Axios House: Leaders sound alarm on biodiversity loss
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Axios' Amy Harder (left) with Mission Blue founder Sylvia Earle. Photo credit: Sam Popp for Axios
NEW YORK — Protecting ecosystems is an economic and moral imperative, sustainability leaders said at Axios House at Climate Week and the UN General Assembly.
Why it matters: "Enough nature disappears, and we'll disappear, too," Mission Blue founder Sylvia Earle said.
Axios' Amy Harder moderated conversations with Earle and Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert. The Sept. 21 event was sponsored by Cox Enterprises.
Context: Patagonia sued the Trump administration this month over its decision to shrink the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah by about 1.2 million acres.
- The lawsuit says the Antiquities Act of 1906, which governs national monuments, gives presidents power to designate but not undo sites.
What they're saying: Businesses and consumers each have a role in reducing their environmental footprint.
- Patagonia tries to "interrupt the consumption cycle" by "making the best product we know how to make with the least impact," Gellert said.
- The brand also offers consumers the opportunity to repair damaged merchandise — either DIY or mail-in — or sell their used items back to the retailer, which then resells them at a discount.
Yes, but: Patagonia's own "work in progress" report acknowledges that 85% of its products still don't have an end-of-life solution.
The bottom line: "We have to think about the value of nature for its most fundamental, most valuable" purpose, Earle said, as it "keeps us alive."
Content from the sponsor's segment:
In a View From the Top conversation, Alex Taylor, chairman and CEO of Cox Enterprises (which owns Axios), urged businesses to match their environmental commitments with action.
- "You have to put your money where your mouth is. … Everybody should do what they can with what they've got," Taylor said. "If you're a wealthy person, you should do a lot financially."
Dr. Andrew Forrest — Fortescue executive chairman and founder, and founder of Minderoo Foundation and Tattrang — said no objective is too ambitious or difficult.
- "It is a band of warriors, which come together with motivation and belief — with a singular target they don't lose focus on — and they just go for it, and that's what changes the world."
Go deeper: Watch the full conversations here.
