Global public debt has reached record levels, exceeding 100 trillion dollars. This number is worrying not only because of its magnitude, but also because of the way these resources are allocated. In fact, the Global Debt Report 2025 of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) highlights a central contradiction: the increase in debt is not translating into adequate investments for the ecological transition. In other words, the money that states borrow to support their economies is not being directed, except for a minimal part, toward strategic environmental goals such as decarbonization, climate adaptation, or the development of sustainable infrastructures. This imbalance raises a crucial issue: today more than ever, debt and sustainability cannot be treated as separate matters.
What is ecological debt (and financial debt)
Public debt occurs when a state spends more than it collects through taxes and other revenues, covering the difference by issuing government bonds or other financial instruments. This type of debt, although a lever to finance public services and investments, becomes a critical factor when it grows beyond the country’s repayment capacity, compromising its long-term economic stability.
But what is ecological debt? The term refers to the imbalance between what humanity extracts from natural resources, in terms of raw materials, fertile soil, water, forests, and the absorption capacity of emissions, and the biosphere’s ability to regenerate them. Data presented in the Global Debt Report 2025 show that low- and middle-income countries, although responsible for only a marginal share of historical global emissions, are the most exposed to the consequences of climate change and still receive an insufficient share of financing for adaptation and environmental resilience.
These two types of debt, apparently distinct, are today intertwined in a critical relationship: the public debt crisis risks undermining governments’ ability to invest in the ecological transition, thus worsening ecological debt and making it increasingly difficult to achieve sustainability goals.
Education and awareness: the role of the Museum of Saving
Understanding the connection between financial debt and environmental debt—and in particular what ecological debt is—is not only a matter for economists or policymakers: it is a shared responsibility, which also involves each of our daily choices. Financial education, combined with “ecological awareness,” becomes a key tool to prepare new generations to face complex challenges such as economic and environmental sustainability.
At the Museum of Saving, we promote training programs that integrate economy and sustainability, helping students and citizens develop a systemic and critical view of the world around them.
Because understanding how debt works, knowing what “environmental impact” means, and learning how to plan resources and consumption are essential skills to build a more equitable future. A future in which environmental sustainability is not an option, but a concrete priority.
Discover all our educational activities in the Events section of the website.
July 2, 2025