Every year, nine million lives are taken by pollution. That’s more than the population of New York City combined—just wiped out.
But before you escape this tab because of despair, there is something you ought to know: scientists have recently charted the exact way we can prevent those deaths, generate $20 trillion in global wealth, and lift out of starvation 200 million people. All by 2050—all linked directly to restoring global planetary health.
It’s no longer a matter of polar bears or far-off rainforests. The air that your children breathe on their way to school is at stake. The food on your table next year. The economy that pays for your expenses—everything depends on stabilizing planetary health.
A landmark report released this week, by almost 300 scientists from 82 countries, depicts two very different futures for us. One depicts a world getting deeper and deeper into crisis. The other? A planet is still alive and well because we resolved the problem through strong planetary health action.
At present, we are on the wrong path. Climate change, ecosystem loss, land degradation, and pollution are eating up trillions of dollars annually. If nothing is done, global temperatures will exceed 1.5°C by the early 2030s—that is very soon—and reach 2°C by the 2040s.
Here is what most people do not know: the destruction of nature is not only harming the animal kingdom, but it is also hurting our finances. Just air pollution was responsible for a staggering $8.1 trillion cost to the world in 2019, which is approximately 6.1 percent of the total global economy.
We are eating away the earth’s fertile land equivalent to the size of Colombia every year. Climate change might result in more than 3% decrease in food availability per person by 2050. And those 8 billion metric tons of plastic waste? They are the reason for 1.5 trillion dollars of health costs per year as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals.
Almost everyone on the planet—99% of the population—lives in areas with polluted air. And the most tragic thing? Over 90% of the 9 million deaths caused by pollution annually occur in the less developed regions that contributed least to the problem—regions already struggling with broken planetary health systems.
Where Hope Comes In
That’s where hope comes in. The same scientists who reported this dire situation also analyzed what would happen if we radically changed the way we generate energy, produce food, and use natural resources. The outcomes are breathtaking and directly uplift planetary health.
Through changing five major systems—our economy, energy, food production, waste management, and how we protect nature—we may realize global economic gains of $20 trillion per year by 2070. That figure jumps to $100 trillion annually by 2100.
However, the human aspect is more important than the money. The changes could prevent as many as 9 million pollution-related deaths per year by 2050, which would be a huge relief to the planet, they could also enable 200 million people to be free from hunger and 150 million people to move out of severe poverty.
Intelligent Changes, Not Sacrifices
This is less a story of everyone reverting to cave life and more about intelligent, life-improving changes. We have to rely on energy sources that are renewable and do not pollute us—core pillars of planetary health.
Let agriculture be such that not only are more people fed but the earth is regenerated rather than depleted. Cease the treatment of products as if they were disposable and begin to make durable things that can be repaired.
Nature is the greatest gift of all, isn’t it? And we must surely recognize the forests, the marshlands, the coral reefs for what they actually are—our life support systems. Also, it is high time we judged the well-being of a nation not only by its production output, but more importantly, by whether its people and environment are flourishing.
Firstly, the indigenous peoples have been practicing this way of life for centuries. Their insight into coexisting with nature is not antiquated—it is vital.
The report goes a step further in suggesting a close integration of this age-old wisdom with contemporary science to strengthen planetary health worldwide.
Now the Choice Is Ours
It is now up to government leaders, businesses, and communities, worldwide, to make the decision about which future to embrace. One way leads to global warming, nature’s collapse, and hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths.
The other brings cleaner air, flourishing nature, economic growth, and the rise of hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and hunger—an era of restored planetary health.
The fixes are there. The positives are staggering. Ultimately, the decision boils down to whether to act or not. And time is running out for us to get to that temperature level in the early 2030s.
This is not merely a matter of protecting the earth. It is about ensuring our own survival and, at the same time, creating a better world that is healthier, equitable, and prosperous for all. The map is ready. It is time we took the journey—one guided entirely by repairing planetary health.
Karan Shukla is a college student pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, with a strong focus on sustainability and climate change. He is passionate about environments issues, biodiversity and greenery and he also conducts independent studies on them. Karan aims to educate and inspire others on pressing global issues.