Investing just 2 percent of global GDP to green key sectors of
the economy could cut humanity’s Ecological Footprint almost in
half while actually boosting economic growth, according to a new
report by the United Nations Environmental Programme. The report
cites Global Footprint Network data as evidence of the challenge
humanity has faced in improving human welfare without also
incurring large increases in ecological demand. “With 2.5
billion people living on less than $2 a day and with more than
two billion people being added to the global population by 2050,
it is clear that we must continue to develop and grow our
economies,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner in a
press release. “But this development cannot come at the expense
of the very life support systems on land, in the oceans or in
our atmosphere that sustain our economies, and thus, the lives
of each and everyone of us.” The report calls for channeling
$1.3 trillion into the transformation of 10 key
sectors—agriculture, buildings, energy su