BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM

A sweeping new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) lays out an ambitious, but achievable, economic transformation: investing in the health of the planet could generate at least $20 trillion in annual benefits by 2070. Released during the United Nations Environment Assembly, the Global Environment Outlook, Seventh Edition (GEO-7), is the most comprehensive environmental assessment yet, drawing on the work of 287 scientists across 82 countries.

The report makes the case that stabilizing the climate, protecting ecosystems, and reducing pollution are not just moral imperatives; they are essential economic strategies. Left unchecked, environmental degradation will not only harm public health and biodiversity, but could also erode global prosperity.

“A simple choice stands before humanity,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director. “We can either face a future shaped by disruption and rising costs, or choose one of lasting prosperity through decisive investment in planetary health.”

Five systems that must change

The report identifies five key global systems: economy and finance, materials and waste, energy, food, and the environment. Each of these systems must undergo deep, coordinated reform. It calls for governments to shift away from traditional economic indicators like gross domestic product and adopt metrics that reflect both human and natural capital. These new measures would help guide policies toward long-term well-being, not just short-term growth.

In addition to system reform, the report outlines two core transformation pathways. One emphasizes behavioral shifts, such as reducing material consumption and demand for high-impact goods. The other centers on technological innovation and efficiency improvements. Both approaches are designed to work in tandem and could begin delivering macroeconomic benefits by 2050.

By 2070, those benefits could total $20 trillion annually. By the end of the century, the report estimates that figure could rise to a staggering $100 trillion per year.

The costs of inaction are higher

Without significant policy change, the GEO-7 warns that global temperatures will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the early 2030s and likely surpass two degrees by the 2040s. On that path, climate change could reduce global GDP by 4 percent by 2050 and up to 20 percent by 2100.

Environmental degradation is already exacting a high toll:

• 9 million people die each year due to pollution.
• Health damages from air pollution reached $8.1 trillion in 2019, or 6.1 percent of global GDP.
• Land degradation now affects up to 40 percent of global land, impacting more than 3 billion people.
• One million species face extinction.
• Plastic waste totals more than 8 billion tonnes, with health losses from associated chemicals exceeding $1.5 trillion annually.

Extreme weather disasters attributed to climate change cost an average of $143 billion per year over the last two decades.

In contrast, the report estimates that achieving net-zero emissions and halting biodiversity loss would require $8 trillion in annual investment through mid-century—less than the mounting cost of climate-related damage.

Economic and environmental wins go hand in hand

The GEO-7 envisions a world in which healthier ecosystems directly improve human and economic well-being. Some of the projected benefits by 2050 include:

• Avoiding 9 million premature deaths due to air pollution.
• Reducing undernourishment for nearly 200 million people.
• Lifting over 100 million people out of extreme poverty.
• Expanding natural lands and restoring ecosystems.

These gains are only possible, the report says, through coordinated, systemwide change. Among the key recommendations:

In economics and finance

• Move beyond GDP and embrace inclusive wealth metrics.
• Correctly price the environmental costs and benefits of economic activity.
• Phase out harmful subsidies and redirect incentives to support sustainability.

In materials and waste

• Support circular product design and supply chain transparency.
• Shift consumer behavior toward reuse and regeneration.
• Invest in business models that reduce waste and extend product life cycles.

In energy

• Accelerate the decarbonization of supply chains.
• Improve energy efficiency at all levels.
• Ensure a just transition that includes energy access and poverty reduction.

In food systems

• Shift toward healthy, sustainable diets.
• Boost efficiency in production and cut food waste.
• Strengthen resilience and food security.

In the environment

• Scale up biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration.
• Embrace nature-based solutions for climate adaptation.
• Strengthen climate mitigation efforts to curb long-term warming.

A call for global cooperation

The report concludes that tackling climate change, nature loss, and pollution must be approached as an interconnected challenge, not as isolated issues. It calls for integrated policy frameworks and urges collaboration among governments, multilateral institutions, businesses, civil society, academia, and Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous and local knowledge, in particular, is emphasized as a crucial element for guiding just and effective transitions.

Modeled after the scientific rigor of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other major UN science bodies, the GEO-7 presents both a warning and a roadmap.

“We already have the tools, the science, and the momentum,” said Andersen. “What we need now is the will to act at scale and in solidarity.”

In short, the path to global prosperity and climate resilience may no longer lie in business as usual but in bold, coordinated investment in the health of the planet.

Did this story stand out? Share it with a friend or support our mission by becoming an Emissary.