Overview
- Approved by more than 150 governments and released on February 9, the IPBES assessment delivers over 100 concrete steps and the first UN methodological framework for companies to manage nature impacts and dependencies.
- IPBES tallies 2023 flows of $7.3 trillion into activities harmful to nature ($4.9 trillion private finance and about $2.4 trillion in damaging public subsidies) versus just $220 billion for conservation.
- The report concludes biodiversity loss poses systemic risks to profitability, supply chains and financial stability, with private-sector activities driving a large share of nature destruction.
- Fewer than 1% of companies currently account for their biodiversity impacts, and the report urges credible disclosure, verifiable action plans and respect for Indigenous and local knowledge to avoid greenwashing.
- Financial institutions are urged to integrate nature into portfolio analysis and steer capital away from destructive activities, while overcoming perverse incentives, weak regulation and major data gaps.