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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Phillip Inman and Richard Partington

Nature destruction will cause bigger economic slump in UK than 2008 crisis, experts warn

Pollution and plant debris on the Grand Union Canal
Pollution and plant debris on the Grand Union Canal at Harefield following sewage discharges by Thames Water. Photograph: Maureen McLean/REX/Shutterstock

The destruction of nature over the rest of the decade could trigger a bigger economic slump in Britain than those caused by the 2008 global financial crisis and the Covid pandemic, experts have warned.

Sounding the alarm over the rising financial cost from pollution, damage to water systems, soil erosion, and threats from disease, the report by the Green Finance Institute warned that further breakdown in the UK’s natural environment could lead to a 12% loss of gross domestic product (GDP) by the 2030s.

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