The way the world produces food is unsustainable. It drives climate change, generates pollution and swallows up natural spaces, leading to biodiversity loss.

To change that, GEO-7 focuses on five key things. First countries, especially wealthy ones, need to shift to more environmentally friendly diets, which in many cases means eating less meat and more plants. Second, crop and livestock farming need to become more efficient, use less land, and be gentler on the environment, while fisheries need to become more sustainable. 

Third, governments, businesses and consumers should work together to reduce food waste, which puts needless pressure on the planet. Fourthly, countries need to explore novel types of foods, like lab-grown meat, and production methods, including vertical farming, which often have a smaller environmental footprint.

Finally, countries can reform their food systems, emphasizing locally grown fare and diversifying agribusiness supply chains.

Information taken from the UN Environment Programme Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), launched in December 2025, which explores everything from the health of coral reefs to the status of the ozone layer