Organize the World and Sanction the Free-Rider Nations in New York 2025

Space-Ship-Earth: Created on 11.02.2025 in German by © Andreas Hermann Landl

Cooperation for a Sustainable Future on Spaceship Earth is the Order of the Day!

On the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, we stand at a decisive crossroads:
Do we want to steer “Spaceship Earth” together and contribute to a livable future for all – or will we allow selfish global actors to undermine the climate, world peace, and the well-being of humanity? How should we deal with the objectively biggest free-riding nations?

Should we punish them, ignore them, and instead reward fair win-win partners – as recommended by evolutionary game theory?

The Planet’s Super-Cooperators

While some nations take their commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seriously, others gamble with the future of our planet. Countries like Iceland, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark have proven that sustainability, social justice, and prosperity can go hand in hand. These nations have consistently invested in climate protection, education, healthcare, and peaceful cooperation. They are the true role models for the global community and deserve international recognition.

Similarly, organizations such as:

• Transparency International
• The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF)
• The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
• The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) with the Global Peace Index (GPI)

…work tirelessly to combat militarization and corruption, advance climate protection, and defend human rights. They set benchmarks for a just and sustainable future and hold the most powerful leaders accountable based on objective standards.

The Biggest Defectors (Black Sheep) on Spaceship Earth

In game theory and global politics, defectors could be considered the “black sheep” of the international community, but with an important nuance: While the proverbial “black sheep” is often merely an outsider or rule-breaker within a group, defectors deliberately undermine the cooperative mechanisms of the international system to gain selfish advantages at the expense of others.

The objectively biggest defectors for the well-being of nations today are:

• Donald Trump (USA) – By withdrawing from climate agreements and pursuing nationalist policies, he has slowed global progress.
• Vladimir Putin (Russia) – His aggressive geopolitical maneuvers, wars, and reliance on fossil fuel industries destabilize peace and sustainability.
• Xi Jinping (China) – Under his leadership, environmental destruction from coal power plants has surged, while authoritarian control over trade routes dominates.
• Narendra Modi (India) – Despite ambitious climate announcements, India’s greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, while minority rights come under pressure.

These leaders prioritize short-term national gains at the expense of the entire global community – the very definition of free-riding at the cost of global public goods (climate, biodiversity, peace, and human rights).

A Resolution for Global Fairness

To counter these developments, I propose a historic resolution to the United Nations General Assembly on its 80th anniversary: the „Cooperators-First Initiative“ (CFI). This initiative would reward states, companies, and organizations that actively contribute to the SDGs while sanctioning defectors:

• A Global Cooperation Index should transparently rank nations based on their contributions to sustainable development.
• International benefits (trade agreements, investment incentives, privileged loans) should only go to states that demonstrably commit to the SDGs.
• A UN transparency system should make violations of environmental and human rights standards visible in real-time.
• A multilateral disarmament treaty by 2050 should gradually reduce military spending to zero and redirect funds to sustainable development.
• A UN fund for sustainable transformation should financially support cooperative developing nations.

Conclusion: Organize the World Before It’s Too Late

If we continue allowing individual free-rider nations to sabotage global cooperation, our shared progress will be at risk. Clear consequences are needed for those who systematically work against sustainability and peace. The Cooperators-First Initiative resolution is a crucial step toward finally creating a global balance that rewards those who fight for a better world – and sanctions those who destroy it.

Now is the time to take responsibility. The world does not need more defectors – it needs super-cooperators.

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