Restoring nature can build a more resilient future—if governments act now
Nature under growing pressure
Nature supports human life, but its depletion is making societies more vulnerable. Environmental impacts this year have included deadly heatwaves, wildfires, catastrophic floods and prolonged droughts. With El Nino forecast to intensify, risks to people, nature and economies are expected to rise.
The outlook is serious, but science offers grounds for hope. Tipping points can threaten ecosystems such as coral reefs and the Amazon rainforest, yet similar dynamics may also speed up beneficial change.
Three systems shape the challenge
Energy, food and finance are identified as the economic systems driving most nature loss. Energy fuels climate change, food production contributes to habitat loss and climate change, and finance supports these activities.
Changes can accelerate once a threshold is crossed: knowledge and technology advance, solutions become cheaper and more accessible, and people learn from others. Progress is already happening, though not everywhere or at the scale required.
Energy leads, other systems lag
The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy has passed a tipping point and is accelerating, although it remains incomplete. Its progress shows how quickly systemic change can happen and offers lessons for food and finance.
Transforming food and finance is slower, but equally urgent. Shifting finance toward protecting and restoring nature will require regulatory changes, subsidy reform and greater recognition of climate and nature as material financial risks. Redirecting even part of the money supporting harmful activities could alter the economics of the wider transition.
A chance to build resilience
Governments at COP17, the biodiversity conference, and COP31, the climate conference, have an opportunity to coordinate efforts and accelerate positive tipping points. The goal is to strengthen resilience in societies and the global economy.
There are signs of recovery: green sea turtle and tiger populations are rebounding through conservation work involving governments, communities and organisations. The article calls for a shift away from extractive, wasteful economies and toward sustainable, regenerative systems, while acknowledging that setbacks may occur.
Key points
- Energy’s shift toward renewable power is accelerating, but it is not complete.
- Food and finance reforms remain urgent and are progressing more slowly.
- COP17 and COP31 governments can work together to speed positive tipping points.
- Green sea turtle and tiger populations are rebounding through conservation efforts.