Youth Voices for a Nature-Positive Economy: A Fresh Perspective from Trinity College Students
How can we build an economy that works with nature rather than against it? Last year, we published a concept note exploring the foundations of a nature-positive economy, sparking conversations about the role of businesses, policymakers, and communities in driving this shift.
Now, we’re passing the mic to the next generation. In this three-part blog series, "Youth Voices for a Nature-Positive Economy," students from Trinity College share their reflections, critiques, and insights on our Concept Note. Their perspectives highlight the challenges, opportunities, and bold ideas that could shape a more nature-positive future!
We're delighted to share the second compelling piece, this time from Eva Mallo Barrio whose article "Neutral is not enough" challenges us to think beyond neutrality, advocating for systems thinking, women's leadership in sustainability, and innovative communication strategies like gamification to engage broader audiences with environmental issues.
Why ‘net zero’ is no longer enough and the transition to a Nature-Positive Economy should be asymmetric and engaging.
28/03/25, an article by Eva Mallo Barrio
Reducing impacts or doing "no-harm" doesn't restore damage previously caused; they're merely preventive measures. Global system-wide change is required: our world must not only become net zero, but also nature positive, for the benefit of both people and the planet, with a focus on promoting sustainable and inclusive development (G7 Leaders, 2030 Nature Compact). 'Net Zero' is just the first step; NP is the definitive outcome. We depend on nature; we are one of its numerous parts. Nature provides essential ecosystem services crucial for humanity's survival. However, the network of all the interacting parts in ecosystems is extremely fragile and complex. Biodiversity is cardinal for them to function properly; that's why restoration and positive actions are urgent. (QUINTESSENCE Consortium, 2016)
In short, a nature positive approach enhances the resilience of our planet and our societies (World Economic Forum, 2021) and is also determinant for economies: more than half of the World's GDP (approximately $58 trillion) is moderately or highly dependent on nature. (World Economic Forum, 2024)(PwC, 2024)
However, we still destroy, are unaware and don't prioritise the issue correctly: GRPS respondents disagree about the urgency of environmental risks, in particular Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse and Critical change to Earth systems. Younger respondents tend to rank these risks far more highly over the two-year period compared to older age groups, […] The private sector highlights these risks as top concerns over the longer term, in contrast to respondents from civil society or government who prioritise these risks over shorter time frames. (WEF, Global Risks Report 2024).
GoNP! Challenges
To engage with business, investors and economies we must empathise and understand their behaviour. GoNP! is "uncomfortable".
The classic model has been functioning for decades and this change, despite being utterly necessary, is different and abrupt. Short-terminist, demand-driven, monistic value approaches and rampant production are still rooted in managerial team's mindsets.
For most enterprises, economic performance is the most material issue, not nature. It's pivotal to clarify that NPE is not about losing but decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation (GNP! Concept Note, 2024).
Risks exist, trade-offs and losses are likely going to happen (but so do occur in the current system), however new opportunities will arise too! In fact, the World Economic Forum's Future of Nature and Business apprises that nature-positive initiatives could possibly generate $10 trillion in annual business opportunities and could create 395 million jobs by 2030 (WEF, 2020). This is where the emphasis should be placed.
Our world is lopsided
There's a wide global inequality and income gap, and the climate change emergency will likely aggravate the unequal wealth distribution and will bring new global risks (World Economic Forum, Global Risks Report, 2024).
It's crucial to not have a western-centric approach and consider the world's economic asymmetry. This standpoint will alleviate the risks of jeopardising human rights. Sometimes sustainability is a privilege. Generally high-income, wealthy countries (all basic needs covered) are the ones preoccupied with being sustainable (Sustainable Development Report, 2024).
However, GNP! could be the opportunity for undeveloped economies to start growing inside the sustainable boundaries and be the pioneers in nature-positive economies, closing the income/wealth gaps. Nonetheless, they'll need cooperation and financial support, innovation and creativity.
Considerations to measure NPE's progress
Holistic: Measure progress not only assessing individual actions/progresses of each actor, but also how all actions combined affect nature.
Quantitative: Number of NP actions done by different actors.
