The findings, published in the State of Finance for Nature 2026 report, underline a stark imbalance that threatens global biodiversity, climate goals and long‑term economic stability.

The report shows that although governments and businesses are increasing investments in conservation and nature‑based solutions, harmful financial flows far outweigh positive ones. Sectors such as utilities, industrials, energy and basic materials were identified as major drivers of environmental damage. The study also highlighted the scale of environmentally harmful subsidies in fossil fuels, agriculture, water, transport and construction.

“If you follow the money, you see the size of the challenge ahead of us,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme. She warned that nature‑positive investments remain modest, while destructive investments and subsidies “are surging ahead”. “We can either invest in nature’s destruction or power its recovery; there is no middle ground,” she said.

Despite the imbalance, the report outlines a clear set of solutions capable of reversing environmental decline while delivering strong economic returns. These include expanding green urban infrastructure to reduce heat‑island effects, embedding biodiversity protections into transport and energy projects, and producing emissions‑negative building materials.

The study calls for a “big nature turnaround”, urging governments to phase out harmful subsidies, redirect damaging investments, and dramatically scale up funding for nature‑positive sectors. It stresses that protecting and restoring ecosystems is not only essential for climate resilience and food security but also offers significant economic opportunities.

The UN says a global transformation in finance is now essential to ensure markets align with environmental goals rather than undermine them.

–UN/ChannelAfrica–