Major economies in Southeast Asia, Europe and America that already have diversified economies are nevertheless also exposed to risk from BES decline. “These next 10 years, just as they are vital for climate change, are also vital for the biodiversity agenda if we’re going to prevent the sixth mass extinction.”.

Deforestation should have been halted by now, but has only been cut by a third, with Asia and Europe gaining forests while Africa and South America lose them at a faster rate. The Swiss Re Group is one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, insurance and other forms of insurance-based risk transfer, working to make the world more resilient. The Swiss Re Institute report that accompanies the launch of the index, "Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: A business case for re/insurance", highlights several real-life cases of how BES impact economies.

It anticipates and manages risk – from natural catastrophes to climate change, from ageing populations to cyber crime.

Steps to ensure functioning coral reefs globally could lower estimated flood damages for 100-year storm events that would otherwise increase by 91% across the globe 3. The UN said it is not too late to reverse the extreme destruction, damage and loss of habitats and wildlife and is now looking to agree to set new targets for 2030. South Africa has not yet backed a global pledge supported by more than 70 countries that commits to reversing biodiversity loss in the next decade. 15 hours ago — Robert Z. Pearlman and SPACE.com, 18 hours ago — John Fialka and E&E News, 22 hours ago — Jeffery DelViscio and Timothy Weaver, 23 hours ago — Martin N. Ross and Leonard David | Opinion.

With none of the 20 targets fully met, and only six partially, the report is yet another reminder of the urgent need to redesign the way we produce, consume, and trade goods. Rather they were implemented wherever it was easiest for governments to cordon off land or water. Many human activities can shrink biodiversity, including deforestation, pollution and the introduction of invasive species.

The question is, “can we arrest it at an earlier stage in that process?”. The report finds developing countries that have a heavy dependence on agricultural sectors, such as Kenya or Nigeria, are susceptible to BES shocks from a range of biodiversity and ecosystem issues. Certain statements and illustrations contained herein are forward-looking. This gap in the literature may have an effect on policymaking: “The lack of data on the significance of urban biodiversity loss in middle- and low-income countries could lead policymakers to underestimate the importance of the issue”, said Prof Henrique Pereira, research group head at iDiv and MLU. “There has to be a balance” between us and nature, Batzín says. "The absolutely key question is how to scale up from where things currently are, in terms of responses, to meet targets comprehensively.

An industry first, the BES Index offers an assessment of how intact coastal ecosystems are in these locations and, together with property data in CatNet®, provides insurance insights on the properties they protect. Brazil and Indonesia enjoy the highest percentage of intact ecosystems within the G20, however, the countries' strong economic dependency on natural resources highlights the importance of sustainable development and conservation to the long-term sustainability of their economies.

Today, 15 percent of land and freshwater environments are protected, as is 7.5 percent of the oceans.

Australia. Blog by Patrick Raaflaub, Swiss Re Group Chief Officer, Sustainability leadership in insurance - live session 2, Sustainability leadership insurance - SDGs.

Contact "We commit ourselves not simply to words, but to meaningful action and mutual accountability. Instead, history tells us that change often starts from the bottom. And since 1993, conservation actions have prevented the extinction of between 28 and 48 bird and mammal species, according to a study published this month in the journal Conservation Letters — though many remain highly threatened and may still become extinct. Targets aiming to reduce the rate of loss of natural habitats by at least half, and to restore important degraded ecosystems, weren’t met. If we do not act faster, said Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Program, "biodiversity will continue to buckle" under the weight of overexploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive alien species and changes to land and sea. “Action is needed now,” Cooper says. A study published in the journal Nature this month found that more than two-thirds of future biodiversity losses could be avoided by conserving and restoring land, reducing food waste and switching to more plant-based diets. Countries across the world are reliant on a range of services that are based around their natural ecosystems. "This will further damage human health, economies and societies — with particularly detrimental effects on indigenous peoples and local communities.".

Some of those drivers are getting worse. The way to get that scale, according to the GBO report, is by "mainstreaming" the opportunities and responsibilities from protecting nature.

There are now more fish in waters managed by good fishing policies. Privacy policy. The solution is “transformative change,” a phrase repeated 14 times throughout the report. 3Beck M.W., Losada, I.J., Menéndez P., Reguero B.G., Diaz-Simal P., Fernandez F. 2018: The global flood protection savings provided by coral reefs. But experts say the participating countries have failed, in large part, because they have struggled to address conservation while focusing on their economies and rising populations. Swiss Re undertakes no obligation to publicly revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. As of 2020, less than a quarter of these CEZs were protected.

", Bee populations are falling because of intensive farming, pesticides, pollution and climate change, Damage to ecosystems puts food security at risk. The Global Biodiversity report acts as a ‘scorecard’ for the 20 ‘Aichi Biodiversity Targets’ countries agreed in 2010 and found that none of them will be fully met by this year’s deadline with six being partially achieved. The Swiss Re BES index also highlights the impact of BES on economic sectors, with manufacturing, real estate, professional and administrative activities, and wholesale and retail trade as priority sectors from an economic perspective. How can we improve air quality to achieve better living conditions on Earth? Scientists and policy makers are now weighing how best to move forward and slow biodiversity loss as quickly as possible.

You can find more information in our data protection declaration. Pollution from plastics and pesticides have not been brought down to safe levels. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity evaluated how countries have progressed on a series of goals agreed in 2010 but found they have not been met.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said the UK has failed to meet most of its Aichi targets including ensuring the protection of areas that look after wildlife, reversing species’ slide towards extinction and funding nature.

A fifth of countries worldwide at risk from ecosystem collapse as biodiversity declines, reveals pioneering Swiss Re index. Target 2By 2020, at the latest, biodiversity values have been integrated into national and local development and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes and are being incorporated into national accounting, as appropriate, and reporting systems. “Progress has been made, but it has been insufficient to address the underlying drivers of [biodiversity] loss: climate change and exploitation, which are driven by broader consumption patterns,” he adds. It works by aggregating data from ten different BES categories addressing water security, timber provision, food provision, habitat intactness, pollination, soil fertility, water quality, regulation of air quality and local climate, erosion control and coastal protection.

The BES Index provides a holistic, comparative view of the state of BES globally. Countries across the world are reliant on a range of services that are based around their natural ecosystems.

These interests are going to be losers if we shift our economic structures to something based on ecological benefits.”, Cooper acknowledges that there has not been strong evidence of absolute decoupling.

Would you stop eating meat if you knew the true cost to the environment?

A nearby peninsula protects a garden of delicate coral from storms in Kimbe Bay, New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea. The coronavirus pandemic is a ‘shocking demonstration’ of the link between people’s treatment of the natural world and the emergence of human disease, but also provides opportunities to make the changes needed, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. Table 1: G20 rankings for Swiss Re Institute BES. And there has been little progress phasing out the 500 billion US dollars (£390 billion) a year in government subsidies which have a harmful impact on nature including 100 billion US dollars (£78 billion) to agriculture. But the really important stuff—reducing the overwhelming pressure from overfishing, deforestation, transportation, energy production, and agriculture—is usually under the control of other, more powerful agencies that don’t pay much attention to the CBD goals, explains marine biologist David Obura at the Coastal Oceans Research and Development—Indian Ocean, in Mombasa, Kenya.