The recently released seventh edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) – a monumental work covering the state of the natural world – has issued a stark warning. The report's authors caution that humanity is pushing the planet towards an environmental tipping point, which could have catastrophic consequences for human health, the global economy, and virtually every other aspect of life. However, the report, prepared by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), indicates that it is not too late for humanity to change course. It contains an action plan to revitalize the Earth, focusing on transforming five key systems: economy and finance, materials and waste, energy, food, and the environment. The authors state that these reforms would yield multiple benefits. By 2050, they could prevent 9 million premature deaths, help 100 million people escape poverty, and alleviate the plight of 200 million undernourished individuals. Furthermore, by the end of the century, these reforms could generate $100 trillion in economic benefits annually. Maarten Kappelle, Head of UNEP's Science Office, pointed out, "Reshaping these five systems requires unprecedented collaboration from governments and society as a whole. But this cooperation is absolutely indispensable if we are to build a better, fairer, and more sustainable planet." This article, part of a series exploring the findings of the GEO-7 report, will focus on its recommendations for building a global economy that is more beneficial for both people and the planet. For decades, nations have used Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the primary measure of national wealth. However, GDP fails to account for many critical factors, such as the long-term fiscal impacts of environmental degradation. Consequently, the GEO-7 report advocates for countries to assess their fiscal health from a broader perspective. An effective way to achieve this is by establishing "natural capital accounting systems," which monetarily evaluate natural resources and the ecosystem services they provide. This accounting method allows nations to gain a more realistic understanding of their true wealth, thereby enabling them to formulate policies that benefit both environmental protection and overall prosperity. The authors of the GEO-7 report point out that the current global economic system often inadvertently incentivizes activities that harm the planet. To change this, the report proposes several recommendations, including redirecting $1.5 trillion in annual government subsidies that harm the environment (currently supporting the energy, mining, and food industries) towards sustainable sectors. In some cases, countries should also levy specific taxes on goods and services that damage the environment. For instance, food and energy production often consume natural spaces and generate pollution, yet these costs are not reflected in market prices. Revenue from such taxes should be used to support the most vulnerable populations. The report also urges governments to align their budgets and economic policies with the objectives of major environmental agreements like the Paris Agreement. Additionally, it recommends that countries promote investment in green technologies, guide consumers toward environmentally friendly choices, and mandate that corporations bear the full cost of remediating the damage they inflict on the planet. Plastic bottles, discarded electronics, hazardous chemicals... many regions of the world are besieged by pollution and waste. Therefore, the GEO-7 report emphasizes the critical importance of countries adopting a circular economy model. This concept focuses on maximizing resource lifespan by redesigning, reusing, repairing, and recycling existing items. To promote the circular model, countries and businesses can establish product design standards that extend product lifespans and enhance repairability. Governments can mandate that companies take responsibility for products at their end-of-life stage, while also creating regulations that compel corporate disclosure of their impact on the natural environment. Nations can also use tax reforms to incentivize the development of circular products, shift subsidies from extractive industries to the circular economy, and strengthen cooperation to expand the scope of international agreements tackling waste pollution. Simultaneously, countries can integrate circular economy principles into school curricula, provide incentives for citizens who make sustainable consumption choices, and legislate the gradual phase-out of short-lived and single-use products. The report concludes that the circular economy is a cross-cutting enabler for transforming food, energy, and materials systems, playing a key role in aligning economic and financial systems with environmental protection. In 2023, over 80% of the world's energy came from burning fossil fuels, a practice that continues to intensify the climate crisis, triggering droughts, floods, super-storms, and multiple other disasters. The report states that to prevent a complete climate system collapse, countries must rapidly scale up electricity generation from renewable sources like wind and solar. They should also promote the electrification of sectors currently dominated by fossil fuels, such as transportation, and explore alternative fuels like hydrogen for industries where electrification is challenging. Nations must also reduce energy demand by improving building efficiency, encouraging walking and cycling, and planning for compact cities. Throughout this process, it is essential to ensure that the mining of minerals critical for the energy transition (such as heavy metals for solar panels) does not harm the environment or infringe upon community rights. Current global food production methods are unsustainable, exacerbating climate change, generating pollution, consuming natural spaces, and leading to biodiversity loss. To change this, the GEO-7 report focuses on five key directions: First, countries, especially wealthy ones, need to shift towards more environmentally friendly diets, which in most cases means reducing meat consumption and increasing plant-based food intake. Second, crop cultivation and livestock farming need to become more efficient, use less land, and reduce environmental impact, while fisheries must enhance their sustainability. Third, governments, businesses, and consumers should collaborate to reduce food waste, alleviating unnecessary pressure on the planet. Fourth, countries need to explore novel foods like lab-grown meat and new production methods with smaller environmental footprints, such as vertical farming. Finally, nations can reform their food systems by focusing on localized cultivation and promoting diversification within agribusiness supply chains. The triple planetary crisis—comprised of climate change, nature and land degradation, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste—is relentlessly eroding natural ecosystems while threatening the futures of billions of people. The GEO-7 report underscores that halting nature's degradation is crucial for building a sustainable future. To this end, the authors call on countries to expand protected areas like nature reserves, restore ecosystems damaged by development, and seek more sustainable ways to manage land and marine resources. The report also advocates for scaling up the application of nature-based solutions, such as planting trees to cool cities facing extreme heat due to climate change. It further recommends that countries develop the bioeconomy sector—an emerging field that utilizes plants, animals, and other biological materials for energy production or manufacturing. Finally, the report emphasizes the necessity of enhancing transparency and fairness in the management of shared resources like forests and fisheries. The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) report series began in 1997, offering a unique perspective on the state of the natural world and providing policymakers with a roadmap for a healthier planet. Its seventh edition, titled "The Future We Choose," was released in December 2025, accompanied by an interactive summary. To understand the potential future facing the world if sustainable development principles are not embraced, please read our first feature article on GEO-7.
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