$700 Billion: The Price of Nature’s Survival

It’s not that the world can’t afford to save nature; it’s that we’re choosing not to.

To stop the alarming decline of global biodiversity, we need $700 billion annually — on top of the $100 billion already spent. This amount, although massive, is a tiny fraction of the global GDP and less than what the US spends on its military each year, and about the same as the top 20 billionaires added to their collective wealth last year alone.

The bulk of the funds would go toward transforming agriculture, the biggest driver of deforestation and wildlife loss, into a more sustainable system. At the upcoming COP16 conference in Colombia, world leaders will negotiate how to fund this critical effort.

However, reallocating subsidies that harm nature, such as those for fossil fuels and harmful farming practices, is politically challenging. It’s not just about saving species—it’s about protecting the very ecosystems that human life depends on.

• Agriculture drives 90% of tropical deforestation.
• $700 billion annually is needed to protect biodiversity.
• Most funding must come from reforming harmful subsidies.

The question isn’t whether we can afford to save nature, but whether we’re willing to prioritize it over short-term economic gains.

Read the full article on Vox.

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