Internationally, we have four recognised global commons: the high seas and deep seabed, outer space, Antartica, and to some degree the atmosphere. All of these have issues with their governance, but they are a step forward. As we face the critical challenges of the coming few decades, we need to begin thinking about upgrading global commons to properly planetary commons24, and internet infrastructure understood broadly should be one of them. Without coordination we won't solve the climate and biosphere crises, and with captured infrastructure we cannot coordinate in intelligent and resilient ways.
Relevant: We Need To Rewild The Internet.¹
¹ Unfortunately, this article starts with the very disputable claim, the German word “Waldsterben” (forest dieback) was coined in the “late 18th century” – while even the Wikipedia source clearly states it came up in the 1980s. This is also how I remember it, growing up with the increasing fear of a landmark of German mythology dying due to predatory exploitation of the planet’s eco system. The German article about Waldsterben is even more explicit: “Als Waldsterben (auch: neuartige Waldschäden) werden Schädigungen des Waldes bezeichnet, die seit etwa 1980 großflächig auftreten.”