Seizing Business Opportunities in China’s Transition Towards a Nature-positive Economy

The report assesses the economic risks of nature loss in China, where 65% of GDP is dependent on ecosystem services. It proposes 15 transitions across food, land, and ocean use; infrastructure and the built environment; and energy and extractives. These shifts are projected to add $1.9 trillion in annual business value and create 88 million jobs by 2030. The document emphasizes integrating biodiversity targets with China's 'dual carbon' goals and the 'ecological civilization' philosophy, while leveraging Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and green finance to mobilize the required $535 billion annual investment.

• Approximately 65% of China's total GDP, representing $9 trillion of annual economic output, is dependent on nature and its services and is therefore at risk of disruption due to nature loss.
• China's terrestrial ecosystems, including forests, shrublands, grasslands, and croplands, have a carbon storage potential of 80 billion tonnes, which is roughly eight times the country's total carbon emissions in 2019, with 83% of this potential located in the soil.
• The food, land- and ocean-use system's six priority transitions are estimated to generate nearly $565 billion in additional revenue and 34 million new jobs by 2030.
• Five transitions for the infrastructure and built-environment system are projected to create approximately $590 billion in additional revenue and 30 million new jobs by 2030.
• Four critical transitions in the energy and extractives system could create nearly $740 billion of business value and 23 million new jobs by 2030.
• China's urban land area grew by an average of 3.8% annually from 2009 to 2016, but utilization is inefficient, with urban vacant housing rates reaching 21.4% and office vacancy rates at 22% in 2019.
• China's energy sector is transitioning rapidly, with solar and wind capacity projected to double and exceed 1.2 billion kilowatts by 2030.
• The report estimates that an annual investment of $535 billion is required through 2030 to capture all identified nature-positive business opportunities across the three socio-economic systems.
• China's forest coverage increased from 8.6% in 1949 to 23% in 2020, and the government aims to expand this to 26% by 2035.
• Significant food waste occurs in China's urban catering industry, with 17 to 18 million tonnes wasted annually, enough to feed 30 to 50 million people.
• The report highlights that nature-based solutions are on average 50% more cost-effective than 'grey' alternatives and provide 28% more added value, yet they received only 0.3% of urban infrastructure spending in 2021.

APA

World Economic Forum (2022). Seizing Business Opportunities in China’s Transition Towards a Nature-positive Economy. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Nature_Economy_Report_China_2022.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Seizing Business Opportunities in China’s Transition Towards a Nature-positive Economy. 2022. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Nature_Economy_Report_China_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Seizing Business Opportunities in China’s Transition Towards a Nature-positive Economy |date=January 2022 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Nature_Economy_Report_China_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2022seizing, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Seizing Business Opportunities in China’s Transition Towards a Nature-positive Economy}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Nature_Economy_Report_China_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }