Issue Irreversible loss to people, infrastructure, economies and ecosystems

Summary

The Megatrends 2040 report warns that pollution, overuse of natural resources and environmental degradation will cause serious and irreversible changes for people, infrastructure, economies and ecosystems worldwide. Greenhouse gas emissions and pollution are still rising, driven mainly by economic development and also by population growth. At the same time, biodiversity and resilience are declining steadily and steeply. The report stresses that the climate would continue to change even if all human emissions ended at once, meaning some damage is already locked in. It lists soil degradation, food security and growing financial losses among the consequences that societies will need to address.