As governments navigate elevated policy uncertainty and pressures on global growth prospects, they also face the need to make progress on their environmental objectives. The triple challenge posed by climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution – from plastics to harmful chemicals – continues to intensify and requires effective solutions.
These environmental challenges have wide-ranging implications for ecosystems, human health, economic growth and well-being. This Environmental Outlook provides a comprehensive evidence base to help policymakers better understand interlinkages among these challenges. For example, climate change and pollution are key drivers of biodiversity loss. Indeed, the OECD projects that climate change will surpass land-use change as the main driver of biodiversity loss by 2050. In turn, biodiversity loss compromises ecosystem resilience to extreme weather events and pollution, with direct consequences for our air, water and soil.
The Outlook also identifies practical levers to support more co-ordinated, integrated and effective policy responses. The green energy transition is one key priority for addressing the triple challenge. Expanding renewable energy can reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality and ease climate-induced pressures on ecosystems. However, without careful planning, clean energy infrastructure can also create new challenges, including pressures on natural habitats and waste management concerns at the end of technology lifecycles.
The policy implications are clear: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution cannot be addressed separately in isolation. By drawing on the insights in the Outlook's policy roadmap, governments can develop a more co-ordinated approach to better harness synergies and manage the risk of trade-offs among policy tools.
The OECD remains committed to supporting countries in developing and implementing more integrated, evidence-based approaches to address the triple challenge, and lay the foundations for more resilient, sustainable growth in the years to come.
Mathias Cormann,
OECD Secretary-General