Dimensions of the Doughnut

An introduction to each of the 21 social and planetary dimensions of the Doughnut

@DoughnutEcon

www.doughnuteconomics.org

The Doughnut

This is the Doughnut.

The goal of the Doughnut is to meet the needs of all within the means of living planet.

In other words, to live in the safe and just space for humanity.

Humanity’s ‘Selfie’

Humanity is currently living far outside the Doughnut, on both sides - social and ecological - as all of the red wedges show.

Billions of people still cannot meet their most essential needs while humanity has already overshot multiple planetary boundaries.

Explore the 21 Dimensions

As you explore each of the 21 Dimensions of the Doughnut, some questions you might want to consider are:

• How does this issue show up in your country?
• What kinds of policies or actions could help tackle the issue?
• How is this dimension related to other Doughnut dimensions?

Food

Safe, sufficient, nutritious food for all. Food is a daily essential for a healthy life, which is why all people need to have secure access to sufficient, affordable, safe and nutritious food. Yet more than 800 million people worldwide are currently undernourished, and this number has been rising in recent years, especially in countries most affected by conflict and by the impacts of climate change.

Health

Access to affordable, quality healthcare for all. Health services provide people with essential care and treatment for illness and injury, from birth to death. They also significantly reduce the prevalence of disease – but globally, progress in tackling diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis has slowed or stalled. At least half the world's population do not have access to essential health services, and many of those who do still have to pay a high price for it, which too often pushes vulnerable families into poverty.

Education

Access to life-long learning for all. Education is foundational to every person's ability to participate in society and to take up opportunities throughout their life. Yet over 250 million children worldwide are still out of primary and secondary school. The reasons range from a shortage of qualified teachers and a lack of toilets in schools to prohibitive school fees and discrimination against girls and minorities.

Income & Work

Decent work and adequate income for all. Work that is safe, meaningful and fairly paid provides essential income for households to meet many of their needs and wants. Yet more than two billion people worldwide live in income poverty and around half a billion people are un- or under-employed. Many millions more work in dangerous and exploitative conditions, and are denied the right to organise and bargain collectively.

Peace & Justice

Personal security, government accountability, and access to justice for all. Peaceful and just societies enable people to live in their communities, free from fear and exploitation. They likewise tackle corruption in business and politics by building effective and accountable institutions at all levels. Worldwide, over 70 million people have been forcibly displaced from their communities primarily due to armed conflict, violence, human rights violations, and climate change.

Political Voice

Ensure people have voice in, and influence over, decisions that affect their lives. Democratic institutions, freedom of expression, freedom of association, and a free media all tend to support more inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making in public life. Half the world's population, however, currently live in countries whose institutions fall significantly short on ensuring this.

Social Equity

Ensure equality of opportunity, and reduce income inequality. People living in more equal societies tend to be healthier, safer, and more trusting compared to those in less equal societies - but there are wide and growing inequalities of income and wealth in many countries. These inequalities are frequently exacerbated by inequalities of race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, language, disability and location.

Gender Equality

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Ensuring that women and girls have equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes are essential elements of just societies. Women and girls continue to face discrimination and violence in every part of the world. Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary precondition for a peaceful and prosperous world.

Housing

Decent, affordable, safe housing for all. Sustainable and resilient homes and settlements are foundational for creating thriving communities, and for reducing the risk of natural disasters and climate change. However, close to one billion people (and rising) live in slums – in overcrowded, poor-quality dwellings, often with inadequate drinking water and sanitation services.

Networks

Access to networks - of transport, of communications, and of community support. Transport infrastructure, digital communications, and social connections are crucial for creating opportunity and for building community wellbeing and resilience. However, half the world's population have no access to local public transport, over 40% of people cannot access the Internet at home, and one person in four says they have no one to count on in times of trouble.

Energy

Access to clean, affordable energy services for all. Gaining access to electricity can be transformative - for children's education, household life, community healthcare and the local economy. Despite progress, nearly 800 million people still live without electricity, and the share of renewable energy used worldwide is far too low. In addition, 3 billion people still depend on fuels like wood, dung and kerosene for cooking, which creates damaging indoor air pollution especially affecting women and girls.

Water & Sanitation

Access to clean water and decent sanitation. Water is a daily essential for drinking, bathing, cooking, and washing clothes. However, billions of people still don't have access to safe drinking water, or to a hygienic toilet. This exacerbates the spread of diseases like cholera and diarrhea, which cause millions of preventable childhood deaths every year.

Climate Change

When greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are released into the air, they enter the atmosphere and amplify Earth’s natural greenhouse effect, trapping more heat within the atmosphere. This results in global heating, whose effects include rising temperatures, more frequent droughts, floods and storms, and sea level rise.

Ocean Acidification

Around one quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activity is eventually dissolved in the oceans, where it forms carbonic acid and decreases the pH of the surface water. This acidity reduces the availability of carbonate ions that are an essential building block used by many marine species for shell and skeleton formation. This missing ingredient makes it hard for organisms such as corals, shellfish and plankton to grow and survive, thus endangering the ocean ecosystem and its food chain.

Chemical Pollution

When toxic compounds, such as synthetic organic pollutants and heavy metals, are released into the biosphere they can persist for a very long time, with effects that may be irreversible. And when they accumulate in the tissue of living creatures, including birds and mammals, they reduce fertility and cause genetic damage, endangering ecosystems on land and in the oceans.

Nitrogen & phosphorus loading

Reactive nitrogen and phosphorus are widely used in agricultural fertilizers but only a small proportion of what is applied is actually taken up by crops. Most of the excess runs off into rivers, lakes and oceans, where it causes algae blooms that turn the water green, brown or even red. These blooms can be toxic and they kill off other aquatic life by starving the water of oxygen.

Freshwater withdrawals

Water is essential for life and is widely used by agriculture, industry and households. Excessive withdrawals of water, however, can impair or even dry up lakes, rivers and aquifers, damaging ecosystems and altering the hydrological cycle and climate.

Land conversion

Converting land for human use – such as turning forests and wetlands into cities, farmland and highways – depletes Earth’s carbon sinks, destroys rich wildlife habitats, and undermines the land’s role in continually cycling water, nitrogen and phosphorus.

Biodiversity loss

A decline in the number and variety of living species damages the integrity of ecosystems and accelerates species extinction. In doing so it increases the risk of abrupt and irreversible changes to ecosystems, reducing their resilience and undermining their capacity to provide food, fuel and fibre, and to sustain life.

Air pollution

Micro-particles, or aerosols, emitted into the air – such as smoke, dust and pollutant gases – can damage living organisms. Furthermore, they interact with water vapour in the air and so affect cloud formation. When emitted in large volumes these aerosols can significantly alter regional rainfall patterns, including shifting the timing and location of monsoon rains in tropical regions.

Ozone layer depletion

Earth’s stratospheric ozone layer filters out ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Some human-made chemical substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) will, if released, enter the stratosphere and deplete the ozone layer, exposing Earth and her inhabitants to the sun’s harmful UV rays.

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