Making peace with nature

"Humanity is waging war on nature", warned UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres in 2020, referring to how our consumption and production systems are destroying the environment.

Can we halt our destruction of the environment and secure the well-being of people and of the ecosystems that provide for us?

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has created a blueprint for the sustainable world we need. The “Making Peace With Nature” report draws a pathway for a shift to circular economies and fairer societies that tackles climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

A whole-of-society answer

Achieving transformative change and reaching the Sustainable Development Goals needs everyone to play a role.

Governments must lead with international and national action that transforms society and the economy. That will enable everyone, including businesses and individuals, to transform their own activities and lives.

A blueprint for a sustainable world

Eight change agents can transform our relationship with nature by taking actions that:

Address environmental emergencies and human well-being together
Transform economic and financial systems
Meet everyone’s needs for food, water and energy sustainably

Scroll

Let’s look at some of the things that each change agent can do

Click on each icon to explore more

Governments

Intergovernmental organizations

Financial organizations

Private sector

Media and social networks

Individuals

NGOs

Scientific and educational organizations

UNEP has produced this “Making Peace with Nature” report to synthesize the latest findings of the global environmental assessments (including Intergrovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), GEO and many others), and translate the science for policymakers. The synthesis report explains how climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution add up to three self-inflicted planetary emergencies that are closely interconnected and put the well-being of current and future generations at unacceptable risk.

The report is co-funded by the European Union and the Norwegian Ministry of Environment.

< Back

What governments can do

Integrate the goals of carbon neutrality, land-degradation neutrality and biodiversity protection and restoration into policies and decision-making.
Act decisively to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050 by boosting renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, pricing carbon and eliminating fossil fuel finance and subsidies.
Incorporate natural capital and the benefits that people get from nature in national accounts and measures of economic performance.
Promote sustainable agriculture and fisheries to help feed the world’s growing population using less land and ocean resources.

Click to learn more

Useful links:

< Back

What intergovernmental organizations can do

Build a global coalition for carbon neutrality that can act now and achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement.
Facilitate international assistance, capacity building and the transfer of technology to advance low-carbon and nature-friendly economies around the world.
Help secure ambitious new targets and commitments for biodiversity and land degradation and support the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
Adopt integrated approaches such as One Health to foster international cooperation on protecting the health of people and the planet, including from pandemic diseases like COVID-19.

Click to learn more

Useful links:

< Back

What financial organizations can do

Align lending with the net-zero emissions objective by halting financing for fossil fuels and investing in sustainable technologies.
Develop attractive financial products for investors that want to fund biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration and sustainable agriculture and fisheries.
Decarbonize portfolios of owned or managed assets and join initiatives such as the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance and the Net-Zero Asset Owners Alliance.
Increase adaptation and resilience finance to at least half of the climate finance provided by development banks.

Click to learn more

Useful links:

< Back

What the private sector can do

Adopt and implement the principles of the circular economy to minimize the use of resources and the production of waste, including plastics and packaging.
Commit to certified and traceable supply chains that are sustainable and deforestation-free, including for agricultural commodities.
Develop and use certification standards for products from agriculture, forestry and fisheries so that customers and consumers can make sustainable choices.
Assess the environmental and social risks of all projects and investments, including their impacts on natural capital.

Click to learn more

Useful links:

< Back

What media and social networks can do

Raise awareness and understanding about environmental emergencies and their interlinkage with development issues.
Counter misinformation and false claims about environmental issues and solutions.
Reveal failures in policy and action by other social actors to live up to their commitments and responsibilities on the environment.

Click to learn more

Useful links:

< Back

What individuals can do

Buy goods and services that minimize waste from companies that have embedded sustainability principles in their business models.
Minimize waste of food, water and energy, for instance by changing habits and improving efficiency at home, at work and when traveling.
Learn about the links between environmental degradation and health and adopt healthy diets and lifestyles.
Exercise voting and other civic rights to foster sustainable social norms and behaviour and hold other actors accountable.

Click to learn more

Useful links:

< Back

What NGOs can do

Hold governments, businesses and other actors accountable for their environmental promises, commitments and responsibilities.
Build networks of stakeholders to give them a say in decisions about sustainable use of energy, water, land and marine resources.
Support education, training and capacity building for social groups and youth movements and promote involvement in citizen science.

Click to learn more

Useful links:

< Back

What scientific and educational organizations can do

Reveal the workings of Earth’s natural systems, their interactions with human activities and the implications for sustainability and human well-being.
Develop new technologies including crop and livestock varieties, clean energy production and use, sound water management and improved techniques for sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
Assess the impact of chemicals and newly developed substances on human health and ecosystems.
Educate people of all ages about how to make our relationship with nature sustainable.

Click to learn more

Useful links: