Co-chairs' Preface


The GEO-6 for Youth report is being released at a turbulent time, as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic (possibly of zoonotic origin). The pandemic has had profound social, ecological and economic impacts globally and forced us to take stock of the strong link between planetary health and human health. It has emphasized the urgent need to rethink our interactions with and impacts on the environment. The pandemic has also laid bare the stark inequalities and inequities that affect all human beings in different ways.


Due to the pandemic, global trade is expected to contract by between 13-32 per cent, supply chains have been disrupted and there is increased COVID-19 related waste. Measures taken during this pandemic such as global lockdowns, social distancing, restricted movement and closure of schools and businesses have adversely impacted people’s lives and livelihoods. About 1.6 billion workers


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have lost their jobs in the informal sector due to COVID-19. The cracks in a range of pivotal societal systems (healthcare, financial system, education, international aid, intergenerational support and ecological support) are more apparent now than ever before. There has been a 30 per cent increase in domestic violence globally while child marriage and teenage pregnancy are on the rise in many countries. Remote or virtual learning, which has been encouraged to limit the spread of the pandemic, remains out of reach for at least 500 million students. This highlights the issues around the digital divide at a global scale. In addition, the pandemic could reverse decades of improvement in education, child mortality and child labour, among others.


To recover from this pandemic we need to better understand our relationship with nature, improve social cohesion and build stronger resilience networks. This pandemic amplifies the immediate need for conserving global biodiversity and greater respect for our environment. It also show us the need to


combat illegal wildlife trade to prevent future epidemics like this in the future. Finding the ways to bring about these changes will surely be transformational and the GEO-6 for Youth report is one step in that direction.


The Global Environment Outlook for Youth (GEO-6 for Youth) shows us what the science says on key environmental issues and how these can affect the world’s youth. One- sixth of the human global population of our changing planet consists of young people who will experience the greatest share of the consequences of environmental degradation over time. It is estimated that young workers are twice as likely to be living in extreme poverty as adult workers. The choices young people make today – or the lack of them – will have a profound impact on the planet and on our survival as a species.


The GEO-6 for Youth report shows a variety of evidence-informed approaches that could help move us toward an environmentally sustainable future for all. The environmental challenges


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