Wetland loss could cost global economy 39 tln USD, report warns

NAIROBI, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Unchecked wetland degradation could trigger a 39 trillion U.S. dollar loss to the global economy, alongside worsening water stress and food insecurity, according to a report released Tuesday.

Unveiled at the ongoing 20th Ordinary Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-20) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, the Global Wetland Outlook report said that although wetlands cover only 6 percent of the Earth's surface, they provide critical ecosystem services, including flood control, food production, and carbon storage, valued at the equivalent of 7.5 percent of global gross domestic product.