Tackling nature’s demise as a key global business risk

FOR all the current discussion about “critical infrastructure”, the world’s most critical form of infrastructure is nature. Few statements underscore this more clearly than the warning issued in 2015 by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In view of the degradation of arable land, only 60 more harvests could be expected – “then it’s over!”, the FAO stated.

Looking beyond food and agriculture, the World Economic Forum has found that just over half of global GDP is at risk due to dependence on nature. And, according to the same source, nine out of the ten biggest global risks over the next decade are linked to the default of natural systems.

To address this significant challenge to global prosperity, the Montreal Agreement on the protection of biodiversity was concluded last December. While that agreement is a useful first step, the key question is how to move from lofty intentions toward executing a robust economic and political agenda for the protection of our ecosystems.