Nature and climate are undeniably intertwined, and as COP16 Colombia is currently underway in Cali, we must address these twin crises together. In a recent editorial in Economist Impact with Johan Rockström, Razan Al Mubarak emphasizes that there is no net zero without nature.
As our greatest ally in mitigating climate change, nature has absorbed 90% of the excess heat generated by human activity and 50% of our CO2 emissions. But its resilience is waning, with oceans breaking temperature records and forests transitioning from carbon sinks to sources.
We are at a pivotal moment of both risk and opportunity. By 2030, protecting nature could provide a third of cost-effective decarbonization solutions, create 395 million jobs, and unlock $10 trillion in annual business opportunities. The time to act is now.
As discussions continue in Cali and with COP29 Azerbaijan approaching in Baku, we must ensure the promises made for biodiversity protection and climate action turn into tangible, financed plans. Success will only be achieved through collective action, mobilizing communities, policymakers, businesses, and scientists toward safeguarding our planet’s health.
Together, we can achieve a nature-positive future—one that balances human prosperity with the preservation of our natural world.