With pressures on the planet intensifying, the failure of countries to curb climate and environmental destruction would come at a huge cost to humanity, according to a new report by the United Nations.
Addressing the challenges requires “unprecedented, rapid and innovative” transformations across society that could deliver up to $20 trillion in annual benefits toward the end of the century, it said.
The U.N. Environment Programme’s Global Environmental Outlook states that past projections may underestimate the magnitude of global warming, as the loss of species and damage to ecosystems erode the planet’s ability to rebound from the effects of rising temperatures. Most global environmental targets won’t be met under current policies.
It also outlines the steps that countries, companies and society can take to curb the slide into climate catastrophe and meet global environmental targets. It stresses the need for sweeping changes that integrate environmental policy into national security, social justice and economic strategy. Biodiversity loss, waste and land degradation can no longer be separated from climate change, it states.
