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Our Planet, Our Responsibility: Choosing a Better Future Now
- BRANDi
- Jun 5
- 3 min read
Established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1972, World Environment Day marks its 53rd anniversary in 2025 as the largest global platform for environmental outreach. Celebrated annually on June 5, it mobilizes millions worldwide to safeguard the planet and confront pressing ecological challenges. This year, the spotlight falls on one of the most pervasive threats to human and planetary health: plastic pollution. Hosted by the Republic of Korea, the 2025 global observance calls for urgent action to eliminate plastic waste—now so ubiquitous that traces have been found in both our food and drinking water.
A FUTURE OF OUR CHOICE
When we think of plastic pollution, it’s natural to associate it with the overconsumption of plastic—a problem that affects various aspects of life. But this can be changed. According to the Global Outsource Outlook 2024, there are two possible future scenarios based on the environmental choices we make. First is the Historical Trends scenario where we explore established trends such as population growth, rising incomes, and increased resource use. In this scenario, global resource use grows significantly, with resource extraction expected to increase by around 60% by 2060. Key impacts include worsening greenhouse gas emissions, greater biodiversity loss, and deepening social inequalities. The second scenario is the Sustainability Transition scenario, where we can decouple growth from material use and environmental destruction, where our material use would stabilize by 2030 and begin to decline from around 2045. In this scenario, it would result in stronger global economic growth, better human development outcomes, and a reduction in the inequality gap between high- and low-income countries. From these two scenarios, it indicates that a better future for us all is not out of reach—but only if we choose to pursue it.
FOUR TRANSFORMATION AREAS
To make the Sustainability Transition scenario a reality, four key transformation areas must be addressed:
Resource Efficiency: This area emphasizes the management of resources. It will include a resource tax and promote investment in innovations that enhance resource efficiency. Efforts will also focus on developing efficient and sustainable communities, housing, and building materials, along with encouraging more environmentally friendly modes of transportation.
Climate and Energy: This area includes carbon pricing and early developments of carbon removal technologies. It will prioritize renewable energy, electrification, and energy efficiency as well as Bioenergy limited to Bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) to prevent impacts on food prices.
Food and Land: This area will focus on protecting and restoring nature, reducing water stress, and reducing food waste. It will also advocate for healthier diets by shifting toward diets with lower average meat and dairy consumption.
Just transition: This area emphasizes a global resource and carbon dividend system, where individuals receive equal per capita payments to ensure fairness in the sustainability transition. There will be no net economic loss from sustainability transition.
As a global citizen, the future of our planet depends on the decisions we make today. These two outlined scenarios illustrate that a more sustainable and equitable future is within reach—even with reduced material consumption. Consuming less does not mean sacrificing quality of life. With smarter management and collaborations across all sectors, we can build a better world through improvements in resource efficiency, climate and energy systems, food and land use, and a just transition for all. We must act now to ensure a thriving and sustainable future—for ourselves and for generations to come.
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