The most comprehensive and rigorous assessment on the state of the environment completed by the United Nations in the last five years has just been published – and it warns that damage to the planet is so dire that people's health will be increasingly threatened unless urgent action is taken.
The report, which was produced by 250 scientists and experts from more than 70 countries, states that either environmental protections are drastically scaled up, or cities and regions in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa could see millions of premature deaths by mid-century. It also warns that pollutants in freshwater systems will see anti-microbial resistance become a major cause of death by 2050 and endocrine disruptors will impact male and female fertility, as well as child neurodevelopment.
The report highlights that the world has the science, technology, and finance needed to move towards a more sustainable development pathway, although sufficient support still is missing from the public, business, and political leaders who are “clinging to outdated production and development models.”
“The science is clear. The health and prosperity of humanity is directly tied with the state of our environment,” said Joyce Msuya, acting executive director of UN Environment. “This report is an outlook for humanity. We are at a crossroads. Do we continue on our current path, which will lead to a bleak future for humankind, or do we pivot to a more sustainable development pathway? That is the choice our political leaders must make, now.”
The projection of a future healthy planet with healthy people is based on a new way of thinking where the “grow now, clean up after” model is changed to a near-zero-waste economy by 2050. According to the report, green investment of two percent of countries' GDP would deliver long-term growth as high as presently projected but with fewer impacts from climate change, water scarcity, and loss of ecosystems.
The report says that, at present the world is not on track to meet the sustainable development goals (“SDGs”) by 2030 or 2050. Urgent action is required now as any delay in climate action increases the cost of achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, or reversing progress that has been made and at some point, will make them impossible, according to the report.
The report advises that adopting less-meat intensive diets and reducing food waste in both developed and developing countries would reduce the need to increase food production by 50 percent to feed the projected nine to 10 billion people on the planet in 2050. At present, 33 per cent of global edible food is wasted, and 56 per cent of waste happens in industrialized countries, the report states.
While urbanization is happening at an unprecedented level globally, the report says it can present an opportunity to increase citizens' well-being while decreasing their environmental footprint through improved governance, land use planning, and green infrastructure. Furthermore, strategic investment in rural areas would reduce pressure for people to migrate.
The report calls for action to curb the flow of the eight million tons of plastic pollution going into oceans each year. While the issue has received increased attention in recent years, there is still no global agreement to tackle marine litter.
The scientists note advancements in collecting environmental statistics, particularly geospatial data, and highlight there is huge potential for advancing knowledge using big data and stronger data collection collaborations between public and private partners.
Policy interventions that address entire systems – such as energy, food, and waste – rather than individual issues, such as water pollution, can be much more effective, according to the authors. For example, a stable climate and clean air are interlinked; the climate mitigation actions for achieving the Paris Agreement targets would cost about US$22 trillion, but the combined health benefits from reduced air pollution could amount to US$54 trillion.
“The report shows that policies and technologies already exist to fashion new development pathways that will avoid these risks and lead to health and prosperity for all people,” said Joyeeta Gupta and Paul Ekins, co-chairs of the GEO-6 process. “What is currently lacking is the political will to implement policies and technologies at a sufficient speed and scale.” They added that policymakers need to “face up to the challenges and grasp the opportunities of a much brighter future for humanity.”
Steven A. Meyerowitz
Steven A. Meyerowitz, a Harvard Law School graduate, is the founder and president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. He may be contacted at [email protected].