Nature and wealth — Supporting material

See all sections of this piece: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).

(The following boxes are incomplete and will be built up further:

• Box 1 — IPBES — drivers of biodiversity decline, and the 18 classes of NCP
• Box 2 — Wealth-impact correlations
• Box 3 — Finance associated with nature-positive and nature-negative actions
• Box 4 — The 10:40:50 equity principle)

Box 1 — IPBES — drivers of biodiversity decline, and the 18 classes of NCP

The IPBES Conceptual Framework identifies direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline. Direct drivers reflect the pressures of varied uses and threats to nature. Indirect drivers reflect the root causes underlying those drivers, such as economic and political trends, cultural and other values, institutions and values, etc.

This table illustrates the long term trend in each of the 18 classes of natures contributions to people (Diaz et al. 2019).

Box 2 — Wealth-impact correlations

Carbon footprint figure, derived from the Carbon Inequality report 2023.

Box 3 — Finance associated with nature-positive and nature-negative actions

The gaps identified in finance for nature:

• nature financing gap — , identified in Deutz et al. 2020.
• ending subsidies harmful to nature — $500 million, Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), Target 18.
• direct financing for conservatoin and restoration actions — $200 million, GBF Target 19.

By contrast, the following are illustrations of the scales of:

Nature-negative activities:

• the true value of nature-damaging processes, estimated at 10% of the global economy, ie. about $7 trillion.
• $XXX, total estimate subsidies harmful to nature.
• $500 billion per year — harmful subsidies impacting biodiversity directly, estimated for Target 18 of the Global Biodiversity Framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
• $200 billion per year — estimate of the direct funding needed to fund actions under the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Private financial deals, in the top fractions of a percent of the wealthiest corporations and individuals:

• Boeing — $20 billion and $60 billion in losses from just the 737 Max 8 crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopea in 2018.
• Blackrock — $12.5 billion purchase of renewables investor Global Infrastructure Partner, January 2024.
• Budgets of the largest/most iconic single buildings globally — One World Trade Center, New York City — $3.8 billion; Burj Khalifa, Dubai — $1.5 billion. Several casinos/resort complexes in the US and Macau in the $5–10 billion range.
• Oil industy windfall quarterly profits in 2023 …

Box 4 — The 10:40:50 equity principle

Explain the principle — see article.

Wealth levels associated with these:

• Dollar terms
• Countries indicative
• Within countries indicative

See all sections of this piece: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Supporting material).