Our society, economies and financial systems are embedded in nature, not external to it. The prosperity and resilience of our societies and economies depend on the health and resilience of nature and its biodiversity. Healthy ecosystems are a prerequisite for the sustained flow of ecosystem services that communities need to survive and flourish, and that business and finance depend on to generate cashflows and returns.
The science is clear. Nature is deteriorating globally and biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history. The majority of the vital ecosystem services on which business and society depend, and which provide the foundation for every economy, are in decline. The global economy is already operating outside the safe zone for six of the nine planetary boundaries – processes that are critical for maintaining the Earth’s stability. Ecosystem services are not being appropriately priced by business and financial markets today.