New Nature Economy Report II

The report argues that 80% of biodiversity loss is driven by three systems: food, land and ocean use; infrastructure and the built environment; and energy and extractives. It identifies 15 transitions across these systems that could generate $10.1 trillion in annual business value and 395 million jobs by 2030. The document details specific opportunities in regenerative agriculture, compact urban design, and circular material models, while emphasizing the need for $2.7 trillion in annual investment and the integration of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.

• Three primary socio-economic systems—food, land and ocean use; infrastructure and the built environment; and energy and extractives—are responsible for the most significant business-related pressures on biodiversity, endangering approximately 80% of threatened and near-threatened species.
• The transition to a nature-positive economy through 15 identified systemic transitions could unlock $10.1 trillion in annual business opportunities and create 395 million jobs by 2030.
• Scaling these nature-positive transitions requires an estimated annual investment of $2.7 trillion through 2030.
• Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies are critical enablers for the majority of identified business opportunities, supporting nearly $8.7 trillion in potential value.
• The food, land and ocean use system is the most impactful on planetary boundaries, with its associated threats affecting roughly 72% of all threatened and near-threatened species.
• In the infrastructure and built environment system, shifting to compact urban development could save $3 trillion globally between 2015 and 2030 by reducing the need for new infrastructure.
• The energy and extractives system generates negative externalities, including air pollution and carbon emissions, estimated at $9 trillion annually, or approximately 10.5% of global GDP.
• Nature-based solutions are estimated to be capable of providing 37% of the cost-effective CO2 mitigation required by 2030 to limit global warming to 2°C.
• The report identifies that 35% of produced food is lost or wasted, and that reducing consumer food waste alone could present a $380 billion annual opportunity by 2030.
• Circular models in the automotive sector represent a major opportunity, with potential cost savings of up to $870 billion per year by 2030.

APA

World Economic Forum (2020). New Nature Economy Report II. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Future_Of_Nature_And_Business_2020.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. New Nature Economy Report II. 2020. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Future_Of_Nature_And_Business_2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=New Nature Economy Report II |date=2020 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Future_Of_Nature_And_Business_2020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2020new, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{New Nature Economy Report II}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Future_Of_Nature_And_Business_2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }