According to the UN Global Environment Outlook (GEO) Report, ending harm could play a key role in global transformation. If this is not done, ‘global collapse is inevitable.’
The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) Report, prepared by 200 researchers for the UN Environment Programme, states that the climate crisis, nature destruction and pollution can no longer be seen as merely environmental crises.
According to the report, unsustainable food and fossil fuel production causes £3.8 billion ($5 billion) worth of environmental damage every hour.
Experts say that if this is not achieved, ‘collapse will become inevitable,’ and that preventing damage is an important component of the transformation that will be created in global governance, economics and finance for this purpose.
Professor Robert Watson, co-chair of the panel that conducted the assessment, said, ‘All of this undermines our economy, our food security, our water security, human health, and at the same time creates security issues, leading to conflicts in many parts of the world.’
Experts say that as the global population grows and the need for food and energy increases, all environmental crises are worsening, and that a large part of food and energy production is carried out using methods that pollute the planet and destroy natural life. A sustainable world is possible, but it requires political courage.
Prof. Edgar Gutiérrez-Espeleta, former Costa Rican Environment Minister and co-chair of the panel, said, ‘This is an urgent call to transform our systems before collapse becomes inevitable,’ adding, “The science is good. The solutions are known. What remains is the courage to act at the scale and speed required by history,‘ Watson added, noting that the window for action is ’rapidly closing.”
The Trump administration is complicating the geopolitical situation
Experts acknowledge the difficulty of the current geopolitical situation, in which the United States under Donald Trump is working with other countries and interest groups to block or reverse environmentally conscious actions. Watson, who has also chaired leading international climate and biodiversity science groups, said, ‘It is imperative that the public demand a sustainable future for their children and grandchildren. Most governments are trying to respond to this.’
Turkey objects to the GEO report
Published this year at 1,100 pages and generally accepted by all countries worldwide, the report also includes an executive summary for political decision-makers. However, strong objections from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, Turkey and Argentina to references to fossil fuels, plastics, reducing meat in diets and some other issues mean that no consensus has been reached on the report this time.
In a statement made on behalf of 28 countries, the United Kingdom said, “We have witnessed attempts to question the scientific nature of this process. While our delegations fully respect each state’s right to protect its national interests and rights, science is not open to negotiation.”
The benefits of taking action amount to $20 trillion annually on a global scale by 2070
The GEO report emphasises that, in the long term, the cost of action is much lower than the cost of inaction, predicting that the benefits of climate action alone will be worth $20 trillion per year by 2070 and $100 trillion per year by 2100. Watson said, ‘Visionary countries and private sector companies must accept that they will earn more profit by tackling these problems rather than ignoring them.’
Critical truths
Gutiérrez-Espeleta said the report covered several ‘critical truths’: Environmental crises create political and security emergencies that threaten the social bonds that hold societies together. Today, governments and economic systems are failing humanity, and financial reform is the cornerstone of transformation. Gutiérrez-Espeleta said, ‘Environmental policy must become the backbone of national security, social justice and economic strategy.’
The biggest problems stem from burning coal, oil and gas
The report states that burning coal, oil and gas is one of the biggest problems, causing $45 trillion in environmental damage per year, as well as pollution and destruction of nature caused by industrial agriculture. The current food production system incurs the highest cost at 20 trillion dollars, while transport costs 13 trillion dollars and fossil fuel-powered electricity generators cost 12 trillion dollars.
Watson, who argues that these costs, referred to by economists as externalities, should be reflected in the real prices of energy and food to steer consumers towards more environmentally friendly options, stated, ‘This is why we need social safety nets.’
Measures
The report highlights the need to ‘ensure that the poorest sections of society are not harmed by cost increases’ and proposes measures such as universal basic income, meat taxes and subsidies for healthy, plant-based foods.
The report also notes that approximately $1.5 trillion in environmentally harmful subsidies are provided for fossil fuels, food and mining. It emphasises that these subsidies should be eliminated or repurposed. Watson points out that wind and solar energy are cheaper in many places, but that the cost of fossil fuels is kept low by special interest groups.
Stating that the consequences of the climate crisis could be worse than anticipated, the author said, ‘We are probably underestimating the magnitude of climate change,’ and noted that global warming is at the upper end of the projections made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The report states that by phasing out fossil fuel infrastructure, parties could reduce emissions by a third.
Source: Bianet