Bilateral investment treaties and the protection of biodiversity

The ongoing degradation of biodiversity is recognized by the UN as a threat to humanity. To prevent further degradation it will be necessary phase-out of harmful production at large-scale. However, some of these stranded investments will be foreign-owned, and can therefore be protected by the more than 2 600 investment treaties that are in force worldwide. These treaties are often alleged to dissuade host countries from undertaking desirable policy measures that harm foreign investor interests. This project seeks to identify the bilateral investment treaties to which OECD countries are parties, that pose the most severe threat to biodiversity.