Scaling Investments in Nature

The report highlights a $4.1 trillion financing gap in nature that must be closed by 2050. It asserts that while nature loss puts $44 trillion of global GDP at risk, a nature-positive transition could generate $10 trillion in annual business value and 395 million jobs by 2030. The document provides a framework for private sector action—avoiding, reducing, restoring, and transforming—and calls for governments to repurpose harmful subsidies and implement formal carbon and ecosystem pricing.

• Nature loss presents a severe economic threat, with over 50% of global GDP being highly or moderately dependent on natural capital and ecosystem services. By 2030, nature loss is projected to cost the global economy $2.7 trillion (2.3% of global GDP) annually, with poorer countries potentially seeing GDP drops exceeding 10%.
• Transitioning to a nature-positive pathway offers significant economic opportunities, including the potential to create 395 million jobs and over $10 trillion in new annual business value by 2030. Furthermore, the economic benefits of protecting 30% of the world's land and oceans are estimated to outweigh the costs by a ratio of at least 5 to 1.
• There is a massive investment gap for nature-based solutions, with an estimated $4.1 trillion financing gap that needs to be closed by 2050. Meeting this target would require quadrupling current financing levels for nature-based solutions.
• Current economic models often fail to provide market returns for nature-positive investments because ecosystem services are not valued and negative externalities are externalized. A significant portion of public funding is counterproductive; for instance, 87% of the $540 billion in annual agricultural subsidies are price-distorting and environmentally harmful.
• The private sector can mainstream nature-positive investments through four strategic categories: avoiding harm (e.g., refusing investments in environmentally damaging businesses), reducing impacts (e.g., using internal carbon levies), restoring ecosystems (e.g., impact investing funds for marine and terrestrial restoration), and transforming systems (e.g., adopting industry-wide disclosure standards like the TNFD).
• To make nature-positive investments financially attractive, the public sector must enact specific reforms, including the removal of perverse subsidies (such as the $500 billion spent globally on fossil fuel subsidies), the creation of formal carbon pricing schemes, and the legislation of supply chain transparency to prevent deforestation.

APA

World Economic Forum (2022). Scaling Investments in Nature. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Scaling_Investments_in_Nature_2022.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Scaling Investments in Nature. 2022. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Scaling_Investments_in_Nature_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Scaling Investments in Nature |date=February 2022 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Scaling_Investments_in_Nature_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2022scaling, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Scaling Investments in Nature}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Scaling_Investments_in_Nature_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }