Why science-based targets for nature?

The loss of nature poses a direct threat to economic activities currently responsible for generating over half of GDP. Each year, ecosystems provide services estimated to be worth more than US$ 40 trillion (around half of global gross domestic product [GDP]).

Local and global pressures on nature like landscape conversion and pollution are decreasing ecosystems’ ability to function and, consequently, their ability to provide contributions to the wellbeing of human and nonhuman life.

Businesses are waking up to this. Biodiversity loss is increasingly being recognized as one of the most important and most likely business risks, alongside climate change and water crises.

This change must occur in multiple ways and at multiple levels. The key questions for businesses are how to change and by how much. Science-based targets are designed to provide the answer.

Why science-based targets for nature?

Business leaders know that the activities associated with “business as usual” are fueling the loss of nature, and that our way of doing business must change.

For companies, SBTs will help:

Get ahead of regulation and policy changes
Strengthen your reputation among consumers, employees, and society
Increase the confidence of your investors, parent companies, subsidiaries, and other stakeholders
Catalyze innovation that’s good for the planet, and for business
Open opportunities to collaborate with other stakeholders
Improve your medium-to-long-term profitability

Roberto Marques, Group CEO

Why work with SBTN? Hear from...

Magali Anderson, CSO

Holcim

Natura

Join Holcim, Natura, and over 100 leading companies in our Corporate Engagement Program preparing to set science-based targets for nature.

Click here to learn more about our Corporate Engagement Program

By expanding the scope of SBTs from tackling only climate change to tackling both the loss of nature and climate change, we can foster synergies between public and private sector action on these two fundamentally connected issues.

Neither issue can be solved without action on the other.

The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) is already helping businesses set ambitious science-based targets for climate, which will help reduce their companies’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This will also cut global emissions and can drive positive feedback loops for policy ambitions on climate change.Figure ES1. Combined “nature” and “climate” ambition loops, which collectively create stronger policy and voluntary action for both climate and nature; adapted from the concept of the climate ambition loop. Note that although we treat climate and nature as separate issues in this graphic, they are biophysically, politically, and economically intertwined.