Private Finance and Nature: An unjust transition, or an opportunity to deliver Environmental and Community benefits at scale?: GREEN FINANCE INSTITUTE

The UK Government has made clear that private sector capital must be mobilised into nature restoration – this is also a target of the Global Biodiversity Framework signed at COP15 last year.

As mechanisms develop that enable private sector capital to invest – such as the voluntary carbon markets for woodland, peatland and ultimately soil, seagrass and hedgerows, as well as compliance markets such as biodiversity net gain and nutrient neutrality, how can we make sure that we don’t ended up commodifying nature – and that social and community benefits are embedded and not an addition? Is there an opportunity within the transition to valuing nature to also address some of capitalism’s imbalances?