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Sunday, July 17th, 2022

Valuing Nature Through Lens of Economic Growth and Profit Puts It at Risk, Assessment Finds

Author:     Chris McDermott
Source:     EcoWatch
Publication Date:     July 12, 2022
 Link: Valuing Nature Through Lens of Economic Growth and Profit Puts It at Risk, Assessment Finds
Stephan:   The main challenge humanity faces, in my opinion, is the existential issue of what actually motivates most human decisions, and that is presently based on only one thing, profit. If we are to survive as a species we must change. All decisions must be based on the recognition that we live in a matrix of life, where all life is interconnected and interdependent, and all decisions are based first and foremost on choosing the option that is most compassionate and life-affirming, the decision that best fosters wellbeing at every level. If we cannot make this transition, I don't think we will survive.
An aerial view of deforestation from logging in Thailand. Credit: rich Carey / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Is market-based decision making compatible with a sustainable relationship between people and nature? 

A new assessment from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) found that decisions about nature are being made based on a narrow range of values that precipitate biodiversity loss. 

“Biodiversity is being lost and nature’s contributions to people are being degraded faster now [than] at any other point in human history,” IPBES Chair Ana María Hernández Salgar said in a press release. “This is largely because our current approach to political and economic decisions does not sufficiently account for the diversity of nature’s values.”

The IPBES Assessment Report on the Diverse Conceptualization of the Multiple Values of Nature and Its Benefits was approved on Saturday by representatives of the organization’s 139 member states. The approval came days after the IPBES — which is considered the IPCC of biodiversity — approved another report showing just how much humanity relies on wild species. The most recent report is […]

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1 Comment

  1. Rev. Dean on Wednesday, July 20, 2022 at 9:08 pm

    Once again, I totally agree with you Stephan.