Tellus Institute

Background

Originally named the Energy Systems Research Group (ESRG), the Tellus Institute is a think tank that was founded in 1976 by physicist Paul Raskin to advocate left-wing approaches to environmental and social issues. ¹ It began as a nonprofit consulting group based in Boston, Massachusetts that consisted of geologists, mathematicians, theorists, economists and political scientists. It advised businesses on how they could adopt environmentalist practices, advocated the adoption of weather-dependent energy, and opposed nuclear energy. ³

After Raskin copublished “Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead” in 2002, the Tellus Institute transitioned from consulting to operating as a think tank that researched environmentalist futurism. It subsequently created the Great Transition Initiative based on Raskin’s belief that humans are entering a “great transition” similar to the agricultural and industrial revolution that can result in dangerous, violent factions forming as a result of inequality. ³

Great Transition Campaign

In 1995, Gillberto Gallopin and Tellus Institute president and cofounder Paul Raskin founded the Global Scenario Group (GSG) to convene researchers across various disciplines to discuss environmental issues. GSG’s research led Raskin, Gellopin, and other coauthors to publish a 2002 essay titled “Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead.” Following the essay, GSG formed the Great Transition Initiative as a project of the Tellus Initiative that published “scholarly essays” and reports that advocated societal changes. ¹

In 2025, Raskin published the third edition of the Great Transition essay series titled, “Journey to Earthland: The Great Transition to Planetary Civilization” and the Great Transition Initiative renamed itself to the Great Transition Campaign. The Great Transition Campaign includes a membership of over 1,000 authors through its Great Transition Network. ¹

The Great Transition Campaign argues that conventional advocacy campaigns are insufficient for adequately addressing modern environmental issues. It argues that individual governments and national, regional, or local environmentalist campaigns are unable to address environmental issues on their own, and instead, it advocates for environmentalists to internationalize their initiatives under a “global citizens movement” (GCM). ⁴

The concept of a GCM is outlined in Raskin’s essay “Journey to Earthland: The Great Transition to Planetary Civilization.” The GCM is described as a coalition of “planetary socialists” who seek to usher in a “New Global Deal” under the United Nations during a so-called “Reform Era” ranging from 2028 through 2048. It advocates for ending capitalism and for governments to use central planning to control resources and labor. The essay added that under the “Reform Era,” governments should adopt policies “that would channel and constrain markets to function within more compassionate social norms and well-established environmental limits.” It also advocated for an “alliance of necessity” global policy reformation under a global government titled the “Earthland Parliamentary Assembly (EPA)” where “consumerist culture,” alleged “xenophobic nationalism,” and capitalism will be outlawed under a world constitution. ²

Leadership

Paul Raskin cofounded the Tellus Institute in 1976 and works as its president. Before cofounding the Tellus Institute, Raskin was a physics professor after receiving a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Columbia University in 1970. He has also worked as lead author for the National Academy of Science’s board on sustainability and with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Earth Charter Initiative, and the United Nations Environment Programme’s global environment outlook. ⁵

Financials

In 2024, the Tellus Institute reported having $408,255 in total expenses, including $134,992 in compensation for its president Paul Raskin and $59,050 paid for consultants. ^{6 7} It also reported $113,181 in revenue. ⁸