All life on Earth depends on clean air and water, biodiversity, and healthy forests, land, oceans and a stable climate. These global commons—the ecosystems, biomes and processes that regulate the stability and resilience of the Earth system—are the very foundation of our global economy and modern society. Today, they are facing an all-too familiar tragedy of over-exploitation and rapid degradation.

Scientists warn that the “planetary boundaries”, that have ensured the stable conditions that have enabled all civilizations to form and prosper over the last 11,000 years are being strained, and in some cases, exceeded. Several of the planetary boundaries have already been breached.

To stay within the planetary boundaries, a radical transformation of key economic systems will be required.  We need to transform food, urban, and energy systems, and move to a circular economy.  Business as usual will guarantee disaster; incremental change will not suffice. The only solution is transformational change. GEF-7 seeks to help catalyze economic systems change to tackle the major drivers of environmental degradation, consistent with the GEF 2020 Strategy.