The total value of forests globally is valued at twice the global stock markets

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This note by Andrew Whitman: Reminds me of a song: “…you don’t know what you’ve got. Till it’s gone…They took all the trees. Put ’em in a tree museum” (by Joni Mitchell). Forest everywhere are one of our most overlooked natural resources because they deliver so much.” points to this note by Sandra Vijn:

The total value of forests globally is estimated at $150 trillion, which is nearly double the value of global stock markets. Forests regulate climate, purify air, filtrate water, provide commercial products and social value. Other values, such biodiversity cannot be fully captured in monetary terms. Forests’s largest monetary value is the carbon storage, accounting for around 90%. The main causes of forest value loss are land use change (deforestation and conversion of natural ecosystems) and rising global temperatures, accounting for more than 70% of the projected loss in value between now and 2050. Nearly 200 million people rely on forests for subsistence and forests provide jobs and income for an additional 12.6 million people who work in the forest industry. This analysis by BCG is focused on forests and does not include other natural ecosystems such as savannas, wetlands, and other systems which provide essential ecosystem services for millions of people.

When these ecosystems are gone, their value evaporates. There is nothing that can replace their worth. Our food security depends on keeping these healthy and thriving. To reach net-zero and align with the Paris Agreement, food companies need to halt the sourcing of feed ingredients produced by deforestation and conversion of natural ecosystems, immediately.

There can be No Net Zero without Nature. And there will be little Nature if we don’t get where and how we produce food right. Let’s keep the forests and other ecosystems in place for generations to come.