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UNEP Synthesis Report: Making Peace with Nature

The first UNEP synthesis report, titled: “Making Peace with Nature: A scientific blueprint to tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution emergencies” is based on evidence from global environmental assessments, including Global Biodiversity Outlook 5.

Released ahead of the fifth UN Environment Assembly, the report presents a strong case for why and how urgent action should be taken to protect and restore the planet and its climate in a holistic way. 

The report provides an 'Earth diagnosis' of current and projected human-induced environmental change, by putting facts and interlinkages in perspective, including by using smart infographics.

Tackling three planetary threats together

The report shows how a trio of environmental emergencies interact and have common causes, and thus can only be effectively addressed together:

  1. Economic growth has brought uneven gains in prosperity to a fast-growing global population, leaving 1.3 billion people poor, while tripling the extraction of natural resources to damaging levels and creating a planetary emergency.
  2. Despite a temporary decline in emissions due to the pandemic, Earth is heading for at least 3°C of global warming this century; more than 1 million of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species are at substantially increased risk of extinction; and diseases caused by pollution are currently killing some 9 million people prematurely every year. 
  3. Environmental degradation is impeding progress towards ending poverty and hunger, reducing inequalities and promoting sustainable economic growth, work for all and peaceful and inclusive societies.

Making Peace with Nature presents examples of what transformative change can look like, and how it can create prosperity, employment and greater equality. Far-reaching change involves recasting how we value and invest in nature, integrating that value into policies and decisions at all levels, overhauling subsidies and other elements of economic and financial systems, and fostering innovation in sustainable technologies and business models. Massive private investment in electric mobility and alternative fuels show how whole industries recognize the potential gains from shifting quickly. 

Reinforcing the call for action, the report stresses the need for stakeholders at all levels of society to be involved in decision-making, and identifies dozens of key actions that governments, businesses, communities and individuals can and should undertake in order to bring about a sustainable world.

Key Comment

“In showing how the health of people and nature are intertwined, the COVID-19 crisis has underlined the need for a step-change in how we view and value nature. By reflecting that value in decision-making – whether we are talking about economic policy or personal choices – we can bring about a rapid and lasting shift toward sustainability for both people and the environment,” -- Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP

 

More Information:

Read the full Making Peace With Nature Report

Global Biodiversity Outlook 5

 

Key actions that governments, businesses, communities and individuals can and should undertake in order to bring about a sustainable world:

Governments can include natural capital in measures of economic performance, put a price on carbon and shift trillions of dollars in subsidies from fossil fuels, non-sustainable agriculture and transportation towards low-carbon and nature-friendly solutions.
 

Financial organizations can stop lending for fossil fuels and develop innovative finance for biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture.

Businesses can adopt the principles of the circular economy to minimize resource use and waste and commit to maintaining transparent and deforestation-free supply chains.

Non-government organizations can build networks of stakeholders to ensure their full participation in decisions about sustainable use of land and marine resources.
 

Scientific organizations can pioneer technologies and policies to reduce carbon emissions, increase resource efficiency and lift the resilience of cities, industries, communities and ecosystems.
 

Individuals can reconsider their relationship with nature, learn about sustainability and change their habits to reduce their use of  resources, cut waste of food, water and energy, and adopt healthier diets.