Natural Resource Use for a Healthy Planet and Human Prosperity

SIDE EVENT
Thursday 2 June
15:45-17:00 CEST
Stockholmsmässan, Room 3

Organizers: UNEP International Resource Panel, European Environment Agency, SYSTEMIQ

About: Unsustainable natural resource use is driving the triple planetary crisis, compounded by COVID-19. To stay within planetary boundaries and ensure wellbeing for future generations, deep transformation in resourcing societal wellbeing is needed, and possible. A systemic transition to sustainable consumption and production can deliver human wellbeing outcomes, improve quality of life, and lower resource use and its environmental impacts, through inclusive, climate- and nature-positive, resilient pandemic recovery strategies.

At UNEA-6, UNEP’s International Resource Panel (IRP) will publish its flagship report, the Global Resources Outlook 2024 (GRO24) as requested by UNEA-4, building on the successful GRO19, which was used by global policymakers, and UN partners. In GRO24, humanity’s relationship with resource use will be explored through the lens of human needs and the nutrition, mobility, built environment, and energy systems delivering them. It will examine inclusive policies which can make sustainable consumption and production a reality.

In this event, the IRP’s Co-Chair, and GRO’s lead author will engage with key stakeholders, especially policymakers, youth and science leadership, to show how the transition can be achieved by sharing emerging messages, and crowdsourcing innovative examples. The resource solutions highlighted will pave the way to achieving a healthy planet and prosperity for all.

Moderator(s): Urmi Goswami (The Economic Times)

Panelists:

  • Hans Bruyninckx (European Environment Agency)
  • Janez Potočnik (International Resource Panel
  • Izabella Teixeira (International Resource Panel)
  • Kehkashan Basu (Green Hope Foundation)

Contact person: Hala Razian (hala.razian_at_un.org)

Event outcomes (Key transformative actions):

  • The International Resource Panel will publish the next edition of its flagship report, the Global Resources Outlook, in 2024. This report will assess how the major systems of resource use (including nutrition, mobility, and the built environment) can equitably deliver human needs, while simultaneously addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, and provide actionable solutions for key actors.
  • During development of its next flagship report, the Global Resources Outlook, the International Resource Panel will continue to consult its core audiences of global policy-makers, science leadership, business, and civil society in a participatory manner, throughout the report’s development. Audiences from all global regions will have the opportunity to feed in their perspectives on resource use, and how it can best deliver for equitable human wellbeing, while reducing pressure on the planet. This will result in a report which put forward actionable solutions, with benefits for people and planet alike.
  • Using the best available resource management science, the International Resource Panel will support policy-makers to include circular economy and resource efficiency solutions in national climate and biodiversity plans. The latest G7 Climate and Environment Communique states the ambition to include resource efficiency solutions in national climate and biodiversity plans; this momentum can be built on.

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