The Commons as Intellectual and Ecological Heritage

Sor Juana believed that knowledge should not be hoarded by elites but recognized as humanity's common inheritance. This principle extends naturally to ecological commons: the atmosphere, oceans, forests, and biodiversity are not property but shared heritage belonging equally to all beings and generations. Climate justice frameworks rooted in Commons theory reject the private appropriation that enables unlimited extraction and pollution. The atmosphere has limited capacity to absorb emissions; when wealthy nations and corporations claim disproportionate rights to pollute, they steal from the poor and future generations. Sor Juana's intellectual tradition values access and collective benefit; the Commons approach to climate demands that we treat Earth's systems with the same protection we afford shared knowledge. This requires international agreements treating the climate as common property, wealthy nations paying climate reparations for historical pollution, and protecting remaining forests and ocean ecosystems as global commons. Her legacy illuminates how justice requires recognizing what belongs to all.