More than half of global gross domestic product (GDP) is dependent on nature, according to an estimate by the World Economic Forum. Yet, at the same time, biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in history and nearly a million species are currently at risk of extinction, according to the IPBES’ Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Therefore, the need to shift the way we live has never been so urgent.

The circular bioeconomy – conceived as an economy powered by nature and its sustainable resources – offers a unique opportunity to use renewable natural capital to holistically transform and manage land, food, health and industrial systems as well as cities. It focuses on minimizing waste, replacing the wide range of non-renewable, fossil-based products currently in use in the quest to reduce emission.

Follow the discussion with Rocio Diaz-Chavez, deputy director for research and energy, and climate change program leader at Stockholm Environment Institute, Africa, and Sylvia Kuria, a farmer and organic farming advocate based in Nairobi in the latest episode of the Let’s Talk Trees podcast. This episode delves into how they believe sustainable economic development could minimize the consumption of non-renewable resources, helping communities to overcome the effect of the climate crisis, while at the same time putting a halt to the crisis. The discussion will shed a light on how these practices could be applied in the developing countries, especially by drawing some examples from sustainable practices that are already being undertaken by various local and Indigenous communities.