A team of international researchers published a new U.N. report Wednesday that adds to the rising scientific call for transformative societal and economic changes to staunch critical environmental threats like global warming, plastic pollution and biodiversity loss.

“The science is clear on what needs to change,” said lead author Caitlyn Eberle. “Stop using fossil fuels, respect and protect nature, use resources sustainably. So if we know what we need to do to change things, why aren’t we doing it?”

The research in the report shows that many of today’s sustainability projects are superficial because they focus on small changes within the system without changing the system itself, she said. A good example is recycling, which is valuable, but doesn’t get to the core issue of why so much waste is produced in the first place, she added. “We cannot expect real change unless we examine the reasons behind our actions and question why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

The process may lead to some “uncomfortable” territory, said UNU-EHS deputy director Zita Sebesvari, another lead author of the report. Crises in Earth’s ecosystems, including the climate and human systems, require rethinking many basic assumptions and values, for example about consumption and waste. “If we bring this to our own life,” she said, “the question is, why do we think that convenience is more important than other values like nature and a pollution-free environment?”

https://archive.ph/QmXcB