UN Environment Agency Calls for Urgent Action on ‘Triple Planetary Crisis’
February 18, 2025
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has issued a stark warning about the urgent need to address the “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. In a new report released today, UNEP calls for a “fundamental transformation” of the global economy and society, and sets out a series of recommendations for action.
The report, titled “Making Peace with Nature: A Global Assessment of Environmental Change,” draws on the findings of a four-year study by more than 100 leading scientists from around the world. It finds that the Earth is facing an unprecedented environmental crisis, with all three planetary boundaries – climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution – being exceeded or at risk of being exceeded.
“We are in a planetary emergency,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. “We are witnessing a scale of environmental degradation that is unprecedented in human history. It is time to wake up and take action.”
The report identifies several key drivers of the triple planetary crisis, including:
- The burning of fossil fuels, which is the main cause of climate change
- The conversion of natural habitats to agriculture and other human uses, which is driving biodiversity loss
- The production and use of chemicals and plastics, which is polluting the air, water, and soil
The report also highlights the interconnectedness of the three planetary boundaries, and warns that exceeding one boundary can have cascading effects on the others. For example, climate change can lead to increased biodiversity loss, and pollution can worsen the effects of climate change.
UNEP calls for a “fundamental transformation” of the global economy and society to address the triple planetary crisis. This includes:
- Investing in renewable energy and other climate-friendly technologies
- Reducing carbon emissions through energy efficiency and conservation
- Protecting and restoring forests and other natural habitats
- Reducing pollution through source reduction, recycling, and waste management
The report also calls for a change in the way we think about our relationship with nature. “We need to move from exploiting nature to living in harmony with it,” said Andersen. “We need to recognize that we are part of nature, and that our well-being depends on the health of our planet.”
The findings of the UNEP report are consistent with those of other recent scientific assessments, which have also warned about the urgent need to address the triple planetary crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said that we have only a few years left to take decisive action on climate change, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has warned that we are losing species at an unprecedented rate.
The UN Environment Assembly, which is the highest-level environmental decision-making body in the world, is set to meet in March to discuss the findings of the UNEP report. The assembly is expected to adopt a resolution calling for urgent action on the triple planetary crisis.
UN environment agency calls for urgent action on ‘triple planetary crisis’
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