Cs
Nature loss is threatening our economies – urgent actions and collaboration are needed
Comprehensive scientific assessments are telling us that we are losing nature at a rate that is pushing the planet towards dangerous tipping points. Over the last 50 years, wildlife populations have declined by 60%, and scientists warn that we have entered a 6th mass extinction of life on earth. This massive loss of nature is degrading the natural systems that underpin our thriving societies and prosperous economies, and the rate of degradation is accelerating.
The World Economic Forum, in its 2019 Global Risk Report, identified environmental risks as among the greatest systemic risks to our global economy, both in terms of impact and likelihood. According to the report, only nuclear war would be more destructive.
Natural disasters caused by ecosystem degradation and climate change already cost more than $300 billion per year, while our natural world provides environmental services to our economy worth over $125 trillion annually.
Forward-thinking businesses understand that they depend on a healthy natural world and a better understanding of these connections can lead to significant benefits for society and nature, alongside the creation of business value.
2020 is a unique opportunity for businesses to call on governments to adopt policies to level the playing field to incentivise the wider business community to act and enable a global transformation.