2025 will be a turning point for the environmental question.
So say experts and industry operators around the world. But how, and in what
sense?
The change that is hoped for – and already under way – concerns both ‘vision’ and
‘approach’ to the dramatic problems and crucial issues that sustainability,
pollution and climate change bring with them.
It could be summed up as follows: we are moving towards an economy that does not merely
offset greenhouse gas emissions, but aims to generate a positive impact
on the entire natural system, including biodiversity, water and soil.
This is what experts call the ‘Nature Positive model’, which should
replace, in theory and above all in practice, the traditional Net Zero model, now
considered outdated in light of increasingly dramatic data and the limited
effectiveness of existing policies.
What the Nature Positive model is
Let us start with the definition. Nature Positive is an economic and environmental model in
which companies, governments and other actors act on a large scale to reduce and remove
the pressures that cause the degradation of nature, and work actively to
improve the state of ecosystems and the ecosystem services that nature provides.
It is no longer just a matter of offsetting emissions (as in Net-Zero): the point is to
generate a net positive impact on nature, increasing health,
biodiversity, and water and soil quality.
Why we need to change
From Net-Zero to Nature Positive: a new approach to the environmental question
We need a paradigm shift if we do not want to fail in the challenge of building a sustainable world. More responsibility, more concreteness, more transparency for everyone.
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When people talk about the uneconomic nature of environmental policies, they forget (or
pretend to forget) that more than 50% of world GDP depends on nature and its
services. The estimated global economic value is around 44 trillion dollars.
Tackling, for example, the loss of biodiversity (more than a million species are at
risk of extinction) has direct consequences for human health, the stability of
ecosystems and therefore the overall economy, both local and global.
In concrete terms, what does the Nature Positive model propose?
The fields of action of the Nature Positive approach are many and varied.
Starting with the fundamental activity of restoration and conservation: Nature
Positive takes the European Nature Restoration Law (NRL) as its guiding line.
In force since 18 August 2024, the Nature Restoration Law is the first
continent-wide and comprehensive law dedicated to restoring degraded natural ecosystems in
Europe.
It is legislation that imposes binding obligations and precise deadlines on
Member States: national restoration plans must in fact be drawn up by
2026.
The main objective is ambitious and decisive: the restoration of at least 20% of land and
sea areas by 2030 and of all degraded ecosystems by 2050.
A second key point of Nature Positive is the localisation of
interventions. What does that mean?
Unlike carbon credits, biodiversity credits must operate on a
local basis. This is called the like-for-like principle: restoring habitats in the same biome
that was affected.
Then there is the issue of transparent governance. To achieve it, Nature Positive
provides for rigorous systems of measurement, reporting and verification (MRV).
The involvement of local communities is also essential to ensure the effectiveness
and legitimacy of interventions.
The field of sustainable finance is another of those ‘affected’ by the change of
paradigm.
Nature Positive presupposes innovative financial instruments to support
restoration and climate adaptation projects, but above all greater
attention from investors to environmental transparency and accountability
(which have so far been lacking in the sector).
All of this will be possible only through a partnership with the most
innovative technology. Artificial intelligence and blockchain will have to enter
processes on a massive scale: they are a fundamental aid in tracking impacts, optimising
resources and improving the sustainability of production chains.
At the economic level, the Nature Positive model aims to implement – needless to say –
circularity to the greatest possible degree.
That means reducing the consumption of finite resources, promoting resilience and
competitiveness, and enhancing the more efficient and regenerative use of natural resources.
The impact of the new model
Not a pipe dream, but an economic, environmental and social programme that
can and must have a decisive impact on global development.
The World Economic Forum has estimated that an economy based on the Nature
Positive model could generate over 10 trillion dollars of annual
business value and create almost 400 million jobs by 2030.
The competitive advantage that such a model would represent for companies is, according
to the WEF, clear: businesses that adopt Nature Positive strategies can
improve their image, attract investment and consumers, and increase
operational efficiency and resilience to climate change.
Moreover, contributing to the protection and regeneration of nature can only result,
for large and small businesses alike, in stronger stakeholder trust and the long-term
sustainability of business activities.
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