ECO-WATCH
NATURE
UN Releases Scientific Blueprint to Address Climate Emergencies
Common Dreams
Feb. 19, 2021 09:41AM EST CLIMATE
A South Korean woman looks at a view of Seoul shrouded by fine dust during a polluted day on March 06, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images
By Brett Wilkins
As the United Nations on Thursday released a report on the triple emergency of the climate crisis, the destruction of wildlife and habitats, and deadly pollution, the head of the world body sounded the alarm on what he called humanity’s “senseless and suicidal war on nature.”
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report, entitled Making Peace With Nature: A scientific blueprint to tackle the climate, biodiversity, and pollution emergencies, was introduced by Secretary-General António Guterres at U.N. headquarters in New York.
“I want to be clear. Without nature’s help, we will not thrive or even survive,” said Guterres. “For too long, we have been waging a senseless and suicidal war on nature. The result is three interlinked environmental crises—climate disruption, biodiversity loss, and pollution—that threaten our viability as a species.”
“They are caused by unsustainable production and consumption,” he added. “Human well-being lies in protecting the health of the planet. It’s time to reevaluate and reset our relationship with nature. This report can help us do so.”
Among the report’s recommendations are carbon taxes; a redirection in the nearly $5 trillion in annual worldwide subsidies to sectors including fossil fuels, mining, industrial agriculture, and fishing “toward alternative livelihoods and new business models;” and re-envisioning indicators of economic performance so that the value of mitigating the climate emergency, preserving ecosystems, and reducing pollution count—not just GDP.
Additionally, the report asserts that “changes in patterns of consumption are critical to transforming food, water, and energy systems and can be achi
