The term "triple planetary crisis" is used by the United Nations to describe three major global environmental problems: pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecological issues. This term highlights how these problems are connected and how they work together to affect Earth's ecosystems, people, and economies.

These three crises are linked, which increases environmental dangers and causes harm to the global economy. The framework helps guide efforts to reduce the effects of pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss, and to prepare for these challenges.

This framework is similar to other ways of studying how humans affect the environment, such as looking at global catastrophic risks or planetary boundaries. For more details about how humans impact the environment, see environmental issues.

Pollution

The pollution crisis involves different types of pollution, such as air pollution, water pollution, and soil contamination. This crisis involves the release of harmful substances like man-made chemicals, plastics, and metals into the environment, which affects human health and ecosystems. According to a report by The Lancet Commission on pollution and health, pollution is the main environmental cause of illness and death. In 2015, about 9 million people died earlier than expected due to diseases caused by pollution. More than 80% of people living in cities are exposed to air quality that exceeds World Health Organization standards. Air pollution levels are increasing in many urban areas, especially in cities from low and middle-income countries. Additionally, pollution affects ecosystems by causing albedo reduction, ocean acidification, ozone depletion, and other environmental changes.

Climate crisis

The climate crisis includes global warming and climate change. These are caused by too much buildup of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere. This leads to higher temperatures, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events like heavy rain, flooding, intense heat, strong storms, and droughts. These conditions can also cause problems with food and water supplies, force people to leave coastal areas, increase the spread of diseases from water, and create other challenges.

Biodiversity loss

Biodiversity loss or ecological crisis means a large decrease in the number and variety of species in ecosystems around the world. Human activities, such as destroying habitats, overusing natural resources, and introducing non-native species, cause this problem. The effects of biodiversity loss on ecosystems are as serious as other major causes of environmental change, like climate change and pollution. Up to one million plant and animal species are in danger of disappearing, which weakens ecosystems' ability to function properly and keep the environment healthy. A loss of biodiversity also makes it harder for ecosystems to adjust to changes in climate. More than half of the world's GDP depends on natural resources, and over 1 billion people rely on forests for their livelihoods. These facts show that the effects of biodiversity loss are widespread and serious.

The role of the United Nations

The United Nations organization, along with several groups and programs, helps member countries deal with the crisis. Right now, these include United Nations Climate Change, United Nations Environment, United Nations Biodiversity, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which helps people who have been forced to leave their homes because of the climate crisis.

For more information about the effects of the climate crisis, see the section on effects of climate change.