Merging the Poverty and Environment Agendas

The document examines the historical evolution of poverty definitions and the growing recognition of the link between poverty and environmental degradation. It highlights how climate change, conflict, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbate systemic inequalities and push millions into poverty. The author argues that current global systems cannot provide acceptable living standards for all without exceeding planetary boundaries unless the wealthiest 10% of the population reduce their excessive resource consumption. The briefing recommends that governments shift from GDP-focused economic indicators to national wellbeing indices that incorporate the environment and marginalized groups.

• There is a bidirectional relationship where poverty and unsustainable production and consumption drive environmental degradation, while environmental degradation and climate change in turn drive poverty.
• The evolution of poverty measurement has shifted from simple household income to 'basic needs' in 1976, Amartya Sen's multidimensional 'capabilities' approach in the 1980s, and the UNDP's Human Development Index (HDI) in 1990. Most recently, the Planetary Pressures-Adjusted Human Development Index incorporates carbon emissions and material footprints, causing over 50 'very high' human development countries to lose that status.
• Climate change disproportionately impacts the poor, with the World Bank estimating that 68 million to 135 million people could be driven into poverty by 2030, particularly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic further intertwine poverty and environmental collapse; over 40% of people in poverty live in conflict-affected countries, and the zoonotic nature of COVID-19 was facilitated by biodiversity loss and habitat degradation.
• To remain within planetary boundaries while allowing the poor to emerge from poverty, the excessive resource consumption of the wealthiest 10% of the global population must be reduced, potentially through luxury taxes on private jets, yachts, and second homes.
• The document recommends that governments move away from using gross domestic product (GDP) and employment numbers as primary economic indicators, replacing them with indices of national wellbeing that include the environment and historically marginalized populations.

APA

Paul, D. (2021). Merging the Poverty and Environment Agendas. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-02/still-one-earth-poverty-and-environment.pdf

Chicago

Paul, Delia. Merging the Poverty and Environment Agendas. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-02/still-one-earth-poverty-and-environment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Paul |first1=Delia |title=Merging the Poverty and Environment Agendas |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=February 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-02/still-one-earth-poverty-and-environment.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{paul2021merging, author = {Paul, Delia}, title = {{Merging the Poverty and Environment Agendas}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-02/still-one-earth-poverty-and-environment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }