From extinctions to deforestation, humanity is paying the ultimate price for allowing the global economy to undervalue nature and natural resources.
Not only has the world been underinvesting in protecting biodiversity for too long, but many economic activities are also actively damaging it, something which should be considered wholesale theft of valuable shared assets.
The destruction of nature defrauds countries and society, jeopardizing the resources that currently generate around half of the global GDP, or an estimated $44 trillion. The impact of losing wild pollinators, marine fisheries, and timber from tropical forests—just a fraction of ecosystem services—could reduce global GDP by an estimated $2.7 trillion annually by 2030.
The economics of our current relationship with nature is bleak. The seminal Dasgupta report on the economics of biodiversity found that our demands…
