This is income that is lost to nations and instead pocketed by criminal groups. And in sub-Saharan Africa, the economic loss associated with land degradation is estimated at $68bn per year.Īccording to UNEP’s Environmental Crime Crisis report, the monetary value of all transnational organised environmental crimes is between $70bn and $213bn annually. In South Asia, the annual economic loss of land degradation owing to salinisation is estimated at $1.5bn. For example, the cost of environmental degradation is $9bn annually in the Middle East and North Africa ( PDF). However, substantial shares of these environmental resources are being lost. This means environmental resources directly contribute to creating income opportunities at economy-wide and household level More than 120 million people in the Coral Triangle depend directly on local marine and coastal resources for their income, livelihoods, and food security.įinally, in Africa, environmental resources account for 77 percent of total exports and 42 percent of government revenues, while more than 70 percent of the sub-Saharan Africa population depends on forests and woodlands for livelihood. In Asia, meanwhile, the economic value of capture fisheries in the Mekong River basin alone is estimated to be between $1.4bn and $3.9bn annually ( PDF). Protecting pollinators therefore directly contributes to SDGs. The global cocoa bean crop, valued at $5.7bn annually, depends on biodiversity resources, including pollinators. For example, between $235bn and $577bn worth of annual global food production relies on direct contributions by pollinators – a critical ecosystem service. The amount of money and services nature provides to economies is staggering. What is urgently needed now are strategies to sustainably harness the world's environmental resources, including appropriate policies and practices to reverse ecosystems degradation, and to combat environmental crimes as well as prioritised allocation of current earnings from environmental resources to catalytic environment-based sectors. Global processes buttress the critical perspective that achieving sustainable development will require diversified financing in addition to traditional international public finance. But there are other ways to secure the cash injection we need. Innovative approaches – including bringing in private funding – are clearly needed to bridge the funding gaps. To progress in the goal on climate change, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Adaptation Gap Report concludes that the world will need to invest up to $500bn annually by 2050 even if humanity is to succeed in holding global temperature rise to 2☌ ( PDF). On energy alone, Africa will require cumulative investments of up to $490bn by 2040 for new electricity generation capacity, and 31 percent more for an aggressive focus on renewables to achieve the goal for affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for all. At the moment, public finance is inadequate for the task.įor instance, large infrastructure in developing areas of Latin America, Asia and Africa – covering transport, energy, water, sanitation and telecommunication – requires $689bn to $1.28trn in incremental annual investment to meet some goals ( PDF).

Counting the Cost – Has the World Trade Organisation failed poor countries?įinancing this promising agenda will require serious investment – at least $1.5trn extra annually over the Millennium Development Goals ( PDF).

Agenda 21 2030