UNEP Global Environment Outlook 6 (Part 1)

In March 2019, the UN Environment Program released the sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6), focusing on the theme “Healthy Planet, Healthy People”. The following account is based on the GEO-6 Summary published by UNEP.

The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is the result of a consultative and participatory process to prepare an independent assessment of the state of the environment, the effectiveness of the policy response in addressing environmental challenges and the possible pathways to achieving various internationally agreed environmental goals. The GEO is a series of studies that inform environmental decision-making for Governments and other

stakeholders.

The sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6), under the theme “Healthy Planet, Healthy People”, aims to provide a sound, evidence-based source of environmental information to help policymakers and all of society to achieve the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and internationally agreed environmental goals, and to implement the multilateral environmental agreements. It does so by assessing recent scientific information and data, analysing current and past environmental policies and identifying future options to achieve

sustainable development by 2050.

Since the first edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) in 1997, there have been many examples of environmental improvement, specially where problems have been well identified, manageable, and where regulatory and technological solutions have been readily available. Much more can be achieved in that regard through more effective implementation of existing policies.

Nevertheless, the overall condition of the global environment has continued to deteriorate since the first edition of GEO, despite environmental policy efforts across all countries and regions. Environmental policy efforts are being hindered by a variety of factors, in particular unsustainable production and consumption patterns in most countries and climate change. GEO-6 concludes that unsustainable human activities globally have degraded the Earth’s ecosystems, endangering the ecological foundations of society.

Urgent action at an unprecedented scale is necessary to arrest and reverse this situation, thereby protecting human and environmental health and maintaining the current and future integrity of global ecosystems. Such key actions include:

·      reducing land degradation, biodiversity loss, and air, land and water pollution;

·      improving water management and resource management;

·      climate change mitigation and adaptation;

·      resource efficiency;

·      addressing decarbonization, decoupling and detoxification; and the

·      prevention and management of risk and disasters.

These key actions require more ambitious and effective policies, including sustainable consumption and production, greater resource efficiency and improved resource management, integrated ecosystem management, and integrated waste management and prevention.

Mainstreaming environmental considerations into social and economic decisions at all levels is of vital importance. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, GEO-6 shows that environmental issues are best addressed in conjunction with related economic and social issues, taking into account synergies and trade-offs between different goals and targets, including consideration of equity and gender dimensions. Governance

can be improved at the local, national, regional and global levels, including broad coordination between policy areas. More ambitious and effectively implemented environmental policies are necessary, but alone they are not sufficient to meet sustainable development objectives. At the same time as ensuring sustainable sources of financing for sustainable development and aligning financing flows with environmental priorities, capacities have to be strengthened and scientific information taken into account for environmental management. Strong commitment from all

stakeholders, partnerships and international cooperation would greatly facilitate the realization of environmental goals.

GEO-6 shows that a healthy environment is the best foundation for economic prosperity, human health and well‐being. Human behaviour has had various impacts on biodiversity, atmosphere, oceans, water and land.

That environmental degradation, which ranges from serious to irreversible, has had a negative impact on human health. Atmospheric pollution has had the most severe negative impact, followed by degradation of water, biodiversity, ocean and land environment. It is therefore important that opportunities for prosperity and well-being that maintain or regain the integrity of ecosystems should be attained through sustainable development pathways that are shared and pursued globally.

GEO-6 highlights the main global drivers of environmental change, the condition of the environment, the scale and effectiveness of policy responses, the potential pathways for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in an increasingly complex world, and the data and information needs and opportunities that can support decision-making towards achieving those Goals.