WHAT'S THE ISSUE?

A new report from, amongst others, the UN Environment Programme and the World Economic Forum has concluded that if we have a chance of meeting the increasingly tough climate and nature targets governments are setting, we're going to need to increase investment sharply, and soon.

As Justin Adams, Director of Nature-based solutions at the World Economic Forum explains, we're going to need to triple the $133b annually invested in nature-based solutions by 2030 if we have any chance of saving the planet.

MEET THE EXPERT

Justin Adams is the Director of Nature-Based Solutions at the World Economic forum.

Before that, he worked as a Senior Advisor to the World Bank and to the Duke of Westminster's new agricultural fund, Wheatsheaf Investments, and was also a senior executive at BP for 10 years where he helped to build its $8 billion renewables division, Alternative Energy.

Justin is a Fellow at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford.

WHAT DOES ADAMS SAY?

"We are investing just 0.1% of GDP [in nature]… and that's dramatically lower than it needs to be, given that actually nature underpins about half of global GDP." Adams tells Stephen Cole.

And with private companies only contributing 14% of that investment, it's clear that investors need to shift their focus: "Our food, our agriculture and beverage sector is worth about eight trillion dollars per year. And yet that sector is absolutely dependent on healthy, healthy nature. We've got to stop thinking about nature investments as somehow a separate thing."

WHAT'S NEXT?

"We're seeing the interest and awareness growing from the private sector, but not yet the means of how they could deploy capital at the scale that's required." says Adams.

"We've got to start measuring and reporting on progress in a much more transparent way." He adds, saying this year's COP15 and COP-26 meetings could be the key to real progress. "Crucially, we've got to start getting policies in place that can crowd in this investment as well. And that's where the opportunity is for politicians to really lead this year. And I think many, many voices, many people are going to be looking to politicians for leadership and indeed to business and to other sectors to step up. And now is our chance to do that."

ALSO ON THE AGENDA:

-  Armen Dallakyan, Director of sustainable finance consulting at KEN Associates, joins Stephen to explain exactly how he helps companies and investors find the right approach to sustainability, and the growing demand for his services.

-  Stephen speaks to Richard Lancaster, CEO of electricity supply company CLP Holdings about how a company can ensure every part of its business is fully sustainable, and why managers and investors alike are finally starting to realize sustainability is no longer something which is done just for show.

FIND MORE STORIES FROM THE AGENDA WITH STEPHEN COLE HERE