wwf heart of borneo
Pavan Sukhdev, former special adviser and head of the UN Green Economy Initiative and leader of the UNEP’s landmark study on The Economics of Eco-systems and Bio-diversity (TEEB) explained the importance of valuing natural capital in a green economy.
“A Green Economy is about natural capital and the TEEB report is all about making people recognize the value of natural capital and its role in alleviating poverty, especially in places like the Heart of Borneo, a place so rich in eco-system services.”
“Many eco-system services are invisible, but they represent 10%-15% of global GDP and more importantly they represent between 50-90% of the value of poor people’s livelihoods. Thus when your countries develop their economies you cannot remove nature from them because their poorest citizens are so dependent on it.”
Mr Sukhdev noted that financing a green economy in places like the Heart of Borneo was not the major problem.
“We already subsidize the fossil fuel driven ‘brown economy’ to the tune of one trillion US dollar every year without any concern being raised – so diverting some of the money to support a new green and sustainable economy should not be a problem. I know which economy I would rather be subsidizing through my tax dollar,”’ he said.
Moreover, there are many new forms of funds being developed internationally to finance a green economy. The Heart of Borneo and its representative governments are well placed to access some of these funds.
(C) WWF Indonesia / Irza Rinaldi
Pavan Sukhdev, former special adviser and head of the UN Green Economy Initiative and leader of the UNEP’s landmark study on The Economics of Eco-systems and Bio-diversity (TEEB) explained the importance of valuing natural capital in a green economy.
“A Green Economy is about natural capital and the TEEB report is all about making people recognize the value of natural capital and its role in alleviating poverty, especially in places like the Heart of Borneo, a place so rich in eco-system services.”
“Many eco-system services are invisible, but they represent 10%-15% of global GDP and more importantly they represent between 50-90% of the value of poor people’s livelihoods. Thus when your countries develop their economies you cannot remove nature from them because their poorest citizens are so dependent on it.”
Mr Sukhdev noted that financing a green economy in places like the Heart of Borneo was not the major problem.
“We already subsidize the fossil fuel driven ‘brown economy’ to the tune of one trillion US dollar every year without any concern being raised – so diverting some of the money to support a new green and sustainable economy should not be a problem. I know which economy I would rather be subsidizing through my tax dollar,”’ he said.
Moreover, there are many new forms of funds being developed internationally to finance a green economy. The Heart of Borneo and its representative governments are well placed to access some of these funds.
(C) WWF Indonesia / Irza Rinaldi