Nature and biodiversity underpin the global economy, attributing to more than half of the world’s gross domestic product. Yet nature is in crisis – the current decline in ecosystems is estimated to cost more than USD5 trillion per annum globally.

With record investments in new energy infrastructure in 2024, the diversification of the global energy system, including solar and wind power, hydrogen value chains and others, is rapidly progressing. This shift presents a unique set of challenges, involving significant land use, resource extraction as well as impacts on communities. The upside opportunity is to adopt a nature positive approach for industrial plans that align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.

Meanwhile, the Southeast Asian economies are growing rapidly, with energy demand expected to triple by 2050, with other regions equally seeing fast energy demand growth, most notably in electricity, as a result of new data centres and the electrification of transport. Three of the world’s most biologically diverse countries, with a rich variety of flora and fauna, are located in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia. This year, Malaysia has assumed the role of Chair of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN), which presents a unique opportunity to engage on the nexus of energy and nature among relevant stakeholders, in a relevant setting.