It is undeniable that human impacts on climate and nature have driven us towards a planetary emergency. Fortunately, there is still time to avoid the worst-case scenarios, but only just. Failure to adopt sustainable practices and investments puts businesses and economies at risk.
More than half the world’s GDP – $44 trillion – is at immediate risk due to nature loss. On the other hand, stalling this loss and making investments with nature positive outcomes can create new business opportunities to the scale of $10 trillion annually and create 395 million jobs by 2030. Investing in nature and nature-based solutions is therefore not only an ecological imperative, it is also is a socioeconomic one. Yet, despite the strong economic case and the increasing number of financing commitments, the investment gap remains large.
The private sector can and must play a leading role to close this gap. This report, published by the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Nature-Based Solutions, takes a practical look at the investment landscape for nature and nature-based solutions.
In doing so, it charts out two complementary pathways for private-sector stakeholders: one, to mainstream investments in nature that already demonstrate a positive business case by taking strategic and operational actions, and the other, where financial returns are not yet in place, to call on governments to create a fit-for purpose enabling environment for investments in nature to become more financially attractive.
Read the full report here