Quick Overview
The UN’s Global Environment Outlook 2025 warns of accelerating climate degradation, rising pollution-related deaths, and trillions in annual economic losses. In parallel, India approved the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) to boost MSME-led exports, strengthen logistics and credit access, and build a unified digital export ecosystem. Together, these developments highlight the intersection of global environmental stress and India’s strategic push toward sustainable, export-led growth.
1. GEO-7: State of the Planet and Key Risks
The Global Environment Outlook 2025 (GEO-7), released by UNEP, paints a stark picture of global ecological decline. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at 1.5% annually, pushing temperatures to 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. The report warns that the world is likely to cross 1.5°C by the early 2030s, triggering irreversible tipping points such as coral bleaching, Arctic ice melt, and ecosystem collapse.
Biodiversity is equally threatened—1 million species face extinction and 20–40% of land is degraded, affecting over 3 billion people. Pollution adds to the crisis, causing 9 million deaths annually, while plastic waste has crossed 8,000 million tonnes, generating USD 1.5 trillion in health-related losses.
Economic impacts are severe: climate-related disasters cost USD 143 billion each year, and global GDP may fall 4% by 2050 and 20% by 2100 if current trends continue. Food systems face additional strain with a projected 3.4% decline in per-person food availability by 2050.
2. GEO-7: Recommended Transformations
GEO-7 identifies five systems requiring urgent transformation:
• Economy & Finance: Shift to “inclusive wealth” metrics; price environmental externalities; invest USD 8 trillion annually till 2050 for net-zero and biodiversity protection.
• Materials & Waste: Circular design, regenerative models, and transparent value chains.
• Energy: Rapid decarbonization, efficiency improvement, fair mineral supply chains.
• Food Systems: Sustainable diets, reduced food loss, climate-resilient agriculture.
• Environment: Large-scale restoration, nature-based solutions, stronger climate adaptation.
If implemented, these could yield USD 20 trillion annually by 2070, rising to USD 100 trillion in the long term.
3. India’s Response: What Needs Priority
India can leverage GEO-7 insights through:
A Green GDP framework to value natural capital.
A National Circular Economy Mission for plastics, e-waste and construction materials.
Subsidy reforms redirecting funds toward renewables and sustainable farming.
Scaling Nature-based Solutions like mangrove restoration, wetland rejuvenation and urban green infrastructure.
4. Export Promotion Mission (EPM): Strengthening India’s Trade Competitiveness
Parallel to environmental developments, India approved the Export Promotion Mission (EPM)—a unified, digital and outcome-driven framework designed to expand exports, especially from MSMEs and labour-intensive sectors.
Backed by a ₹25,060 crore outlay (2025–26 to 2030–31), EPM consolidates fragmented schemes under two integrated components:
Niryat Protsahan (Financial Support):
Affordable trade finance
Interest subvention
Exporter credit cards
Factoring support and collateral aid
Credit enhancement for MSMEs
Niryat Disha (Non-Financial Support):
Quality certification & compliance assistance
Branding and global market promotion
Trade fairs, logistics, and transport support
District-level export capacity-building
A DGFT-run platform ensures fully digital, paperless processing and real-time monitoring. Complementary RBI Trade Relief Measures 2025 further improve liquidity and ease of doing business.
5. India’s Export Landscape and the Need for EPM
India’s exports reached USD 778.21 billion in 2023–24, growing 67% over a decade. Export composition is shifting toward electronics, engineering goods, medical devices, and renewable-energy components. With 51% of exports concentrated in 10 markets, the challenge lies in diversification, compliance readiness and MSME capacity—precisely what EPM addresses.
6. Shared Narrative: Environment, Economy and India’s Growth Path
The two developments together underscore a shared reality: global environmental decline demands structural economic transitions, and India’s export strategy must integrate sustainability, energy efficiency, circularity, and global compliance standards.
The GEO-7 report signals what is at stake globally, while EPM positions India to expand exports responsibly, strengthen resilience and contribute to a green, competitive global economy.
CLAT/Exam Relevance Summary
GEO-7 provides key data on climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, economic impacts, and global tipping points—highly relevant for GS-3, Environment, Economy, Essay and CLAT GK.
EPM is significant for GS-2 (Governance, Policies), GS-3 (Economy, Exports, MSMEs) and competitive exams covering budgetary schemes and digital governance.
Exam themes covered: climate mitigation, circular economy, export reforms, MSME-led growth, UNEP publications, global environmental governance, sustainable development.