We are in the midst of an ecological crisis which has been and continues to be provoked by human-led ‘environmental degradation’ (defined for the purposes of this editorial as any harm or adverse impact caused to the environment, including climate change, the contamination of the land and water through the exposure to or dumping of toxic and hazardous substances and wastes, air pollution, the destruction of ecosystems, and the depletion of biodiversity). Despite this, and the fact that such degradation is directly linked to adverse impacts on biological diversity, ecosystems, and human life [1] (paras 36–38) [2] (pp. 3–4), states persist in providing inadequate responses to the destruction of nature, including in the context of establishing strong regulatory frameworks to address harmful corporate activity. It is this collective failure to take effective steps in addressing environmental degradation which continues to make human activities a threat to the natural world with potentially irreversible impacts [3] (p. 28) [4] (pp. 5–8). Humanity has received its “code red” warning [5]: we are at risk of exceeding 1.5 ◦C unless deep reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are made within the following decades [3] (p. 17). The degradation of the environment, rise in temperatures, and climate change have already impacted human health and livelihoods, which will only get worse, potentially becoming an existential threat.