5. Towards a Nature Positive Economy


These emerging sustainability transitions all help business break away from a locked-in, linear, extractive and fossil-fuel-based economy towards a future economy that creates value for nature and people. This model is referred to as a Nature Positive Economy: an economy that is regenerative, collaborative and where growth is only valued where it contributes to social progress and environmental protection. Importantly, it is not dependent on fossil fuels§§§


for energy, on


extracting and wasting resources or on exploiting people and communities to create value. It takes into account the gender and socio-economic factors of humanity. (Figure 10) A healthy environment offers the best guarantee for human health and a high quality of life, so a nature positive economy must also be a human-centered economy, focused on well-being. The future that the world must collectively pursue means rethinking current dependencies and impacts on others and the environment and working towards nature positive forms of production and consumption.


Figure 10: Nature Positive Economy


Energy, Food, Housing, Transport, Products


Air


Health, Well-being, Community, Culture and Identity, Places to work and live


The nature positive economy tries to capture the core ideas of planetary boundaries, doughnut economics, [36]


the well-being economy, [37] circular economy, [38] the the sharing economy and the


biobased economy, to name a few. These concepts try to address challenges around resource use, labor, trade, value and production and consumption and offer longer-term visions (Figure 11) that inspire new ways of living as well as new products and services. These innovative approaches, and the leaders putting them into practice, anticipate an economy in which energy, resources, food, water, transportation, healthcare, shelter and opportunity are provided in a way that rebuilds nature and protects people. A way in which business is rewarded for creating positive value for nature, and in which negative impacts are disincentivized.


This inspiring idea of generating positive impact for nature and people can be the starting point for any business to start exploring its own role, position and contribution. This journey starts with


NATURE POSITIVE ECONOMY


d l a c


Meeting needs and creating wealth


Land a l l n c b e


p r o t e i l d i n g


e i


c t i n n a


Water


§§§ Oil and other fossil fuels have accelerated economic development and lifted the standard of living for billions of people in both industrialized and developing countries, but they have also contributed to climate change. (GEO-6)


18


**** For examples, see: www.goodanthropocenes.net; or social innovation networks operating translocally such as the ones collected here: http://www.transitsocialinnovation.eu/discover-our-cases-2


Adapt to Survive: Business transformation in a time of uncertainty


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