'Only the beginning': Nature-harming subsidies cause up to $24.7tr of 'invisible' damage

Stuart Stone
clock • 5 min read
Credit: iStock
Image:

Credit: iStock

Hidden costs of nature-harming subsidies to governments and society up to 12 times larger than the subsidies themselves, study finds

The trillions of dollars the world's governments spend annually on subsidies that drive deforestation, overfishing, and pollution are leaving behind up to $24.7tr in environmental damage every year...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

Stuart Stone
Author spotlight

Stuart Stone

View profile
More from Stuart Stone

How plans for new coal projects are outpacing 'shelved' schemes at a rate of three-to-one

Danone launches new initiative to help British oat-growers adopt regenerative farming practices

More on Risk

'Too hot to work': Extreme heat threatens 'substantial drag on global economic output'
Risk

'Too hot to work': Extreme heat threatens 'substantial drag on global economic output'

Report from MSCI warns heat-related labour-productivity losses are already equivalent to two per cent of global GDP, and are set to rise sharply in the coming years

James Murray
James Murray
clock 20 October 2026 • 2 min read
Slowing the flow: Why flood resilience is becoming nature's first investable asset
Risk

Slowing the flow: Why flood resilience is becoming nature's first investable asset

Partner Insight: Environment Bank, operator of England's largest network of Habitat Banks and Nature-based solutions, sets out how business and sustainability leaders can turn upstream nature restoration into an investable natural infrastructure asset...

Environment Bank
clock 19 October 2026 • 4 min read
Study: Climate resilience primary driver of business action on nature
Risk

Study: Climate resilience primary driver of business action on nature

More than half of sustainability practitioners claim building the business case for nature is their biggest challenge, but climate resilience offers route for delivering projects

Stuart Stone
Stuart Stone
clock 16 October 2026 • 3 min read