The report, based on data from 2023, indicates that the total amount of financial flows related to harm to nature is $7.3 trillion. Of this amount, $4.9 trillion comes from private investments, which are mainly directed towards areas such as utilities, industry, energy, and raw material extraction.
At the same time, only $220 billion was invested in 2023 in projects aimed at protecting nature, with nearly 90% of this coming from public sources.
According to UNEP estimates, these investments need to be increased by at least 2.5 times, reaching $571 billion per year, which is only 0.5% of global GDP.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen noted: "Analyzing the financial flows makes it clear how vast the task ahead of us is. We have a choice: either continue to invest in the destruction of nature or contribute to its restoration – there is no third option."
The report provides leaders with a strategy to change current trends and work for nature rather than against it.It emphasizes that redirecting private and public capital is a key tool for transitioning to sustainable development. The authors proposed a concept that will help policymakers and business leaders gradually implement reforms and increase the number of environmentally friendly solutions across various sectors of the economy.
This concept involves a gradual phase-out of destructive subsidies and investments while simultaneously increasing funding that supports nature. It outlines specific steps for public and private companies at all levels of supply chains.The report also provides examples of successful application of this approach by governments and businesses around the world, including:
- greening urban spaces;
- integrating nature-based solutions into road and energy infrastructure;
- producing building materials with a negative carbon footprint.
Photo on the main page is illustrative: UN / N. Nasir.
