The United Nations just released a major report about the health of our planet, and the findings are pretty serious. According to the UN, the way we produce food, use energy, and treat the environment is causing about $5 billion in damage every hour. Over a year, that adds up to $45 trillion in harm to the Earth.
That number is so big it hardly seems real, which is part of the problem. Most people aren’t hearing about this report, and even when they do, it’s easy for it to get lost in the noise of daily life.
But the report’s message is simple: If we keep doing things the way we are now, we’re heading toward bigger problems in the next 5 to 20 years.
Why the Report Matters
The UN put together this assessment using hundreds of scientists from around the world. It looks at how pollution, climate change, farming, and land destruction are all connected and how each one makes the others worse.
The core point: These problems are not separate. Together, they’re creating a global crisis.
The report says we need major changes, things like using cleaner energy, protecting forests, reducing pollution, and making farming more sustainable.
Why the U.S. Is Pushing Back
To make the report “official” for world leaders, countries have to agree on a short summary. This year, for the first time ever, they couldn’t agree.
Why?
A group of countries, including the United States, objected to parts of the summary that talked about phasing out fossil fuels.
The U.S. is currently focused on producing more oil, gas, and coal, not less, so it didn’t support language urging countries to move away from fossil fuels. That disagreement was enough to prevent approval of the summary.
This doesn’t mean the U.S. denies climate science. It does mean the government isn’t willing to endorse the strongest recommendations, especially the ones that affect the fossil fuel industry.
What Happens If We Don’t Change Course? (The Next 5–20 Years)
1. More Extreme Weather
- Hotter and longer heatwaves
- Bigger storms and floods
- More wildfires
- Stress on power grids and water supplies
2. Food Will Get More Expensive and Less Reliable
- Lower crop yields
- More crop failures
- Higher grocery prices
- Bigger risk of food shortages
3. Rising Health Problems
- More heat-related illnesses
- More breathing issues from air pollution
- Water contamination and shortages
- Diseases spreading into new regions
4. Higher Costs for Everyone
- More money spent on disasters
- Higher home and business insurance
- Damage to infrastructure, farms, and communities
5. Faster Loss of Nature
- Loss of pollinators like bees
- Declining forests and wetlands
- More species disappearing for good
The Bottom Line
This UN report shows the damage happening right now and how expensive it already is. The disagreement over fossil fuels doesn’t change the science, but it does slow down global action.
The next 5–20 years will be shaped by decisions made today. Acting sooner means fewer crises later.
—Greg Collier
Further Reading
- Food and fossil fuel production causing $5bn of environmental damage an hour—UN report
- Fight over fossil fuels nixes key text of UN environment report
- UN says world must jointly tackle issues of climate change, pollution, biodiversity, and land loss
- Project 2025 and climate change: What the policies say about fossil fuels
