IELTS Task 2 Sample on The Cost of Biodiversity Loss

Biodiversity—the variety of life on Earth—underpins human wellbeing. The United Nations notes that more than half of global gross domestic product (GDP) depends on nature. Over 1 billion people rely on forests for their livelihoods and the land and oceans absorb more than half of all carbon emissions. Yet nature is in crisis: up to one million species are threatened with extinction within decades. Wetlands, which absorb significant carbon, have declined by 85 %. Destruction of ecosystems like parts of the Amazon rainforest has even turned some forests from carbon sinks into carbon sources. Humans have altered more than 70 % of ice‑free land primarily for food production. Climate change compounds these pressures, forcing animals and plants to move to higher elevations and latitudes, and increasing the risk of climate‑driven extinctions.

The economic consequences of nature loss are staggering. A 2025 SDG Action article estimates that unsustainable practices in food, land and ocean use cost about US$12 trillion per year, exceeding their contributions to global GDP. Harmful subsidies that degrade nature amount to US$4–6 trillion annually. The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2025 lists nature loss alongside climate change among the top four risks over the next decade. If unchecked, the destruction of ecosystems could destabilize financial markets; one analysis cited by the WEF suggests that US$58 trillion—55 % of global market capitalization—is highly or moderately dependent on nature. Ecosystem services worth US$10.6 trillion a year are lost to land degradation, and heat stress could cost the global economy up to US$25 trillion by 2060.

Halting biodiversity loss requires transforming how societies value and manage natural capital. Protecting and restoring forests, peatlands and mangroves offers two‑thirds of the mitigation potential of nature‑based solutions. The UN explains that peatlands, though covering only 3 % of land, store twice as much carbon as all forests, and mangroves can sequester CO₂ at rates up to four times higher than terrestrial forests. Integrating nature‑related risks into financial decision‑making, reforming harmful subsidies and investing in restoration could unlock US$10 trillion in annual business opportunities and create 395 million jobs by 2030. A nature‑positive economy—one that increases levels of nature over time—would not only stabilize the climate but also ensure long‑term economic and social resilience.