Farmers, scientists, and policymakers are facing a stark reality: the time for half-measures on climate change is over. As the world barrels toward an uncertain environmental future, a trio of recent reports and legal battles highlight just how urgent—and complex—the fight to secure food, health, and livelihoods has become.
On December 10, 2025, Protein 360 published a sobering assessment: farmers and livestock producers, long accustomed to planning for the next season, now must think in terms of survival. The article warns that, without swift action to reduce agricultural emissions and invest in productivity-boosting research, the cost of food and feed could skyrocket. "Governments must decide whether to invest now to mitigate climate risk, or pay later to bail out the agrifood industry," one researcher told Protein 360. The message is clear—inaction will come with a hefty price tag for everyone, from rural producers to urban consumers.
This warning is echoed on a global scale by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which released its Global Environment Outlook 7 report—aptly titled "A future we choose"—on the same day. According to Euronews, the report, crafted by 287 scientists from 82 countries, calls for an "interlinked, whole-of-society and whole-of-government" approach to climate action. The stakes? Catastrophic economic and humanitarian consequences if the world stays its current course.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen didn’t mince words: "If we choose to stay on the current path—powering our economies with fossil fuels, extracting virgin resources, destroying nature, polluting the environment—the damages would stack up." The report projects that climate change could slash global GDP by 4 percent annually by 2050, claim millions of lives, and force untold numbers to migrate. The Amazon rainforest could die back, polar ice sheets might collapse, food availability would drop, and hundreds of millions of hectares of natural land could vanish.
Yet, there’s hope—if the world acts decisively. UNEP’s scientists estimate that with robust investment, about nine million premature deaths could be prevented by 2050, mostly thanks to cleaner air. Two hundred million people could escape extreme poverty, and 300 million could gain access to safe water. By 2070, the macroeconomic benefits of these investments could reach a staggering $20 trillion per year.
But what does this transformation look like? UNEP’s report urges governments and businesses to move beyond GDP as the sole measure of progress, adopting indicators that reflect the health of both people and the planet. It calls for a rapid shift to circular economy models, which minimize waste and reduce the consumption of raw materials. The energy sector, the largest source of greenhouse gases, must decarbonize quickly—a transition that’s proving politically fraught. Earlier this year, as Euronews notes, oil-rich nations blocked a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels at COP30, leaving the path forward uncertain.
Food systems are equally critical. UNEP’s scientists advocate for sustainable diets, reduced food waste, improved agricultural practices, expanded protected areas, and restoration of degraded ecosystems. "Change is always difficult, more so when it is on such a massive scale," Andersen acknowledged. "But change we must. There are two futures ahead of humanity. Let us choose the right one."
While international bodies and researchers debate policy and investment, the fight for climate action is also being waged in courtrooms. In Montana, a group of young activists has become the face of legal resistance against political backsliding. As reported by The New York Times, these activists—who in 2023 won a landmark case (Held v. Montana) that struck down a law barring the state from considering climate change in fossil fuel project approvals—are now petitioning the Montana Supreme Court to block new laws that threaten to undo their victory.
Following the original ruling, Montana’s Republican-led legislature passed a suite of bills, signed by Governor Greg Gianforte in May 2025, that limit the scope of state environmental reviews and prohibit air pollution rules stricter than federal standards. The governor argued these laws would "reduce red tape and provide certainty to businesses," but for the young plaintiffs, they represent a direct attack on the state’s constitutional guarantee of a stable environment.
The activists, represented by the nonprofit Our Children’s Trust, filed a petition asking the court to declare the new laws unconstitutional and stop their enforcement. Their frustration is palpable. Rikki Held, the 24-year-old lead plaintiff who recently returned from teaching science in Kenya, told The New York Times, "It’s frustrating when we’ve already gone to the court system and laid out this evidence, that the government isn’t listening to that." The governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment, and the Department of Environmental Quality declined to weigh in.
Montana’s legal wrangling isn’t just a local story—it’s a microcosm of broader tensions playing out globally. Policymakers face pressure to balance economic growth, business interests, and environmental protection. Some argue that strict regulations stifle innovation and burden industry, while others insist that only bold action will avert disaster. The debate is fierce, and the stakes are nothing less than the planet’s future.
So, what’s the way forward? Experts from Protein 360 and UNEP agree: governments must invest now, not later. That means funding research to help farmers adapt, incentivizing cleaner energy, and overhauling economic metrics to account for environmental health. It also means listening to the voices of young people and communities most affected by climate change—whether they’re in Montana’s ranchlands or the world’s megacities.
History shows that societies can adapt in the face of crisis, but only if they act with urgency and unity. The science is clear, the legal battles are intensifying, and the calls for change are growing louder. The cost of delay, as these recent reports and court cases make plain, will be measured not just in dollars, but in lives and lost opportunities for generations to come.
With the world at a crossroads, the choice is stark and the window for action is narrowing. Whether through innovative farming, sweeping policy shifts, or the determination of young activists, the fight for a livable future has never been more pressing—or more possible.
