The triple planetary crisis

The triple planetary crisis is a systemic challenge, not three separate issues: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution reinforce one another through shared drivers and feedback, threatening planetary and human well-being. It is driven by fossil fuel dependence, unsustainable production and consumption, overexploitation of land and resources, and structural inequalities. Seven of nine planetary boundaries have already been crossed, pushing ecosystems toward tipping points, while sectoral amplifiers - energy with its major GHG emissions, land degradation and pollution; agriculture with plastic and nutrient pollution, biodiversity loss and climate links; and construction with high land, material, and energy demand causing emissions and habitat loss - intensify pressures. The impacts are distributed unequally, with Indigenous Peoples, low-income groups and countries, women and youth facing the greatest burdens while holding the least decision-making power and resources to adapt.

The need for integrated action

Current policy responses remain fragmented, focusing on single issues rather than addressing systemic and underlying drivers. This report provides an integrated perspective by examining three mutually reinforcing pathways: governing societal metabolism and resource use through efficiency, sufficiency, and equity; scaling up nature-based solutions (NbS) to restore ecosystems, reduce emissions, and curb pollution while enhancing well-being; and advancing systemic transformation that reorganizes governance, markets, and societal values to embed justice and resilience at their core. The analysis concludes that the triple crisis can only be effectively addressed through systemic, cross-sectoral, and justice-oriented approaches. By linking resource governance, NbS, and transformative change, this report highlights how today’s triple crisis can be turned into an opportunity to regenerate ecosystems, reduce inequalities, and build resilient societies within planetary boundaries.