A UniSC engineering professor who co-authored a major United Nations’ global environmental outlook released today is urging Australia to heed the findings to avoid an unsustainable future.

The UN calls the report the most comprehensive assessment of the global environment ever undertaken, with input from 287 multi-disciplinary scientists from 82 countries.

It was three years of work for UniSC Professor of Sustainable Transport Lynette Cheah, who was a coordinating lead author on the chapter examining actions that can be undertaken by countries at different stages of development.

“The report reflects on our changing environment and examines solution pathways to address global environmental crises,” says Professor Cheah, whose research aims to develop more sustainable cities and reduce the environment impacts of passenger and freight transport.

The crises include climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, desertification, pollution and waste, already costing trillions of dollars a year.

It calls for countries to move away from Gross Domestic Product to indicators that track human and natural capital, emphasising technology and innovation over material consumption.

Professor Cheah points to potential paths forward.

"It is possible to transform our energy, food, material and economic systems to reduce resource dependence and environmental impacts," she says.

"Australia, in particular, has the means to pursue low-carbon energy, develop sustainable and equitable food systems, and promote circular resource use."

The UN Environment Program Executive Director Inger Andersen says the outlook “lays out a simple choice for humanity: continue down the road to a future devastated by climate change, dwindling nature, degraded land and polluted air, or change direction to secure a healthy planet, healthy people and healthy economies. This is no choice at all.”