New Report Examines How Biodiversity and Economic Health Intertwine

A February 2021 report commissioned by the UK government provides a sobering economic analysis to explain why we must change the way we interact with nature if we wish to avert disaster. The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review—led by Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta of Cambridge University and supported by an advisory panel comprising experts on public policy, science, economics, finance, and business—sets forth how our misuse of nature threatens our economies, livelihoods, and the well-being of the planet. Sir David Attenborough, in a foreword, summarizes the report’s call to action: “Putting things right will take collaborative action by every nation on earth. … Each ecosystem has its own vulnerabilities and requires its own solutions. There has to be a universally shared understanding of how these systems work, and how those that have been damaged can be brought back to health.”