Qualitative: How actions are improving nature, the degree of benefit/damage in the short and the long-term.
Systems thinking: Concretely ecological network analysis. It's essential to understand the myriad interconnections and dependencies that structure ecosystems and keep them functioning properly.
By understanding those connections we can make informed decisions; however, many ecosystem's networks are untraceable and unknown; consequences of losing certain parts of ecosystems can't be fully predicted.
Rightsholder and expertise centred consultation. Vulnerable and affected communities should be consulted to assess progress. Interdisciplinary expertise also needed.
'Net' nature positive means that certain parts of nature will be lost. (GNP! Concept Note, 2024) But it should be properly considered what "can" be destroyed. If, as long as the final bottom line is positive, the negative externalities concentrate exaggeratedly on a specific area/ecosystem/species, that over-stress could unbalance the ecosystems in which it is embedded (see 1).
The criteria on where to allocate trade-offs must be done cooperatively and considering nature's complex interconnectedness, because if all companies are overshooting the same resource but still claim legitimacy due to the overall positiveness of their operations, the environment will still be threatened. The same systems thinking should be applied with more vulnerable communities, sectors and economies. Progress measurement and metrics must consider this rationale.
Women in the frontline of NPE and sustainability
Aligned with the support equity, fairness and justice premise (GNP! Concept Note, 2024), GNP! should include more women leaders. Economics is the most male-dominated field, and the women participating suffer violence and unequal treatment: an unparalleled influx of data since 2005 reveals this reality: a distinctive pattern of economic inequality marks the female population of every nation, each with the same mechanisms holding the disadvantages in place. (Linda Scott, 2022)
However, if the global community chose to dissolve the economic obstacles facing women, an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity would follow (Linda Scott, 2022).
Studies made by the World Economic Forum, UNICEF and the World Bank show how in countries with higher levels of gender equality the economic performance is proportionally better too. (WEF, Global Gender Gap Report, 2006) In fact, the long-run GDP per capita would be 20% higher if all gender gaps were closed on average across countries (Gender Employment Gap Index, 2022) and this is particularly true for middle-income countries like Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (40-80% GDP growth).
Benefits of having women in economy are especially accurate in the sustainability field: Women's leadership is associated with increased transparency regarding environmental footprints […] and with the proper disclosure of greenhouse emissions. […] Women on a board leads not only to better climate outcomes but also to more innovation. Moreover, the world's most sustainable cities are led by women. (Balke and Östros, European Investment Bank, 2023)
The same happens for companies, as women-led firms have higher environmental, social, and governance scores than other companies. (European Investment Fund, 2023)
Unfortunately, very few corporations are taking explicit steps to include women in their climate action plans and decision-making. If they did, they would have a far better chance of hitting their targets (Balke and Östros, European Investment Bank, 2023). NPE is the perfect opportunity to learn from all the mistakes made in the previous economic model, starting by inclusivity in terms of gender, race, ethnic, sexuality and nationality.
Communication strategy: gamification & immersive experiences
The world's economic systems do not adequately recognise the value of nature to planetary and human health (GNP! Concept Note, 2024). Also, as the GoNP is highly dependent on cooperation, delivering their message effectively is salient.
To do this, and also make it more interesting to students/youth I propose educating on how we depend on ecosystem services and how life would be if they no longer support us through gamification and immersive experiences.
56% of the world's population lives in cities, a trend it's expected to continue (World Bank Group, 2024) so asking people to believe and engage with something they can't even see, feel or touch daily is challenging.
"Catastrophic" messages are hackneyed, and society is increasingly desensitised to delicate content. Moreover, our attention spans are declining (Gloria Mark, 2024) due to the celerity and never-ending streams of information on the Internet: We're being reinforced to have short attention spans by all the media that we use. (Gloria Mark, 2024)
Gamification is a great alternative; studies demonstrate how user engagement doubles when the content is interactive (Content Marketing Institute, 2023) and information is learned or retained more efficiently. There are very good examples that could inspire us:
Redeia and their exposition and scape room "Conectados al Futuro"Formula D create immersive experience, VR and sensory games to educate on sustainability.
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