Jason Hickel and colleagues reported large inequalities in global resource extraction, which has led to an ecological crisis. Hickel and colleagues show that high-income countries are responsible for 74% of global excess material use of equitable and sustainable boundaries from 1970 to 2017. Therefore, the authors suggested that high-income countries should undergo post-growth and degrowth transformations.

Adding to Hickel and colleagues’ convincing assessment, we want to introduce a broader focus on distributive justice in human and planetary wellbeing, which goes beyond resource extraction. We provide a broad view of the multiple dimensions of inequality, capturing enablers (eg, material use) and the effects of resource use that act as barriers to human wellbeing (eg, air pollution). We follow the theory of human needs with the universal goal of avoiding serious harm across the globe and across generations, and enabling capabilities and opportunities needed for a decent life. We argue that such a comprehensive focus on human and planetary wellbeing allows responsibilities to be shared more fairly in any transition process.