According to a new UN Environment Programme report, the world can tackle the climate, biodiversity, and pollution crises together, but the UN chief said that these interlinked crises require “urgent action from the whole of society.” The report shows that the global economy has grown nearly fivefold in the past five decades, but at massive cost to the environment. Despite a pandemic-induced decline in emissions, global warming is on track to increase by 3°C this century and while pollution-related diseases are prematurely killing some nine million people annually, over a million plant and animal species risk extinction. “The bottom line is that we need to transform how we view and value nature”, said the Secretary-General. “The rewards will be immense. With a new consciousness, we can direct investment into policies and activities that protect and restore nature.”
By UN News. February 18, 2021.
