Photo shared by Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, from her X handle @andersen_inger
Environment

DTE Coverage: UNEP Foresight Report 2024

Down To Earth analyses main takeaways from the document

Rohini Krishnamurthy, Himanshu Nitnaware, Shagun

UNEP Foresight Report: Disruptions from deploying speculative technologies to cool planet could occur in 7 years

Some of the geoengineering technologies involved whitening clouds or deploying sunshades in space to increase Earth’s reflectivity.

One of the biggest criticisms is that these technologies do not solve the underlying causes of climate change

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UNEP Foresight Report: Major disruptions from spatial activity acceleration; ozone depletion flagged as primary concern

Scientists have also long been warning about space junk, which is generated due to the collision of satellites in space.

The UNEP warns emissions from increasing satellite launches damage ozone layer

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UNEP Foresight Report: Eco-anxiety ‘emergency crisis in plain sight’, especially among children and young people

Report recommends allowing children and young people to develop a sense of agency, empowerment and hope

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UNEP Foresight Report: New emerging zoonotic diseases may trigger another pandemic in 5-6 years

There are an estimated 1.7 million undiscovered viruses in the global virome, the aggregate of all viruses across the entire biosphere

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UNEP Foresight Report: Large-scale displacement of entire communities now the norm

Sudanese refugees in Chad

UNEP report reveals climate change as leading cause amidst rising conflicts as displacement rises by 340% in 2 decades

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UNEP Foresight Report: AI-based weapons already in use could cause major disruptions in 4-6 years

The Ukrainian military deployed AI-equipped drones containing explosives to fly into battlefields and strike Russian oil refineries.

Calling for urgent action, authors remined that without human oversight, AI could recommend pro-escalation tactics without clear logic or rationale & intensify wars

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UNEP Foresight Report: Private micro-environmentalism may worsen socio-economic inequalities, burden resources

Privatised environmentalism through exclusive enclaves endangers human rights and increases already existing social and economic inequalities.

Creating and maintaining such exclusive ecosystems may demand high resources and energy

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