay the people who keep them.

The global commons already exists: oceans, the atmosphere, genetic resources, grasslands, outer space, and now the networks where AI agents meet. Most already run on some rules. What's missing are rules strong enough, local enough, and that pay back their keepers. Everything here is open: data, framework and code.

Where commons fail

1. No rulesNothing agreed, so whoever takes first takes most.

2. Weak rulesRules exist but aren't monitored or enforced.

3. No payoutRules hold, but the people who keep the commons aren't paid for it.

Explore

Library of the CommonsAn interactive map of 149 scholars in Elinor Ostrom's lineage, by theme and tier. The frameworkThe rules ladder, the parts of commons infrastructure, the method and the design principles. The registryA seed registry of commons, each placed on the rules ladder, with claims that settle only when independent sources agree. Ostrom's principles, builtWhich existing tools already do each of the eight design principles, and what was decided at the workshop. Case studiesSharm el-Sheikh and Cancún, Maine lobster, the Cali Fund, planetary protection and more. RoadmapWhat we're building next, and how to help.

Take part

Propose a commons for the registry, correct a claim with better evidence, or add a scholar to the library: open an issue or a pull request on GitHub. Communities that want to write and govern their own charter can do so on Cloud Mirror.