A healthy planet is essential both for human progress and for maintaining life on Earth. This is reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which recognize that social, economic and environmental objectives cannot be met independently and must be addressed together.
However, there is a significant gap between the state of the planet now and the state that it needs to be in to meet the SDGs. For 40 countries – which are home to 78% of the world’s population – the investment needed to close this gap is estimated at $7.4 trillion. This is based on an analysis of nine targets across eight different nature-related SDGs.
This report reveals that the incentive to close the gap is enormous, with benefits likely to exceed $152 trillion. This is an extraordinary return of over $20 for every $1 invested. This global analysis identifies key areas of action for countries to pursue to address multiple developmental needs while strengthening natural capital assets. It makes a powerful case for society to enact system-wide change by adapting its economic systems so that they protect and improve the health of the planet.