Investing in Planetary Health Could Unlock $20 Trillion a Year by 2070: New Report

A landmark United Nations assessment has found that ambitious investments in climate stability, biodiversity protection, pollution reduction and sustainable land use could unlock trillions in economic gains while preventing millions of premature deaths worldwide.

Released at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, the Global Environment Outlook, Seventh Edition (GEO-7) is the most comprehensive review of the planet’s health ever conducted. The report draws on the expertise of 287 scientists from 82 countries.

According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), environmental degradation ranging from climate change and biodiversity loss to pollution and land degradation is already costing the global economy trillions of dollars each year. Continuing on a business-as-usual path, the report warns, would dramatically worsen these impacts.

But if governments, businesses and societies undertake coordinated reforms across energy, food systems, finance and waste management, global macroeconomic benefits could reach US$20 trillion annually by 2070 and continue rising to as much as US$100 trillion a year.

“In essence, humanity faces a simple choice,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. “We either continue on a path leading to a devastated planet and weakened economies, or we choose a sustainable future with healthier people, thriving nature and strong economies. This is no choice at all.”

A Pathway to a Healthier Planet

GEO-7 outlines two major transformation pathways: one driven by widespread behavioural change that reduces material consumption, and another powered by technological innovation and efficiency.

Both pathways foresee dramatic improvements. Nine million premature deaths could be prevented by 2050 through reduced air pollution. An estimated 200 million people could be lifted out of undernourishment, and more than 100 million people could move out of extreme poverty. The pathways also project reduced biodiversity loss by 2030 and an expansion of natural ecosystems.

The report stresses that to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century and restore the natural world, countries must invest roughly US$8 trillion annually until 2050. It notes that this investment would be far lower than the economic costs of inaction.

A crucial recommendation is shifting away from Gross Domestic Product as the primary measure of development. The authors call for progress metrics that capture human well-being and the value of natural ecosystems. Such metrics, they argue, would better support transitions to circular economies, decarbonized energy systems, sustainable farming and ecosystem restoration.

Five Areas Needing Sweeping Transformation

To deliver the projected economic and social gains, GEO-7 calls for rapid reforms in five critical sectors.

In economy and finance, the report urges countries to adopt wealth metrics that include natural assets, to correctly value environmental costs and benefits, and to repurpose subsidies that harm nature.

In materials and waste management, it recommends expanding circular design and production, improving product traceability and encouraging consumption patterns that prioritize reuse.

In the energy sector, the report highlights the need to decarbonize supply chains, boost efficiency, ensure responsible sourcing of critical minerals and expand access to clean and affordable energy.

In food systems, it calls for a shift to healthy and sustainable diets, increased production efficiency and reductions in food loss and waste.

In environmental protection, the report urges accelerated conservation of biodiversity, expanded investment in nature-based climate adaptation and strengthened emissions reduction strategies.

The report also stresses that solutions must be co-developed with Indigenous Peoples and local communities to ensure fair and just transitions.

Mounting Risks Under Business as Usual

GEO-7 outlines the risks of ignoring environmental decline. Greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 1.5 percent per year since 1990, reaching a new peak in 2024. Climate-related disasters are already costing an estimated US$143 billion annually.

Between 20 and 40 percent of global land is degraded, one million species are at risk of extinction, and pollution causes roughly nine million deaths each year. The economic cost of air pollution alone reached US$8.1 trillion in 2019, equivalent to about 6 percent of global GDP.

If current trends continue, global temperatures are expected to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in the early 2030s and pass 2°C by the 2040s. This trajectory could shrink global GDP by 4 percent by 2050 and by 20 percent by the end of the century.

Land degradation is also expected to worsen, with productive land equivalent to the size of Colombia lost each year. Food availability per person is projected to decline by 3.4 percent by 2050. Meanwhile, plastic waste, now amounting to 8 billion tonnes globally, will continue accumulating, raising annual health-related economic losses from toxic chemical exposure to as much as US$1.5 trillion.