Posted on February, 19 2020

 7 February 2020 (Sofia, Bulgaria) - "Climate change poses a high risk for business, the report of the World Economic Forum showed. But the coin has two sides, because business could profit from nature conservation. In the future, a successful business will be the sustainable one. Sustainable development is based on efficiency, innovation and responsible management of natural resources. All of these elements build endless opportunities for development – and the first to take them on will win the most," warned Sasha Bezukhanova, Chairperson of  the of WWF Central and Eastern Europe Board, during a business event hosted by WWF in Sofia.
 
More than 50 business leaders, representing major international and Bulgarian companies, participated in the event. The programme began with a screening of Our Planet: Frozen Worlds, an episode of the popular Netflix documentary Our Planet. Filmed in 50 countries on all of the continents for over 3500 shooting days, the series includes never before seen footage of natural wonders and reveals how we could create a future where people and nature thrive together.
 
The event continued with a free discussion between the WWF-Bulgaria team and the guests. The meeting was called "Our Planet: Our Business" under the eponymous title of the additional episode of the Our Planet series. The episode focuses attention on the urgent need for collaboration between business and scientists on behalf of our planet. With two Emmy Awards for Best Documentary and Best Storyteller for the emblematic British environmentalist Sir David Attenborough, Our Planet is a celebration of the amazing creatures we share our common home with. But apart from admiring the unique biodiversity on Earth, we also should think seriously about the enormous pressure we are putting on it.
 
"Today we have the knowledge, the resources and the ability to reverse the trend. We still could guarantee healthy nature and a healthy planet for our children. 2020 is a critical year for the climate. Very high-level forums are forthcoming. Key decisions will be taken for tackling the climate crisis," said Vesselina Kavrakova, CEO of WWF-Bulgaria. "As the inspirational environmentalist Sir David Attenborough says: What we do in the next ten years will profoundly impact the next few thousand. Until now, nature determined how we survive; now we determine how nature survives."
 
The screening took place a few days before the long-awaited WWF Global Future Report 2020 was released. The report warns that the loss of biodiversity caused by unsustainable business practices will deprive the world economy of more than 479 billion USD annually, or $ 9.9 trillion by mid-century. Experts estimate that the amount is equivalent to the combined economies of the United States, France, India and Brazil.
 
The event ended with a call to businesses to join WWF's landmark global climate initiative – Earth Hour on March 28; when millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show their steadfast commitment to protecting nature.
 
Previous Our Planet screenings were organised for business leaders last year by WWF-Hungary; and WWF-Romania with The Coca-Cola Foundation as part of our Living Danube Partnership. The Partnership is reconnecting former floodplains to the Danube River system and restoring wetlands in Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria, as well as a project in Austria to increase river capacity by the equivalent of 4,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools (12 million m³) and to restore 53 km² of wetland habitat by the end 2020. The seven year cooperation between WWF and The Coca-Cola Foundation is just one example of how civil society and business can work together for positive change. Together possible!

For more information:
Michaela Popova,
Corporate Partnerships Officer,
WWF-Bulgaria
mpopova@wwf.bg