How Can Investment in Nature Close the Infrastructure Gap?

The report finds that nature-based infrastructure (NBI) is significantly more cost-effective than traditional grey infrastructure, potentially saving USD 248 billion annually if it replaced 11.4% of global infrastructure needs. NBI also generates 28% more value than grey alternatives, contributing an additional USD 489 billion in annual value through ecosystem services. The study highlights that traditional valuations often overlook these benefits, leading to a default reliance on grey infrastructure and missed opportunities to address climate and biodiversity crises.

• Nature-based infrastructure (NBI) is significantly cheaper than traditional grey infrastructure, with research indicating it is up to 50% cheaper to provide the same infrastructure service.
• NBI provides 28% better value for money than grey infrastructure, which translates to an additional USD 489 billion in value generated annually.
• The global annual infrastructure investment need is estimated at USD 4.29 trillion. If 11.4% of this need (USD 489 billion) were met using NBI instead of grey infrastructure, annual savings of USD 248 billion would be achieved.
• NBI can be applied across multiple sectors to reduce costs and increase resilience: 25% of water and sanitation needs, 50% of agriculture needs, and 50% of climate resilience needs could be met through NBI.
• Traditional infrastructure valuations often favor grey infrastructure because they fail to account for the added health, environmental, and ecosystem benefits provided by NBI.
• The combined effect of cost savings (USD 248 billion) and extra value creation (USD 489 billion) from switching to NBI would result in an additional USD 737 billion available annually, or approximately USD 94 per person globally.

APA

Bassi, A. M., Bechauf, R., Casier, L., & Cutler, E. (2021). How Can Investment in Nature Close the Infrastructure Gap? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://nbi.iisd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/investment-in-nature-close-infrastructure-gap.pdf

Chicago

Bassi, Andrea M., Ronja Bechauf, Liesbeth Casier, and Emma Cutler. How Can Investment in Nature Close the Infrastructure Gap? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://nbi.iisd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/investment-in-nature-close-infrastructure-gap.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bassi |first1=Andrea M. |last2=Bechauf |first2=Ronja |last3=Casier |first3=Liesbeth |last4=Cutler |first4=Emma |title=How Can Investment in Nature Close the Infrastructure Gap? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=October 2021 |url=https://nbi.iisd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/investment-in-nature-close-infrastructure-gap.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bassi2021how, author = {Bassi, Andrea M. and Bechauf, Ronja and Casier, Liesbeth and Cutler, Emma}, title = {{How Can Investment in Nature Close the Infrastructure Gap?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://nbi.iisd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/investment-in-nature-close-infrastructure-gap.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }