UN environment report 'hijacked' by US and others over fossil fuels, top scientist says

UN environment report 'hijacked' by US and others over fossil fuels, top scientist says 21 hours ago Share Save Matt McGrath Environment correspondent Share Save Getty Images A key UN report on the state of the global environment has been "hijacked" by the United States and other countries who were unwilling to go along with the scientific findings, the co-chair has told the BBC.

The Global Environment Outlook, the result of six years' work, connects climate change, nature loss and pollution to unsustainable consumption by people living in wealthy and emerging economies.

It warns of a "dire future" for millions unless there's a rapid move away from coal, oil and gas and fossil fuel subsidies.

But at a meeting with government representatives to agree the findings, the US and allies said they could not go along with a summary of the report's conclusions.

As the scientists were unwilling to water down or change their findings, the report has now been published without the summary and without the support of governments, weakening its impact.

Researchers say the objections to this new report reflect similar concerns expressed by countries at the recent COP30 talks.

The BBC has approached the relevant US government departments for comment. Issued every six or seven years, the Global Environment Outlook is a significant scientific analysis of the major threats to the planet. Developed under the auspices of the UN, the normal practice for studies like this is to have the key conclusions and recommendations agreed word by word with governments and published as a "summary for policymakers". These summaries are seen as critical because they show that governments agree with the science and are prepared to put the findings into action. But this new version of the Global Environment Outlook does not have this type of summary, as the authors and the political representatives of around 70 countries could not agree one at a "stormy" meeting in Nairobi in October. Compiled by nearly 300 scientists worldwide, the report argues that the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the energy we consume all involve the extraction of resources in a highly unsustainable manner. To solve the connected issues of climate change, pollution, nature and biodiversity loss, the report has many recommendations including a rapid move away from coal, oil and gas and a massive reduction in subsidies for farming and fossil fuels. The authors acknowledge this type of action will drive-up prices for consumers. But that short term pain will bring long term economic benefits for the whole world, the report says. These strong measures, especially on fossil fuels and plastics, were too much for the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia among others at the approval meeting, which usually work by consensus. Getty Images Sir Robert Watson is co-chair of the report