A new report from the Planetary Guardians, developed by Systemiq, reveals that protecting the world’s three great rainforest regions is not just an environmental mission. It is a macroeconomic necessity and a matter of human security.
Together, the Amazon, Congo, and Southeast Asia basins sustain the planet’s climate, regulate rainfall and underpin global food systems. The report Three Basins, One Lifeline warns that over 50% of global food production and up to 8% of global GDP is at risk by 2050 without urgent action, with economic losses exceeding US$1 trillion annually from crop failures and shortages. Tropical commodities such as coffee, cacao and others are heavily dependent on rainforest landscapes, with price volatility exceeding 100%, due to abnormal rainfall.