Becoming nature positive- the next big challenge
A nature positive approach enriches
biodiversity, stores carbon, purifies water and reduces pandemic risk i.e., it broadly
means halting and reversing nature loss by 2030 and last year we saw the term
gaining traction.
G7 leaders recently
announced that “our world must not only become net zero, but also nature
positive, for the benefit of both people and the planet.”
Research from the
World Economic Forum suggests that more than half of the world’s GDP is either
moderately or highly dependent on nature and what it provides for businesses
and mankind.
Other analysts say the
loss of biodiversity is already costing the global economy more than $5 trillion a year.
When discussing
sustainability, topics like emissions and pollution are heard most often. But
the conversation surrounding biodiversity loss and sustaining nature is growing
in volume.
The landmark
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which came out of the UN’s
COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal in December 2022, is a step in the right
direction, with almost 190 countries agreeing to halt and reverse biodiversity
loss by 2030, including protecting a third of the planet by the same date.
This is an ambition
which needs every government and every industry to contribute to in order for
the nature-positive agenda to succeed. Targets for what’s been dubbed the
‘Paris Agreement’ for nature and biodiversity will be turned into national
action plans and business contribution plans. There is no time to waste.
Momentum for a nature
positive guiding star is building day by day. In addition to the G7, 88 heads
of state have signed the Leaders Pledge for Nature to reverse loss of
biodiversity by 2030. It is also a goal supported by 126 Nobel Laureates in the
Our Planet, Our Future statement. More than 700 businesses have called for
nations to reverse loss of nature as soon as possible.
In the finance sector,
the new Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures will help direct
investments towards a nature positive future. And faith and youth leaders have
issued manifestos calling for this decade to be a turning point towards living
in harmony with nature.
Right now, one-fifth
of the world’s 2,000 largest companies have already committed to net-zero
targets on greenhouse gas emissions. But businesses must also make commitments
to nature.
Any definition of
“net” nature positive must clearly state companies and countries cannot destroy
nature in one place and restore elsewhere. This is simply unacceptable and will
rightly be open to criticism of “greenwashing.”
A McKinsey analysis of
Fortune Global 500 companies shows nearly 40% have acknowledged actions to
decrease forest and seabed loss, 56% have acknowledged actions to lessen
biodiversity loss, and 21% have acknowledged actions to find solutions for
nutrient pollution.
Deforestation is a
major factor in biodiversity loss. It also plays a major role in reaching net
zero since a single mature tree removes about 50 pounds of carbon from the air
per year.
Securing a
nature-positive world means more nature must exist in 2030 than there was in
2020. Every part of society is responsible for this, it’s time to steer our
collective course towards this goal.
Explore further here:
5 nature and biodiversity trends to watch out
for this year | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)
What is 'nature positive' and why is it the key
to our future? — Business For Nature
Re:think: The world’s next big challenge is
becoming nature positive (mckinsey.com)
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