Contribution by Frank Elderson, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB and Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank (ECB), 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity – Finance and Biodiversity Day

Cali, 28 October 2024

The global economy and finance need nature to survive. Analysis by the ECB shows that the economy depends critically on nature: 72% of non-financial businesses in the euro area – around 4.2 million individual companies – would experience significant problems as a result of ecosystem degradation. These businesses rely on ecosystem services like fertile soils, timber and clean water. And 75% of bank loans are tied to these businesses. So, if they run into trouble, the banks that finance them will too. This interdependence underscores why the ECB made nature one of the focus areas of its climate and nature plan for 2024 and 2025. It is also why we push banks under our supervision to manage all…