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The World Economic Forum (WEF) has concluded that 400m jobs and $10tn in business value could be generated each year by 2030 if action was taken to tackle the global nature crisis. This means that a nature-first approach would also be a job-first solution. On the other hand, a return to business-as-usual, which relies on environmental degradation, would threaten over half of the global GDP. Alan Jope, a chief executive at Unilever, commented on this by saying that 'there will be no jobs or prosperity on a dead planet'.
The WEF's report revealed that 3 sectors are responsible for endangering 80% of threatened species. These include land use and agriculture, mining and energy, and building and infrastructure. Yet, these sectors also have the most to gain from a nature-based economic recovery. For instance, the WEF suggested that efforts to reduce food waste would save billions and create millions of jobs. Ending subsidies to environmentally-destructive agriculture would also save $2bn. Additionally, renewable energy has already emerged as a profitable market and the urban green roof market is now worth $9bn. Finally, improving energy efficiency could save $825bn by 2030.
The WEF estimates that the global economy needs to invest $2.7tn annually to fund the opportunities mentioned in the institution's report. That is $300m less than the US alone has spent on their economic recovery so far.