To date, economic development has too often been carried out with a narrow focus on short-term gains. Such near-sightedness has significantly compromised our capacity to feed the hungry, shelter the vulnerable, and support the well-being of societies around the world. The environment has also suffered deeply from this same near-sightedness, as fish stocks continue to decline and biodiversity-rich forests are converted into monoculture plantations. The cruel reality of our current economic model today is that is undermines the well-being of our society of tomorrow.
Our economies cannot function unless they are able to adequately value that natural infrastructure that provides societies with the food, water, energy, and basic materials they need to survive and thrive. A better alignment of our world’s economic, social, and environmental systems has become an imperative that society can no longer afford to shy away from. IUCN is committed to supporting a transition to a greener world economy, and is active in this area by:
- Providing decision makers with strong economic arguments for conservation and sustainable use of natural resources
- Helping business leaders in different industry sectors to develop and robust sustainability standards
- Identifying innovative opportunities for generating greater investments in natural capital and biodiversity conservation
- Providing relevant information and analytical tools for assessing the sustainability of macroeconomic policies
