Healthy planet, healthy people: Is it achievable or a pipedream?

Biodiversity loss disproportionately affects the poor and marginalised. Illegal trade in wildlife, fisheries and forest products is worth between $90-$270 billion per year.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) periodically releases the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) report, prepared by experts from around the world. Six reports have been released since 1997. The theme of the sixth edition,GEO-6, is ‘Healthy Planet, Healthy People.’ It aims to provide science-based environmental information to help policymakers and society achieve the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, implement multilateral environmental agreements, and reach internationally agreed environmental goals.

The report notes that despite efforts across countries and regions, the global environment’s overall condition continues to deteriorate. Unsustainable human activities have degraded the Earth’s ecosystems, endangering the ecological foundations of society. Air pollution, the main environmental contributor to the global burden of disease, leads to 6 to 7 million premature deaths and welfare losses estimated at $5 trillion every year.

Also Read | A three-step strategy to promote green growth amid changing climate

Economic and population growth are the primary drivers of increased CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. Current emission reduction pledges fall short of what is necessary to limit the temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius. To achieve this goal, emissions need to drop by 40 to 70% globally between 2010 and 2050, falling to net zero by 2070.

Populations of species are declining, and species extinction rates are increasing. At present, 42% of terrestrial invertebrates, 34% of freshwater invertebrates, and 25% of marine invertebrates are at risk of extinction.

Biodiversity loss disproportionately affects the poor and marginalised communities. Illegal trade in wildlife, fisheries, and forest products is worth between $90-$270 billion per year.

Human-induced rises in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are driving rising sea levels, changes in ocean temperatures, and ocean acidification. Mass coral bleaching, induced by chronic heat, has damaged many tropical reefs beyond recovery. The collective annual value of coral reefs is estimated at $29 billion. Its loss adversely impacts the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities and marine habitats.

The oceans play an important role in the global and national economies. Fisheries and aquaculture currently generate $252 billion annually. Small-scale fisheries support the livelihoods of between 58 and 120 million people. Fish provide 3.1 billion people with over 20% of their dietary protein and contain other essential nutrients.

Marine litter, including plastics and microplastics, is now found in all oceans at all depths. It has a significant negative economic impact on a range of coastal activities. Current estimates suggest that the input of plastic marine litter linked to domestic waste mismanagement in coastal areas amounts to some 8 million tonnes annually. The damage to fishing gear in Europe alone is estimated at over $72 million per year, and the annual cost of cleaning polluted beaches is $735 million, which is increasing.

Land degradation and desertification have increased, with land degradation hotspots covering about 29% of global land, where some 3.2 billion people reside. Investing in avoiding land degradation and restoring degraded land makes sound economic sense, and the benefits generally far exceed the costs. A UNEP study suggests that ecosystem restoration of 350 million hectares of degraded lands during 2021–2030 will yield ecosystem service benefits worth $9 trillion and remove an additional 13–26 GHGs from the atmosphere.

Urban clusters have grown by a factor of about 2.5 since 1975, and are affecting, among other things, the hydrological cycle and soil functions, causing urban
heat islands.

In most regions, water quality has worsened significantly since 1990, owing to organic and chemical pollution. Some 2.3 billion people still lack access to safe sanitation. Approximately 1.4 million people die annually from preventable diseases such as diarrhoea and intestinal parasites. Human illnesses due to antimicrobial-resistant infections may become a major cause of death from infectious diseases worldwide by 2050.

About 40% of wetlands have been lost since 1970, with serious consequences for lives and livelihoods. The total annual economic cost of wetland losses over the period 1996–2015 is estimated at $2.7 trillion.

Resource exploitation has increased beyond the recovery ability of ecological systems. Globally, two out of every five people lack access to controlled waste disposal facilities.

Global energy consumption is expected to rise significantly, by up to 63%, during the period 2014–2040. Despite the fast deployment and cost reduction of renewables and improvements in efficiency, without ambitious and effective measures, energy-related GHGs will breach the limits set by the Paris climate accord.

The GEO-6 report notes that pathways exist that show that the healthy planet needed for sustainable development can be achieved. They are associated with achieving sustainable consumption and production patterns for energy, food, and water to provide universal access to those resources while preventing climate change, air pollution, land degradation, loss of biodiversity, water scarcity, and overexploitation and pollution of oceans. They include changes in lifestyle, consumption preferences, and consumer behaviour on the one hand, and cleaner production processes, resource efficiency and decoupling, corporate responsibility, and compliance on the other.

The health co-benefits of reducing GHGs and air pollutants can outweigh the costs of mitigation. For example, global health savings for limiting temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius are estimated at about $54 trillion, compared with global costs of around $22 trillion.

The report shows that a healthy environment is the best foundation for economic prosperity, human health, and well-being. The preparation of GEO-7, titled ‘Actions for a Healthy Planet,’ commenced recently and seeks to find sustainable solutions in the food, energy, environment, economic, and financial sectors.

(The writer is lead author, GEO-7, United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya.)