Restoring nature is key to a more resilient future
At COP17 and COP31, governments must accelerate positive tipping points in energy, food and finance.
Key points
- WWF's Living Planet Report 2026 found monitored wildlife populations fell 73 percent between 1970 and 2022.
- The article says the global energy system has already passed a tipping point toward renewables.
- Governments at COP17 biodiversity and COP31 climate talks are urged to accelerate positive tipping points.
Nature is being depleted at an alarming rate, leaving the world more vulnerable to heatwaves, wildfires, floods and droughts, according to an Al Jazeera opinion article. It cites WWF's Living Planet Report 2026, which found the average size of monitored wildlife populations declined by 73 percent between 1970 and 2022.
The article says nature loss is now a matter of economic and national resilience, affecting food and water security, health, supply chains and geopolitical stability. It adds that El Nino is forecast to increase risks to people, nature and economies.
Tipping points can help
The article argues that the same tipping point dynamics that threaten coral reefs and the Amazon rainforest can also work in humanity's favor. It identifies three economic systems driving most nature loss: energy, food and finance.
According to the article, triggering positive tipping points in these systems would make them transform quickly, as knowledge and technology advance and solutions become cheaper and more accessible. It says progress is already under way, though not yet at the required scale.
Energy leads the way
The global energy system has already passed a tipping point, with the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy accelerating, the article states. It notes that solar power was once used mainly in satellites and pocket calculators but is now the cheapest option for new electricity generation in most countries.
The article says changing food and finance systems is slower but equally urgent. It points to more than 130 countries with national strategic plans for food system transformation, while adding that commitments have not yet become the policies and incentives needed to speed up the transition.
It says tipping the finance system will require regulatory change, subsidy reform and a new approach to valuing climate and nature as financial risks. Governments at the COP17 biodiversity and COP31 climate conferences have what the article calls a vital opportunity to work together on positive tipping points.
