Baku: Without swift and decisive changes, the environmental landscape in 2050 appears bleak, as highlighted by a recent report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the seventh edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) presents a concerning forecast for the coming decades. However, it emphasizes that the most severe outcomes can be avoided if nations promptly tackle issues related to climate change, nature, land and biodiversity loss, along with pollution and waste.
GEO-7, compiled by nearly 300 scientists, models a scenario where planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions could soar to 75 billion tonnes annually by 2050, a significant increase from current levels. This rise in emissions is projected to destabilize the global climate, resulting in widespread heatwaves that would impact approximately 9.2 billion people. Additionally, the extraction of raw materials is expected to reach 165 billion tonnes per year, exacerbating biodiversity loss and climate change.
The report warns that unchecked climate change could reduce global GDP by 4% annually by 2050, with a potential rise to 20% by 2100. This economic downturn would disproportionately affect impoverished populations, widening the gap between the rich and the poor. While a slight decrease in air pollution is anticipated, urbanization will likely increase the number of individuals exposed to harmful airborne pollutants, with air-pollution-related deaths costing the global economy trillions through 2060.
GEO-7 also predicts the loss of 1 million square kilometers of forests and natural spaces, primarily due to cropland expansion. This loss will contribute to a 3% decline in the planet’s mean species abundance. Furthermore, unchecked climate change is expected to expose billions to extreme weather conditions, potentially pushing millions into poverty and hunger, and subjecting one-third of the global population to water stress by 2050.
The report cautions that the world is nearing critical climate-related thresholds, including the potential collapse of major ice sheets and the transformation of the Amazon rainforest. These events could drastically alter the planet’s climate systems, with far-reaching consequences for global ecosystems and human societies.