Businesses must act now for a nature positive world: The Race Is On
We are in a planetary emergency.
Nature is at a tipping point. More than 1 million species are threatened by extinction, 75% the world’s land and 66% of the marine environment is significantly altered by humans, and global temperatures are expected to rise between 2.6°C and 3.9°C.
COVID-19 has been a wake-up call and has given us a stark warning of the risks, vulnerabilities and inequalities of our interconnected systems – and what’s at stake for everyone if we cannot mobilize ambitious action. We must learn from this and seize the opportunity to build back better for an equitable, nature-positive, carbon neutral world.
Businesses have a critical role to play in reversing nature loss, protecting biodiversity and preserving species, and business action is about more than responsibility – there are real and material risks associated with nature’s decline.
The #RaceIsOn to change course, before it’s too late. This new campaign aims to drive and support the urgent action required from governments, business and society to secure a nature-positive world by 2030.
World leaders are scheduled to make critical decisions on climate and nature this year. They can and must take ambitious and integrated action on our interconnected environmental challenges.
What is nature-positive?
From nutritious food and fresh water to safe homes and sustainable livelihoods, nature is our life support system. But our support system is in critical danger. Reversing this catastrophic trend means stopping nature loss in the next decade, and only then nature can start to recover.
A global goal for nature embraced at the highest levels will drive ambition in governments, business and society, as well as create the opportunity for links between biodiversity and other conventions/agreements such as climate, ocean and land degradation. It must be reflected in the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. It’s adoption would send a clear signal to investors and businesses, give direction and create a sense of urgency of the need to live within planetary boundaries. Long-term certainty is vital to encourage the uptake of nature-positive business models and to orient investments and business decision-making processes around the protection, restoration and sustainable use of nature and natural resources
To reverse nature loss by 2030 we must race for the top. Right now businesses, governments and many others are supporting this race for a nature-positive world - a race to tackle climate change, a race to secure a sustainable, just and healthy future for people and the planet. We must make this a global movement for nature.
What can businesses do?
Businesses have an opportunity to take action by changing the way they manage and use natural resources. Those that act now to achieve net-zero and become nature-positive across their value chains will gain competitive advantage. The momentum and interest from business continues to grow, for example through the Call to Action, Nature Is Everyone‘s Business, through which more than 700 companies with combined revenues of $4.3 trillion are urging governments to adopt policies now to reverse nature loss.
Businesses can assess their impacts and dependencies on nature to ensure they are committing and acting on the most material ones. Read our high-level and accessible steps for companies to understand what you can do now.
Over 85 heads of state and government have endorsed the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature. They’ve put their name to reversing nature loss, but now we need to ensure they turn those words into transformative, meaningful, implementable and enforceable policies that set the direction for businesses to scale and speed up action and investment to reverse nature loss by 2030, while creating sustainable growth, generating clean jobs and potentially unlocking $US trillions in economic opportunities.
#TheRaceIsOn!