How one landmark environmental report is aiming to drive policymaking
What is the GEO-7 report and why is it so significant?
Edgar Gutierrez-Espeleta (EG): GEO is an assessment of the latest science. We use all the reports that are already out there, and we review everything so policymakers can see the problem and be motivated to take the action needed.
GEO-7 will mark, as we say in Spanish, un antes y un después (a before and after). From GEO-7, we're going to start looking at things differently. We are trying to bring a synergistic view to the equation, not a siloed view, so that we can develop solutions to put on the table for decision makers. Its 21 chapters cover basically everything about the state of the environment.
How will GEO-7 benefit governments?
EG: GEO-7 is very focused on solutions. We're providing readers not only solutions pathways, but also outlooks. One focus is what will happen in years 2050 and 2100 if we follow the current business-as-usual scenario. That is very useful for decision makers to realize how important it is to act now to change the direction where we are headed.
Environmental issues are no longer just environment issues. They affect the economy, social security, housing, agriculture, transport, the health sector – everything. GEO-7 makes those connections, providing insights into how when we end environmental degradation, we can tackle other issues as well
How important is the involvement of policymakers and other stakeholders in preparing GEO-7?
EG: It is very important. The Intergovernmental and Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group approves the way forward, outlining the budget, approach and scope. The body has already provided feedback about the report’s scope and how to manage problems. We maintain very close contact with Member States and every time the authors for GEO-7 meet, we also have a meeting with this body.
How have governments further supported the GEO-7 process?
EG: Member States have provided names of scientists who can review parts of the report. This is a process that is engaging more than 300 scientists around the world, but the more scientists are engaged, the better the report will be. There are plenty of possibilities for people to engage, like writing, reviewing and editing. It is also very important for scientists from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean to bring their knowledge, inputs and views so that we can enrich GEO-7.
How will the GEO-7 team encourage policymakers to act?
EG: We're already producing the second draft, which is going to include an executive summary that will be appealing to policymakers. We have executive summaries for each chapter, and we are producing a summary aimed solely at decision makers.
Who else can GEO-7 benefit?
EG: GEO has prompted a lot of integrated environmental assessments at the sectoral and thematic level. But with GEO-7, we are expecting to go beyond that. For example, social media plays an important role. There is a team thinking about how we are going to reach new audiences, how we are going to disseminate this to different segments of the population – youth, universities and policymakers. This is an important part of GEO-7.
What do you hope the biggest legacy of the GEO-7 report will be?
EG: I will be very, very happy if GEO-7 can influence policymaking decisions at all levels and move ministers of environment, finance, industry, agriculture and more to stop environmental degradation. We have to realize that if we keep on doing business as usual, we are not going to have enough land to produce food to eat in 2050.
Once you are in politics, you are not always worrying about what is going to happen in 2050. Instead, you’re worried about what's happening in the next three years, because then elections come, and you need votes. But that sort of vision is taking us closer to the abyss.
We need to think in the long term, and we need to be brave enough to take action. I think GEO-7 will contribute to this if it is read properly.
The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is the flagship report of UNEP, providing an integrated assessment of the drivers of environmental change, the current state of the environment, the effectiveness of policy responses and the options for achieving different possible futures in the medium to long term. As requested by Member States in resolution 5/3 of the UN Environment Assembly, UNEP initiated the preparation of the seventh edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) assessment and an accompanying summary for policymakers. The report is to be launched at UNEA-7 in December 2025.
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