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Our blogs are written by global experts covering field stories, interviews and insights from around the world examining the ways in which we can meaningfully put nature at the heart of development

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No more trade offs: Pitting people against planet is not how we thrive

Too often we hear that protecting nature and tackling the triple planetary crisis are obstacles to igniting growth, creating jobs and improving incomes. This thinking belongs to the past. Countries around the world are showing us that broad-based prosperity can be delivered during the very transition to environmentally sustainable economies. Working on one helps achieve the other. Half of global GDP relies on nature, from food and agriculture, to construction and healthcare, to textiles and tourism. The World Bank estimates that the global economy could lose US$2.7 trillion by 2030 if ecosystems that support pollination, carbon storage, fisheries, and timber provision collapse. Only a complete overhaul in the way we value nature and account for our dependence on it can lead to a more prosperous future for all on a healthy planet.

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The destruction of nature threatens the world economy. It’s time to outlaw it as a serious financial crime.

From extinctions to deforestation, humanity is paying the ultimate price for allowing the global economy to undervalue nature and natural resources. Not only has the world been underinvesting in protecting biodiversity for too long, but many economic activities are also actively damaging it, something which should be considered wholesale theft of valuable shared assets.

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Placing nature at the heart of economic and development thinking

Six questions for UNDP's Midori Paxton.

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Recentring nature to solve the global water crisis

Amid a worsening global water crisis, world leaders will gather at UN Headquarters in New York 22-24 March for the first UN Water Conference since 1977. During this historic moment, all eyes will focus on SDG 6 for water and sanitation. Time is of the essence. About 30 percent of the world’s population still lacks access to clean drinking water and progress on SDG 6 continues to be “alarmingly off track”.

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